A classic joke rewritten…by me.

An attorney and a fashion model found themselves seated together on a long flight across the country. Bored with the movie selection they began discussing their careers. The attorney complained that everyone regards his ilk as corrupt, always taking unfair advantage of people. The fashion model said she also thought that was true and didn’t trust attorneys. She then went on to complain about her own troubles – that everyone thinks fashion models are stupid. The attorney, still offended that the model thought he was dishonest, said he agreed that most fashion models weren’t that bright.

After several bouts of argument and silence the attorney proposed a duel of the minds. “Tell you what,” he said, “Let’s ask each other questions and for each question we get wrong, we have to pay the other five dollars.”

The fashion model looked skeptical. “See, I’m not that stupid. You are a college-educated lawyer. I wear dresses and bikinis for a living. Your challenge doesn’t seem that fair.”

The attorney changed the odds, “You pay five dollars, I’ll pay twenty dollars,” he said, but she refused. Finally the attorney said, “For every question I ask you, if you get the answer wrong I will pay you one hundred dollars. But if I can’t answer a question of yours, you only have to pay me five dollars.”

The fashion model looked at him skeptically then said, “Okay, go ahead and ask a question.”

The attorney rubbed his hands together excitingly and said, “What is a writ of habeas corpus?”

Without a word the model reached into her purse, pulled out a five-dollar bill and handed it to the lawyer. “My turn,” she said. The attorney folded the bill and stuffed it in his pocket, smiling. “Fire away,” he said.

“What goes up a hill with three legs but comes back down the hill with four legs?”

The attorney was stumped. Not wanting to be beaten in a game of wits by a dumb fashion model, he opened his laptop and searched his encyclopedia. When he couldn’t find the answer he asked around to other passengers seated nearby, but no one could give him the answer. Finally in frustration he gave up, pulled out his wallet and handed the model one hundred dollars.

As the model counted the cash the attorney said, “Okay, so what is the answer to your question?”

Without hesitation the model handed him another five dollars.

It was with some degree of dismay that I learned that a number of Mongolian journalists – competitors of Eagle TV – have been putting significant pressure upon our journalists because of our live coverage of the fake hijacking of a Mongolian Airlines (MIAT) plane. These competitors have ridiculed our journalists for their handling of the coverage, saying of the hijacking which assaulted innocent people and victimized their families that, “It was only a test.”

In a communal society like Mongolia peer pressure can be a powerful incentive, or in this case, a disincentive to pursue truth – much more so than in Western cultures. Worse yet, when you work in a small industry in a small country where everyone seems to know everyone else, the pressure to conform can be intense. As an American living in Mongolia I can say that Americans don’t really understand this because Americans have never really experienced it. Even I, as an American am immune to this level of pressure since I can never experience it in the same way a Mongolian can – though I can understand it through the observation that comes with living here.

I include this in my analysis of the media’s coverage of the hijacking because it has a direct impact on the quality of Mongolia’s journalism. That in turn has a direct impact on the development of Mongolia’s democratic freedoms as they continue to build a more transparent society. The reaction of Mongolian media to Tuesday’s hijacking was exactly opposite one would expect from real journalists.

At every step of the events of this Tuesday there were ample and obvious opportunities for Mongolian journalists to demonstrate the necessity of their profession as part of a free and open society. At virtually every step Mongolian journalism fell flat. This was not a top down reaction where some political force lowered the boom. This was a peer-level reaction that has as much of a potential to facilitate censorship and media repression as if it had come from higher up the food chain. The result of this peer-level abandonment of journalistic principles in the face of this important story is that the abuses and violation of human rights that occurred on Tuesday may have already been swept under a Mongolian carpet and the floor called clean. To be sure we understand why this is so, let us briefly review the facts.

At 11:45am a MIAT plane from Umnugobi Aimag landed at Chinggis Khan International Airport in Ulaanbaatar with 32 passengers. Passengers on the plane reported that the flight went without incident except noting that four men appeared to be drinking significantly – the four men who would play the part of hijackers.After most of the passengers had deplaned, the four men assigned by the Mongolian CIA to stage a fake hijacking, jumped up, brandished at least one firearm (others indicated there may have been more), and attacked the remaining passengers and pilot. One pilot who was let off the plane warned the leaving passengers to run and that the plane was being hijacked. Witnesses reported hijackers acting violently, injuring at least one woman, abusing the remaining pilot, tying him up.

The hijackers closed the plane door and it stayed on the tarmac for the next 90 minutes. The remaining passengers were escorted to a holding area for their safety. When the deplaning passengers made it to the holding area, word managed to leak out to the waiting families and friends that the plane had been hijacked and the free passengers were being held for security reasons. At this point someone began calling local media to report a hijacking. The hijackers aboard the plane continued to abuse the remaining passengers and made demands, including ordering the pilot to take off.

Some passengers were checked by a doctor after the ordeal. Immediately after the incident as passengers were released to the waiting crowd of family, friends, and media, many were interviewed by TV stations, including Eagle TV, about their ordeal. Multiple passengers reported that they were hijacked and scared. They reported witnessing physical abuses and that no one on board the plane or ground knew that the hijacking was an exercise. The pilots were obviously terrified, to the point that one witness said one of the pilots was unable to speak correctly.

During the hijacking, the media was trying to get a spokesperson from the airport or MIAT to clear up the confusion – was this a real hijack or an exercise? No one would speak until almost 1:30 when an official from the General Office of Civil Flight confirmed to an Eagle TV journalist by phone that the hijack was an exercise. Throughout the day as more details became known, including the name of the woman attacked, and various offices claiming responsibility, two government offices issues statements.

