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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 27 december 2016

Despite frigid weather, Mongolians protest worsening smog

GANBAT NAMJILSANGA- percent by 2018. They also
RAV urged the government to
Associated Press install air filters in kindergar-
ULAANBAATAR, Mongo- tens in the capital’s slum ar-
lia (AP) — Hundreds of eas, which are worst-hit by
Mongolians braved frigid the pollution.
weather Monday to stage Ulaanbaatar is one of the
a protest in the country’s world’s coldest capitals,
capital demanding that with temperatures some-
the government do more times falling to -40 C (-40 F) in
to address worsening air January, the coldest month
pollution that they fear is of the year. More than half
sickening their children and of the city’s 1.3 million resi-
shortening their lives. dents have to rely on burn-
The demonstrators gath- ing raw coal, plastic, rubber
ered in a public square in tires and other materials to
front of government of- stay warm and cook meals
fices, holding banners with in their homes. Such areas,
slogans such as “Let’s give where residents live in tradi-
fresh air to our future chil- tional round tents that do
dren,” ‘’Smog is silent killer” not have centralized heat-
and “We can’t breathe.” ing, have been shrouded
“We are desperate and we in choking smog in recent
are organizing this demon- In this file photo taken Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016, Dalai Lama, center, waves as he arrives at the days.
stration to make authorities Janraiseg temple of Gandantegchinlen monastery to greet Mongolian people in Ulaanbaatar, Responding to the protest-
Mongolia.
feel our frustration and an- Associated Press ers’ calls, Mongolian Min-
ger,” said Purevkhuu Tser- agency, air pollution is causes of death among ing chronic respiratory dis- ister of Environment and
endorj, one of the protest’s linked to the three diseas- Mongolian children under eases when they’re older. Tourism Oyunkhorol Dulam-
organizers and a mother of es that have resulted in the age of 5. It said that The protesters demanded suren said that between
two. The air temperature the most “lost life-years” in the lungs of children living that the government in- 2011 and 2015, the govern-
hovered around minus 20 Mongolia. in highly polluted districts of crease the number of beds ment spent more than $37
degrees Celsius (minus 4 The agency said in Febru- Ulaanbaatar, the capital, in hospitals that have been million while international
Fahrenheit). ary that pneumonia and do not function as well as overcrowded with sick chil- donors spent $47 million on
According to UNICEF, the other respiratory infections those living in rural areas, dren and develop a plan to measures aimed at curbing
United Nations’ children’s were among the leading with real risks of them suffer- reduce air pollution by 80 air pollution.q

Typhoon leaves 1 dead, messes up Christmas in Philippines

JIM GOMEZ the country Sunday night. mas in crowded and pow- rials were destroyed,” she ernment’s weather agen-
Associated Press It then blew westward erless emergency shelters, told The Associated Press cy.
MANILA, Philippines (AP) across mountainous and started to return home to by telephone. Josefina Nao, who evacu-
— A typhoon that spoiled island provinces, damag- deal with the damage af- The typhoon was one of ated to a Guinobatan
Christmas Day in parts of ing homes, uprooting trees ter the typhoon struck dur- the strongest to hit the Phil- school with her six children,
the Philippines weakened and knocking down com- ing the country’s biggest ippines since Typhoon Hai- grandchildren and siblings,
slightly on Monday as it munications, according to holiday. yan wreaked death and said it was one of her bleak-
roared toward a congest- officials and local news re- “They have left the evacu- devastation in the central est Christmas holidays, but
ed region near the coun- ports. ation centers and we’re regions in 2013, but officials that poor people like her
try’s capital, officials said. Although it has slightly seeing the sun again,” said in some provinces found it did not have much choice.
They said Typhoon Nock- weakened, the typhoon still Ann Ongjoco, mayor of difficult to convince people She said town officials tried
Ten killed at least one per- has sustained winds of up Guinobatan town in Albay to abandon their Christmas to cheer evacuees by dis-
son and cut power to five 140 kilometers (90 miles) per province, one of five prov- celebrations and head for tributing holiday food.
provinces as well as dis- hour, government forecast- inces that lost electricity. the shelters before the ty- “I wish it was a merrier
placing thousands of villag- ers said, and was moving But she said her town, phoon hit. Christmas, but this is our
ers and travelers in Asia’s toward the heavily popu- where more than 17,600 Some officials said they had best option because we’ll
Catholic bastion. lated provinces of Batan- villagers fled to shelters in to impose forced evacua- all be safe together,” the
A farmer died after being gas and Cavite, south of schools, will not be able tions. 60-year-old told the AP by
pinned by a fallen tree in Manila on Monday morn- to resume the holiday cel- In the past 65 years, seven phone from a classroom-
Quezon province southeast ing. ebrations because of the typhoons have struck the turned-storm shelter that
of Manila a few hours after Tens of thousands of villag- post-typhoon mess. “Many Philippines on Christmas was void of any Christmas
the typhoon slammed into houses made of light mate- Day, according to the gov- lights or decorations.q
ers, forced to spend Christ-