Oops. Wrong Country

There is a lot of misunderstanding about Mongolia. But the New American is really confused. William F. Jasper comments on the President's visit in:

President Bush Showers Mongolian Reds With Praise, Aid

Jasper describes a country where the president is

head of the Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party, which is the renamed and (supposedly) reformed Communist Party of Mongolia

But isn't it impossible for a president to be member of a political party? And the MPRP is still the original name, isn't it? And the communist party?? The mist thickens but soon fades:

...the United Nations and the U.S. government (along with the rest of the world’s nations) pretend that Mongolia is now truly independent of Beijing’s communist control

Indeed: wrong country. One more time: Inner Mongolia is located in China, Outer Mongolia is the indepenent country Mongolia.

Mongolia gets ready for Bush, CNN gets it wrong

While Mongolia prepares for The Big Day, CNN seems happy to portray Mongolia as weak and dependent on Big Brother US:

Remote country looks to U.S. to counter sway of giant neighbors

Meanwhile the rumours here get wilder and wilder. The latest one is that the complete mobile network will be shut down this afternoon. People around the main square yesterday got a visit from the police saying they shouldn't stand in front of the window, implying they might get shot if they would.
Already roads have been completely blocked and police is present every ten meters on the main route. In the end it seems not all that save however. If he does come through the main route people could have prepared for days to have something nasty in place - if he doesn't: there is no police present to actually check what is happening at the moment. It is amazing that they had to send hundreds of US staff taking over a complete hotel for six weeks to come up with such a simple plan. For a five hour visit.



A monk looks at all the police that have gathered on the sukhbaatar square
This picture was taken an hour before the arrival of Bush - and nobody seemes to get really excited.

UPDATE 1:
News is out that the visit is completed, while Bush only just entered the Parliamnet Building.

UPDATE 2:
But the News does travel fast these days, within half an hour the pictures are on the web:


U.S. President George W. Bush (R) reviews an honor guard with Mongolia's President Nambariin Enkhbayar at Government House in Ulan Bator November 21, 2005. Bush became the first U.S. president to visit Mongolia on Monday, coming to thank the country for helping in Iraq and to compare Islamic radicalism to the yoke of communism that Mongolians threw off. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
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technorati: mongolia bush