Let me tell you interesting story. Quite a while ago Gundalai[1] made loads of noise and laid out in the open documents that Nyamdorj[2] was a foreign spy. I am just an independent observer, a person who analyzes and makes conclusion of political actions. So, I chipped in as well to the public controversy and wrote even two articles. First of all, I have said that I don’t believe that Nyamdorj is a foreign spy. I said how in the world a leading world power that sends men to space and has nuclear weapons, would have such a dork[3] as Nyamdorj as a spy . It’s just not logical. However, it is probable that he did organize operation to snatch a man from France, because he is the Minister of Justice.  Yet our hotheaded fellow filed about me to police that he was slandered. Police, what a police, the filing was assigned to fire case registration section, seems like they could find anybody so they urgently called a police officer from some village and assigned me to him. When I demanded from them “ I said that Nyamdorj is not a spy, if otherwise then you  guys prove it”, Nyamdorj could not do anything so he speedily retracted his filing.
 
The point is that I am not going to talk about my and Nyamdorj’s scuffle here.  In fact, I am going to talk about a bit bigger case here.  Our minister in order to prove that he did not snatch a person from abroad, got certification by professionals who handled snatching operation of so called Enkhbat and attached it.  In case file, those folks laid out in the open all state secrets.  Who gave order, they wrote how they executed it, most important , they said minister Nyamdorj has no connection whatsoever with this.  Since I am person who at least understands that secrets of such sensitive execution cannot be publicized I got silent on it after a while.
 
To tell the truth, before snatching so called Enkhbat from abroad, Nyamdorj himself spoke in private and publicly that Democratic Party will enter elections without a Chairman, will make shameful mess in the elections and that Zorig[4]’s case will be soon uncovered. There was plenty of controversy surrounding that in the media. The matter is that , as it was explained, Chairman of Democratic Party Enkhsaikhan  seems to be connected to Zorig’s murder, Nyamdorj soon is going to find out and uncover this, and understanding was being created that Democratic party is to going to make shameful mess and lose in the elections. Later indeed all case was laid out in the open. So called Enkhbat was snatched from a street in France perhaps after he was hit by a club and fell. This was apparently done in consultation with the ambassador in France. The he was transported by car to the embassy in Belgium and kept captive for a while. Again this was done and executed in consultation with the ambassador. From there he was brought to Berlin. Again in consultation with the ambassador. The ambassador even provided room for keeping the captive. In this way, our operatives[5] quietly had Enkhbat cross the border and brought him in a MIAT[6] plane and imprisoned in Gants Khudag[7]. Yet as Mongolia has free press, which is cool, all intricacies were uncovered and there was media controversy. Abovementioned information was in the papers, it is not a secret anymore.
 
Then, no surprise, there was mess of shame worldwide.  Secret service folks in Germany, France and Belgium publicly pressured and insulted our ambassadors connected to the case and ambassadors had nowhere to go. They fled hastily to motherland, got under patronage of the person who gave order and indeed were promoted. They did make a deed for the motherland, I can understand them, poor folks. It seems like Enkhbat was tortured to admit to the case. However, as Mongolia is a free country, his lawyer laid it all out in the open in the media.  What’s next, the lawyer was swiftly imprisoned for uncovering state secrets. Afte that, Mongolia seems not so free country (after all). Enkhbat, who was seriously ill from the beginning, very soon died. Horrible rumors surrounding that, not known whether true or false, have spread. It was said that flight attendant who transported Enkhbat and witness who sat next to him very soon died in sudden accidents. Both parties made it in the 2004 elections, solidarity agreement was established, coalition government was formed and two party chairmen turned into friends unbelievably loyal to each other.
 
