Mongolia's Southwest Part 3 of 3: Bayanhongor Pins Hopes

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ULAANBAATAR 000209 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE PASS PEACE CORPS, OPIC AND EXIMBANK STATE FOR EAP/CM, DRL, OES, AND EB/TPP USAID FOR DEIDRA WINSTON BANGKOK AND MANILA FOR USAID TREASURY FOR T.T. YANG BEIJING FOR AGATT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV EAGR SENV PREL KDEM EMIN SOCI MG SUBJECT: Mongolia's Southwest Part 3 of 3: Bayanhongor Pins Hopes on Herding and Food Processing REF: A) Ulaaanbaatar 0180, B) Ulaanbaatar 0198 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION. ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Charge visited Bayanhongor province April 23/24 on the third and final stop of a three city swing through southwestern Mongolia. The province is home to 90,000 people, of whom 28,000 live in the provincial capital, of the same name. The province depends on herding and agriculture and hopes to expand its vegetable production for both local consumption and to ship to Ulaanbaatar to earn cash. Vice Governor Sedkhuugiib sought additional information on food-processing development and rain-making technology. After overviewing the U.S.-Mongolia bilateral relationship and describing USG assistance programs, the Charge raised the issue of religious freedom and tolerance, referring to concerns voiced by local Presbyterian pastors regarding religious prejudice and discrimination by Buddhists and local governments. (Note: Buddhist leaders in Ulaanbaatar raised their own complaints against the Presbyterians and others.) The Charge encouraged equal and fair treatment as well as the possibility of mediation to resolve differences. The ruling Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MRPR) holds a slight edge in local governments in Bayanhongor, and the opposition Democratic Party (DP) complained of abuse of positions by MRPR incumbents, as well as voter registration mischief and possible stacking of the General Election Commission in the MPRP's favor. The MPRP expects women to account for 25% of its candidates for the October provincial and local elections, compared to 40% for the DP. Dinner with local Peace Corps Volunteers revealed a well-integrated, energetic, and synergistic effort directed at advancing local development, earning considerable respect for the U.S. The USAID-funded Gobi Initiative created 35 new businesses and 396 new jobs from 2004 to 2008, for which the entrepreneurs and the local government are deeply grateful. END SUMMARY. Bayanhongor Itinerary -------------- ¶2. (U) Following a day-long drive from Altai, the Charge, accompanied by E/P Political Specialist doubling as interpreter and driver, visited Bayanhongor, the capital of Bayanhongor province, April 23-24. He met with Bayanhongor government and political party officials, toured two USAID-funded Gobi Initiative development projects, and met with the local press. Refs A and B report on his visits to Zavkhan and Gobi Altai provinces, respectively. Presbyterians Complain Of Buddhist Intolerance And Government Favoritism (And Vice Versa) -------------- ¶3. (SBU) During a 45-minute meeting with three local Presbyterian Pastors (protect) the evening of April 23, the Pastors noted that their faith had been active in Bayanhongor for 16 years and they estimated they have about 10,000 followers (of the province's 90,000 population) and about 25 churches of various sizes. They complained of prejudice and discrimination against their faith by the provincial and local governments, as well as by local and national Buddhist officials. (Note: By chance, an Emboff was meeting the following day in Ulaanbaatar with Khamba Lama Choijamts, Head of the Gandan Monastery and the center for Mongolian followers of the Buddhist faith. That meeting revealed similar sentiments about attitudes toward Buddhism (lacking government support) and claims regarding Presbyterians and other Christian groups' actions against Buddhism. In short, officials of both religions appear to have complaints against each other. End Note.) "Ya Gotta Talk To Each Other" -------------- ¶4. (SBU) The pastors said they plan to approach President Enkhbayar to seek his intercession with the government and Buddhist leaders, knowing the President is a devout Buddhist with close association with the faith's leaders. If the President is unwilling to help, ULAANBAATA 00000209 002 OF 003 the Pastors will then approach Mongolia's National Human Rights Commission. The Charge asked whether the Pastors had directly approached local Buddhist leaders or the provincial government. The Pastors replied they had not approached either, as the local officials are viewed as "in the Buddhist camp" and Buddhist leaders are perceived as "part of the problem." The Pastors believed that the growth of their flocks' numbers, and a sense of cultural loss, may be the motivating forces. They sought the Charge's intercession on their behalf. The Charge replied he would meet the next day with the Vice Governor and would express support for religious freedom and tolerance. Vice Governor Promotes Herding and Vegetables -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Meeting the morning of April 24, Vice Governor Sedkhuugiib Unenbuyan told the Charge that