Protestors focus on three main things: (1) Ivanhoe, (2) government corruption and (3) reparations for victims of the 12/05 SAPU trade center fire. However, they seem to all be combined into one agglomeration in Sukhbaatar Square, which proably makes it difficult for particular groups to get their message out - it looks like a disorganized mob of angry people.

The Ivanhoe case seems to be a combination of genuine nationalism and manufactured outrage on the part of the protest organizers, as the press release by Ivanhoe does a pretty good job refuting the protestors’ claims. It’s also interesting that all of the protests are at Sukhbaatar Square and not at the prominent Ivanhoe building 1/2-mile or so away (so I’ve read, at least). Also, the protestors might not realize that their presence will likely only make the negotiations worse and potentially ruin the deal. Misinformed protest is never a good way to make social progress.

Second, there’s the issue of protestors demanding government resignation. This seems to be the most irrational of the movements - do they really think that the well-entrenched politicians will listen to them? There is the ubiquitous threat of a ‘color revolution’-style ousting, but that would probably be the worst possible scenario, as it would throw the country into total chaos.

Finally, there’s the victims of the SAPU fire, who probably feel cheated by both the company and the government. Mongolia’s shaky legal territory and preponderance of corruption don’t help matters, and I’m sure there is not a small amount of class tension in the mix (i.e. wealthy businessmen and politicians conspiring to cheat poor merchants), which would not be surprising if it were true. Fortunately, it seems as if the issue is resolved.