S. Erdene, the chairman of the Board of the Mongolian Solidarity Labor Union, set himself on fire as a form of protest against the proposed sale of the country's local mining industry to China. After calling for a press conference to address the dreadful problems faced by local Mongolian miners, Erdene promptly poured flammable liquid on himself and set himself alight, according to The Daily Mail.
"The government no longer supports our company, families of the workers are forced to starve. This is why I will burn myself for the people of Mongolia and our children," the impeccably dressed union leader said.
After lighting his lapel, Erdene was immediately engulfed in flames. As the people in the hall rushed to put out the fire, the chairman fell down from the pain. The flames were eventually put out using a fire extinguisher, but not before black smoke from the burning man filled the room, reports The New York Daily News.
Erdene was immediately rushed to a local hospital with burns on 40 percent of his body. Though he was in critical condition when brought to the medical facility, the union boss eventually normalized and is now in stable condition.
He has since started the long road to recovery.
In response to the incident, Mongolian Prime Minister Chimed Saikhanbileg ordered the Erdene's mining company to pay for his medical bills.
The union leader's fight against the mining acquisition of China stemmed from the fear of Mongolian miners that once sold to the Chinese, local, small-time miners would be forced out of their jobs.
Watch the video of the incident here:
For more news about Mongolia, click here.