Bayanhongor province has 116,000 square kilometers, 19 counties, and 90,000 people, of whom 28,000 live in Bayanhongor City. VG Sedkhuugiib said the province's economy is based on herding and agriculture; both are weather-dependent. The government has encouraged residents and farmers to plant vegetables both for their own consumption and as cash crops to ship to Ulaanbaatar. He sought additional information on food-processing development and rain-making technology, noting that cloud-seeding had recently been employed in another province to help fight a forest fire. He said the province suffers from poor infrastructure but that both energy and communications systems had improved recently. Demand for health care and education have outstripped supply, he said. Charge Stresses Religious Freedom and Tolerance As Well As the Need for Mediation -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Noting Mongolia's progress as a democracy and its support for individual freedoms, the Charge addressed the issue of religious freedom and tolerance, and asked whether the provincial government had considered offering its good offices as a mediator between the Buddhists and Presbyterians. VG Sedkhuugiib said the provincial government felt "sandwiched" between the two groups and unable to gain the trust of either side. He reiterated his government's support for religious freedom and promised to look into the claims made by both sides; in any case, the provincial government would not brook violence by any group. Charge Reviews Bilateral Relations, Assistance, Commercial Services, GSP, and MCA Compact -------------- ¶7. (U) The Charge explained the types of assistance provided by the USG to Bayanhongor province, including the presence of several Peace Corps Volunteers, the Judicial Reform Project, the Gobi Forage Project -- which piqued the VG's interest -- and the Gobi Initiative Project. He reviewed highlights of the US-Mongolia bilateral relationship, described the services available through the Embassy's Commercial Section, passed out the Section's contact information sheet, and summarized opportunities available for Mongolian producers under the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). He also overviewed the key elements of the US$285 million US-Mongolia Millennium Challenge Account Compact, which will soon begin implementation. MPRP Holds Small Lead Over DP -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Donning his ruling Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) hat, VG Sedkhuugiib said the province's assembly has 30 members, evenly split between the MPRP and the Democratic Party (DP); three are females. He said the assembly's nine-member steering committee consists of five MPRP members (the committee's chairman, previously a Motherland Party member, had just switched over to the MPRP) and four DP members. He said the MPRP had four candidates who intend to seek election to Parliament on June 29. ULAANBAATA 00000209 003 OF 003 (Note: Bayanhongor's three seats in Parliament will be up for grabs, so one of the MPRP's would-be candidates will have to drop out. End Note.) The Vice Governor noted all the candidates were currently "working" in the province, but that this was to provide and gain background, as campaigning is not allowed until mid-May. He confessed that there is a tendency to give gifts and buy votes, campaign education efforts notwithstanding. VG Sedkhuugiib said gender was not a major issue for the upcoming elections nor the October provincial and local elections. The MPRP expected it would meet its goal of fielding female candidates for 25% of local seats. DP Reps Complain Of MPRP Incumbent And Voter Registration Abuses -------------- ¶9. (SBU) During an April 24 meeting with nearly a dozen DP reps, DP Council Chief Regden (protect) said the DP holds six of 19 county governorships and has 120 of the 400 seats in the county assemblies. He estimated that about 40% of the DP's candidates for provincial and local positions were women. He complained that MPRP candidates use their government positions to advance their own candidacies, and said the MPRP had stacked the decks for the June elections. (Note: Of the nine members of Mongolia's General Election Commission, only two are affiliated with the DP. End Note.) On a positive note, a number of electoral process improvements would make cheating more difficult, Regden said. He said there were also sizable discrepancies, on the order of 6,000, between the number of registered DP members and those listed on the GEC's voter registration list. He accused the MPRP of excluding the residence and voter registration of DP members. He said MPRP leaders routinely portrayed goods received from NGOs as their own, personal gifts to constituents. Gobi Initiative Creates Firms, Jobs -------------- ¶10. (U) Mercy Corps representatives provided an overview briefing of USAID-funded Gobi Initiative activities in Bayanhongor from 2004 to 2008, noting that 35 new businesses and 396 jobs had been created. The Charge visited a small wood furniture factory and also a beauty salon; both were newly created firms and each employed four staff. Both firms' managers had ambitious growth and development plans for coming years and were very grateful for the USG-supported program. GOLDBECK