In Europe our diplomats were started to be taken into custody.  A diplomat who served in France was indeed taken into custody  from airport in Austria and Germany.  Also officers who executed the operation started to be arrested. Finally, an executive officer who executed the order given from the top was arrested from London airport and imprisoned. A diplomat  staff has duty to follow the order, military staff has a duty to follow the order. Not an executor but the decision maker has to bear responsibility for mistaken order. This is a simple rule followed everywhere.  In case of folks shot on 7/1[8] the person who gave order to shoot is to bear the responsibility not the person who fired shots. Mind you, if a specific police officer shot at his own will without any order then it is a different matter. The UK[9] folks for example actually are giving hell to Tony Blair for provoking a war in Iraq. Perhaps UK soldiers have sent to other world many terrorists and some civilians by mistake too. Yet nobody will convict a soldier who is following and executing an order as murderer. An order was followed. What’s even more, a soldier who does not follow order is considered a traitor from the motherland. It’s considered like that anywhere.
 
Any country has its own laws. Duty of any state is to enforce its laws on territory of its jurisdiction. Laws can be flawed, those are fixed, nobody has a right to breach them saying it is a bad law. In modern globalizing world not only laws of the countries are becoming similar but, by mutual respect of those, fundamental condition is forming for peaceful co-existence. Case of citizens breaching own laws and those of others is very widespread, at each instance measures are taken correspondingly and (life) goes on.
Our good fellas indeed get involved in such notorious crimes abroad.  A while ago, our citizen who raped and killed 70 year old granny[10]  in Korea was convicted only for 3 years. In fact, there were even instance of all-family members murder. It looks like apparently now Mongolians have become the only drug traffickers. However, all this would be called actions of an individual, it would not be called deliberate actions by Mongolian state. Indeed foreigners too ,who breach law in our country ,bear the punishment. However, when one state deliberately and in organized manner breaches law of another state, it is indeed at the minimum is provocation and at the maximum, a hostility. This is how it works, the modern world.
 
A while ago, a staff that was performing state duties in the US[11] was yet again snatched and brought home.  He was handcuffed and detained by police officers. By American laws, don’t even speak about foreign police, another state’s police has no right to arrest folks crossing interstate borders. Yup, we see a lot of that in movies. Perhaps it seems like a stupid law, however, it is in effect over there. In this way, as explained personally by Mongolian ambassador in Washington who recognized the person as exactly the one who stabbed and killed Zorig, the arrested person was transported here. The poor fellow had to sit in the prison a whole year, finally, he was convicted for a year for having fake university diploma and, since he was kept for that much time during investigation he was finally freed. Is our country the one with freedoms and that respects human rights? Is it a place where the Constitution is followed? Is not breaching laws of other country in organized manner from the state a case of hostile to abroad policy, is it?
 
Can you imagine how weak is the Mongolian state on its own territory while breaching in hostile manner law of others? A state police officer who stabbed on the eyes of the public on central square under pretext of protesting the Government almost given an award a while ago, for crying outloud. Fundamental duty of a state is a matter of protecting property of anyone ,no exceptions. There is an old legend about brutal American policemen who shot demonstrating workers, to tell the truth, it was just a matter of state opening a fire according to duty to protect property because demonstrators attacked property of others. I think that Mongolian policemen protecting commie[12] party building on 7/1 is just the state performing its duties. On the other hand, after all problems got quiet, if bunch of police officer were hunting down folks, then it is a crime.  Mass arrest of folks from tomorrow and persecuting them is a crime. All this should be understood separately, each on its own.
 
