VZCZCXRO7593
RR RUEHLMC RUEHVK
DE RUEHUM #0079/01 0450131
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 140131Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY ULAANBAATAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1907
INFO RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 3188
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0274
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA 1636
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5997
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 1713
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2884
RUEHSH/AMCONSUL SHENYANG 0464
RUEHVK/AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK 0230
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 2103
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/HQ EPA WASHINGTON DC 0051
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ULAANBAATAR 000079 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/CM and EAP/EX 
BANGKOK FOR USAID RDMA 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: ECON SOCI PGOV CASC MG
SUBJECT: The Soviet Hangover: Alcoholism Threatens Mongolia's 
Progress 
 
REF:  (a) Ulaanbaatar 006 
      (b) Ulaanbaatar 013 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY: Alcohol, including fermented mare's milk, has 
traditionally been part of Mongolian culture.  But the economic 
chaos that followed Russia's hasty withdrawal in the early 1990s 
resulted in skyrocketing rates of addiction to vodka and other hard 
spirits.  This Russian legacy continues to this day, fanned by rapid 
social change, economic stress and urbanization. If unchecked, the 
deleterious knock-on effects of alcoholism -- increased crime, 
domestic violence, disease and decreased productivity -- could slow 
Mongolia's economic and social progress.  Mongolians consume an 
average of nine liters of alcohol per year, double the global 
average and far above that of most other developing nations. 
Alcohol consumption rates among Mongolia's youth are increasing 
faster than in China and South Korea.  As the economy improves and 
the Government finds renewed political strength to combat the 
disease, there is hope that alcoholism will recede somewhat.  But 
stricter enforcement and more effective awareness campaigns are 
still needed. END SUMMARY. 
 
Alcoholism Insidious, Pervasive 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) The recent deaths of 14 Mongolians who unwittingly drank 
cheap vodka laced with high-content methanol (reftel A,B) sent 
shockwaves through the country, prompting Mongolians to reexamine 
the scourge of alcoholism and question the spirit-production 
industry, which is largely unregulated and corrupt.  Like corruption 
itself, alcoholism in Mongolia is insidious, pervasive and threatens 
Mongolia's economic and social progress.  Synonymous with everyday 
activities as well as special occasions such as Lunar New Year, 
alcohol is consumed daily without being associated with any thought 
of alcoholism.  Culturally, it is considered rude to refuse one or 
two shots of vodka when visiting a Mongolian home, at any time of 
day. 
 
¶3. (U) Surveys taken over the past decade suggest that 13% of 
Mongolia's population are heavy drinkers (defined as those who drank 
60 g or more of alcohol per day).  That is nearly double the average 
in the U.S. and China (6.9% and 6.7%, respectively).  According to 
the WHO, Mongolians annually consume 9.03 liters of alcohol per 
adult -- double the global average of 4.5 liters, but lower than in 
most western developed countries.  Austria, for example, consumes 
11.9 liters per adult, Germany 11.67, Australia 9.55 and the U.S. 
8.9 liters.  Ten percent of Mongolia's heaviest drinkers downed 
two-thirds of all alcohol consumed. 
 
¶4. (U) Production and consumption statistics, however, are hard to 
pin down, because the production of homemade spirits -- especially 
"airag," or fermented mare's milk -- goes unreported, and the 
illicit importation of spirits from Russia and China is rampant. 
Today there are anywhere from 114 to 200 alcohol producers in 
Mongolia, only ten or so of which are licensed.  The rest often 
disguise their production numbers to avoid inspection and taxes. 
 
Consumption Rising Among Urbanites, Young 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) Indications are that Mongolia's high alcoholism rate is 
exacerbated by rapid urbanization and rising disposable income.  The 
WHO survey shows that the average number of heavy drinkers in 
Mongolia's urban areas is nearly triple that in the countryside, and 
that increases in alcohol consumption have been steeper among 
housing or apartment dwellers, as opposed to the (generally) poorer 
residents of outlying ger districts. 
 
¶6. (U) Recent surges in underage drinking are also an urban 
phenomenon, especially among girls who are beginning to "catch up" 
with boys in terms of alcohol consumption, at rates much higher than 
those found in China or South Korea.  According to a 2006 Ministry 
of Health/World Health Organization survey, the highest mean alcohol 
consumption, for both males and females in Mongolia, was in the 15- 
 
ULAANBAATA 00000079  002 OF 003 
 
 
to 19-year-old age group.  The survey found that 70.5% of young 
people under 21 had imbibed at least once, and that young urban 
drinkers consumed twice as much alcohol as rural youths. 
Influencing factors in youth drinking included belonging to families 
with regular drinkers; having parents with drinking problems; peer 
pressure; and suffering from psychological problems (e.g., 
depression) or physical or emotional abuse. 
 
