Dr.
D.Tseveendorj, director of the Archeological Institute, has said in the
Mongolian Mining Journal that the nation cannot afford to have its heritage
items destroyed by wanton mining, and that Mongolian companies can lean from
foreigners how to be more careful and respectful about the country’s treasures.
Proper application of the law should
be adequate for this but mining companies are either not aware of or do not pay
any attention to its provisions, and they are rarely taken to task for their
lapse. “I think better results will be achieved if this provision is
incorporated into the Minerals Law,” he says. 

At a
rough count, he thought only about 50 companies out of hundreds with mining
licenses seek the help of archaeologists before beginning work. “An exemplary
model has been Ivanhoe Mines which asks our archaeological team for advice
often and takes great care to protect our heritage.” Tseveendorj also names
Energy Resources as “a highly responsible company” and says, “The Tavan Tolgoi
deposit region is a storehouse of heritage. Whether they will be saved or
destroyed depends on other companies following the lead of Energy Resources.”

In
an “appalling act”, road companies working in Chin valley have blasted away the
ruins of the foundation of an ancient city. A petroleum company has started
drilling at Khuduu Aral, the first capital city of Chinggis Khaan. “Are
economic benefits from mining everything, and history and heritage so
unimportant that we must allow holes to be drilled on land under which lies an
entire city where Chinggis Khaan lived?” asks Tseveendorj.