Since state is weak and unable to fulfill its duties, willful capriciousness by everyone who is went nuts is (simply) out of control. Criminals who shot at and destroyed property of others are capricious as if they are national heroes. They are justifying themselves without a blink in the eyes – “ This state is unlawful one”. They are swollen with pride - “ We destroyed not state but private property”. They make straightforward threats “ We deliberately prepared and attacked property of others, this is only a beginning, we will do it again”. (while )State of Mongolia is bowing its head and stands still.The constitution says that all forms of property have equal rights and duty is assigned to state to protect all. This is one of the fundamental duties of a state. Folks pay taxes exactly for this purpose. If it is OK for anyone to attack property of anyone “for the better of the motherland”, if it is OK for threaten anybody’s life and health, there what is the need for us of such a helpless state? Let’s then arm ourselves with money we paying for taxes and protect ourselves on our own. Alternately, let’s shoot and take down everything in sight not to our liking, blow up the neighbor family and show off how patriotic we are. It is duty of a state to determine standards for environmental protection and enforce the implementation of them. If state does not fulfill this duty is it supposed to change state representatives or is it supposed to operate public court and ,whoever wants it, whoever went nuts, whoever “patriotic” should take measure to punish on the spot? Is not a court beyond the official courts prohibited by Constitution?Is state of Mongolia by being quiet and helpless is silently allowing volunteer court? If so , then every citizen has a right to establish his own private court, every citizen has a right to punish whomever however he/she likes it at his/her will. Can you imagine that former Minister of Justice of Mongolia is demanding to issue title of State Hero to volunteer patriot criminals. Come to think of it, tomorrow then, he is going to stab someone who stepped on a fenced grass and decorate himself with Hero’s Star medal!
 
Although we have a right to say whatever we want and express our opinion it is prohibited by Constitution to promote war, insult religious convictions, discriminate on race, color, nationality and sex. We have a right to say anything but we have no right to do anything. If anything is done that prohibited by law, state law must swiftly intervene and punish. Exactly that’s why so called state exists.  One red-faced[13] fellow, former city mayor, apparently is in land dispute with a neighbor. There are disputes all over the place. However, the fellow has right to have the issue resolved in court, not the right to immediately crush down neighbor ‘s fence without saying a word. When a law maker treats law like this, what others supposed to do? That’s how a state representative exploits state’s weakness and helplessness. They have state of Mongolian weak and helpless on purpose so they can act willfully. Strong state is not about tyranny but is about ability to enforce laws.  In fact, certain officials with power weaken deliberately the state on purpose and ,with goals of private interest and ambition, are engaging in hostile activities against foreign countries under the name of state of Mongolia.  We have no mechanism to control willful capricious acts of officials of power, actions that hurt the country, to intervene and stop those. Only coward kills another person, only coward state is hostile to other countries.
Note: Actually, it turns out that foreign professionals, on the contrary, are amazed by the execution of person snatching operation from US and Europe. A senior person of authority in Germany has told me that it was a stupid action, those who gave order are truly depraved but executors are brilliantly skilled folks. Only by punishing those who gave orders not by repressing the executors will the name of Mongolia be vindicated. Only after that, a right will be deserved to make an apology.
 
2010.9.20
 
(comments by translator are in footnotes and suggestions are in parethesis)
[1] Current DP MP (Khuvsgul Province)
[2] Current Minister of Justice and Interior Affairs, MPRP MP.
[3] Colloquial term “erguu amitan” is used  which literally means “ confused living being” ,  has slightly derogatory connotation
[4] S.Zorig is meant, one of the pioneers of democratic movement in Mongolia, who was murdered and case of murder was not resolved.
[5] World “chekist” is used which refers to operatives of General Intelligence Agency and literally  means“members of Special Committee”, the historic name for Soviet intelligence operatives and broadly to all operatives in Soviet bloc including Mongolia, has positive connotation for being watchful, etc.
[6] National airline of Mongolia, has flights to Berlin.
[7] Pre-trial detention center, which persons in danger of flight from justice can be placed in detention with prosecutor’s consent
[8] Riots of July 1,2008
[9] The world  “Angli “ is used  which literally means “England” but in popular usage encompasses the whole UK
[10] Colloquial word “chavgants” is used which refers to females of senior age, has slightly derogatory connotation
[11] Word “America” is used
[12] Colloquial abbreviation “khu nam” is used which refers to MPRP
[13] Word “red” is used and in this context means reddish color of the skin