Alcoholism Blamed for Rising Crime... 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (U)_The knock-on effects of alcohol are illustrated by the 
heightened rates of crime and family violence.  Crime in Mongolia 
has risen steadily over the past five years.  "Crimes against Human 
Life and Health" -- murder, attempted murder and assault, among 
other offenses -- have jumped 50 percent since 2003.  Muggings are 
up 75 percent over the same period.  Police have reported that as 
much as 80 percent of all crimes, and 58% of all homicides, involved 
alcohol.  Alcohol-related traffic accidents accounted for more than 
one third of the total. 
 
...Increased Abuse and Abandonment... 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (U) According to Post's Human Rights Report for 2006, more than 
60% of domestic violence cases involved alcohol abuse.  According to 
NGOs, women are increasingly leaving their husbands rather than 
suffer domestic abuse, thus adding to the number of single-parent 
families.  According to a recent UNICEF report, most of the street 
children in Ulaanbaatar come from abusive homes or single-parent 
families. 
 
...And the Spread of STDs 
-------------------------- 
 
¶9. (U) Alcohol abuse among young people has been linked to risky 
sexual behavior and blamed as one of the reasons for Mongolia's high 
rate of sexually transmitted diseases, as well as for the rise in 
HIV/AIDS cases, almost all of which reportedly involved transmission 
through sexual intercourse. 
 
Economic Toll 
------------- 
 
¶10. (U) In the 2006 MOH/WHO survey, 36% of respondents divulged that 
drunkenness and hangovers had interfered with their school work or 
job.  Some 18% of respondents had been admitted to a hospital for 
treatment as a result of their or someone else's alcohol use, and 9% 
had spend time in a "drunk tank".  In 2007, some 130,000 to 140,000 
persons received treatment at a recovery center, either voluntarily 
or as a result of court action.  Over 50% of respondents said they 
spent US$15 on alcohol per month -- 10 to 15 percent of the average 
monthly wage.  Nationwide, it is estimated that alcohol accounts for 
3.5% of annual household expenditure. 
 
¶11. (U) The country's improving economy, and a strengthened 
political will to acknowledge the problem and fight alcoholism, may 
be helping to turn the tide. The 2003 National Program on Alcohol 
Abuse Prevention and Control, 2003-2012, and the 2004 Law on 
Alcohol, banned alcohol use in workplaces, set the legal drinking 
age at 21, and prohibited the sale of alcohol after midnight, among 
other steps. 
 
Awareness Campaigns Lacking 
--------------------------- 
 
¶12. (U) Unfortunately, as is often the case in Mongolia, intentions 
are good but capacity and enforcement are lacking.  Awareness of 
alcoholism's harmful effects remains low, especially among the 
young.  According to the 2004 survey on student drinking, a majority 
of respondents (55.9%) said they had rarely or never seen public 
awareness messages and preventive materials on alcohol abuse. 
Conversely, advertisements that glamorize drinking are ubiquitous on 
 
ULAANBAATA 00000079  003 OF 003 
 
 
TV and radio, despite a government ban.  The paltry fine of US $250, 
if levied at all against a media outlet, can quickly be reimbursed 
by wealthy alcohol companies.  (On other occasions, fines have been 
blocked through interference by politicians who own alcohol 
production and/or distribution companies.) The official drinking age 
is 21, but this is rarely enforced, and then only by "rent-seeking" 
police. 
 
Slight Improvements Noted 
------------------------- 
 
¶13. (U) On the bright side, community involvement on 
alcoholism-related issues is growing, and more facilities are 
appearing for the treatment and rehabilitation of alcoholics. 
Awareness and treatment options are increasing, and doctors are 
receiving more training and can make referrals for in-patient 
alcoholism treatment.  The National Toxicology Center, with 
assistance from the US DOD, has developed a chemical-dependency 
treatment program with 30 dedicated inpatient beds, as well as an 
outpatient program.  The health component of the recently signed 
Millennium Challenge Compact provides for efforts to carry out a 
public awareness campaign aimed at preventing and treating 
non-communicable diseases, including alcoholism. 
 
Minton