WORLD> Asia-Pacific
Five dead in Mongolia post-election violence
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-07-02 17:29
Children squat near a car which was set on fire during clashes between protestors and police in Ulan Bator, Mongolia, July 2, 2008. [Agencies] 

Foreign direct investment in Mongolia rose to $500 million last year, some two-thirds of it directed at mining, according to the Asian Development Bank.

Foreign residents in the capital expressed hopes the riot was an isolated case of post-election frustration.

"There is absolutely no hint there's going to be long-term instability. It's just a growing democracy and people learning to live with the reality of not getting elected," said one Mongolia-based foreign business executive.

But the outpouring of violence from a crowd Munkh-Orgil said numbered up to 8,000 has left an uneasy calm over the city, where armored vehicles manned with troops took up positions.

At least one foreigner, a Japanese, was among those injured in the riot, in which protesters threw stones, smashed windows and torched the MPRP headquarters, the justice minister said.

Networks other than state television have been taken off the air, a curfew is in place in areas of the capital and alcohol sales are banned over the period.

The US Embassy in Ulan Bator, saying it was "deeply concerned," urged both parties to work together in a country often viewed as a rare example of democracy in Central Asia.

Mongolia's election commission vowed to press on with counting.

"We are hoping to get results out today," its deputy chief Bayarsaikhan told Reuters.

International observers say overall the election was free and fair. But new election rules have led to procedural problems and some confusion over counting.

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