Prime Minister S.Batbold yesterday received representatives of 30,000 private miners who stand to lose their livelihood after the ban on all types of mining and digging for coal in Nalaikh. MP Ts.Batbayar, Governor of Nalaikh district B.Bayandelger and Chief of Trade Union of Miners A.Ganbold attended the meeting.

Miners thanked Batbold for being the first Prime Minister to meet with them in more than two decades. Ganbold thought mining could continue if workers were provided with safety equipment. Nalaikh mines still have 50 million tons of coal.

The miners demanded compensation and pension at the same rate as people who served in the army get. Batbold assured them that the Government would pay attention to miners’ interests and asked related officials to study their demands and decide on them quickly.