First, the Deputy Director of the CIA held a press conference (holding back the information from Eagle TV) declaring that the hijacking was a “planned action” and not a training exercise. The DD declared that weapons and possibly explosives were smuggled aboard the plane by their operatives and that it was “easy to hijack” a plane in Mongolia. Just before 10:00pm I received a fax from the Prime Minister’s office declaring the hijacking to be an exercise and that no normal citizens were involved. As a courtesy to the Prime Minister’s office we read that state three times, without journalist’s comments.

Now to the point: When the hijacking was declared to be a security exercise, as far as the Mongolian media was concerned, the story was over. In fact, even the initial reaction at Eagle TV was similar and by 2:00pm we segued into other programming. However, stopping the story at that point was an enormous error, in fact, the story was only beginning. That is why after realizing what we had in our hands we resumed our coverage less than 15 minutes later. Even by this time there were still many unanswered questions:

• Why was it necessary to attack real passengers for a security exercise?
• Who was the injured woman?
• How did the authorities handle what they thought was a real hijacking?
• What was the human drama going on behind the scenes, in the holding area, on the airplane?
• Who authorized the hijacking of a plane with passengers on board?
• Why did the four hijackers begin their exercise while passengers were still aboard?
• If this was an exercise, who was being trained?
• How did the hijackers get a firearm on board?
• What was the reaction of the airport authorities in Umnugobi when learning firearms had been smuggled aboard the plane?
• In fact, the CIA Deputy Director indicated that explosives may have been smuggled on board – who authorized smuggling explosives onto an airplane?

I could fill this website with questions for an investigative journalist or analyst, so could our viewers; in fact, THEY DID! While journalists from our competitors were busy with live criticism of Eagle TV’s coverage on their stations, our viewers were positing some of these and many other questions about the hijacking.

Isn’t that the journalist’s job?

The point that I wish to make here is very simple. It does not matter that the General Office of Civil Flight, the Mongolian CIA, or the Prime Minister’s office declared that the hijacking was just a test. Yes, we all acknowledge that all of these offices told the media and the public the truth – this was a test of the airport authorities to gauge their reaction to a terrorist hijacking. The first and most important question is, “Why was it necessary to assault real passengers, and victimize real families for the sake of a test?”

I already know the reaction that some will have to that question – because I’ve already faced it in internal discussions. “The authorities said that no normal citizens were involved.” Yet according to eyewitnesses that assertion is a lie. From the witnesses caught on tape at the airport, to those interviewed live on Eagle TV, to the accounts given by three MPs from Umnugobi Aimag, normal citizens were victimized, believing they were being hijacked. If multiple eyewitnesses assert the official line is an official lie, then why are you giving it an official pass?

The questions can (and should) go further. For instance, if the CIA successfully smuggled firearms and explosive on board the airplane, why was it necessary to proceed with the hijacking exercise? Did the CIA operatives smuggle explosives onboard? That’s seems unclear from the press conference. Wasn’t the successful smuggling of terror weapons enough to make a security evaluation? Did you have to hold real people hostage and assault them?

CIA Deputy Director Jargalsaikhan said quite clearly in this press conference, “We can say that explosives and weapons could be smuggled into Mongolian passenger planes without a problem. Therefore it is possible to hijack a plane using firearms and even explosives” My journalist friends, do you not see the opportunities that lie before you when confronted with even just this small statement out of a whole day’s news coverage? Why are you not asking the most obvious and important questions? In the case of Tuesday’s hijacking, every time an official opened their mouth, they were presenting you with numerous opportunities to hold them to account for one of the most ill-conceived and ill-managed security exercises in recent memory.

Imagine if these questions were posed to the Deputy Director:

• If you know explosive are sold at the Black Market and are a threat to national security, then what is the CIA specifically doing about it?
• You indicated that it is easy to steal explosives from the mining company’s warehouses. Which companies present the highest risk? What steps has the CIA already taken to tighten security around volatile materials at warehouses?
• Why are you giving public details on how easy it is to steal explosives and hijack a plane? From the perspective of national security, is this level of public detail really necessary or wise?

I haven’t even addressed other important angles: Was the operation legal? How will this botched exercise be evaluated and policies on such exercises changed? Will the hijackers be held to account for injuring citizens and being drunk on the job while using firearms on a fueled aircraft? Journalists: Who will call upon the mining companies to talk about security? Will you send video crews to the mining warehouses? The list goes on, but not – apparently – for the majority of Mongolian journalists – and that is a professional tragedy. This story is rich with opportunity, not just for journalism, but also for journalists to make a real difference in the nation’s security as well as government transparency by doing nothing more than asking a few probing questions, and keep asking and investigating until the answers become clear. For much of the day, as one foreign journalist told me, the facts of the story were unclear – and the majority of journalists did not pursue the angles necessary to make it clear. They only focused on being a conduit for official statements and criticizing the sole entity that was asking even a few of the more probing questions.

Journalism is not the practice of imitating a parrot, or taking the word of a spokesperson at a press conference and rewriting his words into your own words. Journalism is about getting to the truth. If the person behind the mic is telling the truth – verify it, then report it. Confront the speaker during the press conference. Don’t ask the question once. Rephrase it; ask it again. Summarize it and give it a new angle then ask it again. Don’t simply give someone a free pass when every eyewitness on the scene gives a contrary account to the official line as we saw on Tuesday. And when the eyewitnesses suddenly change their story – radically – later in the day, don’t give them a free pass either.

Investigate. Find out why.

To be journalists we must have more than a professional passion about reporting events. We must have a personal love affair with the truth. The lack of passion for truth is the first failing of all journalists. Without a clear and ambitious desire to discover the truth of a matter, and disseminate that truth to the viewers, listeners, and readers who depend upon us, then we cannot be trusted – period. Tuesday’s failure of journalists to pursue the hijacking story wherever it would lead was a demonstration of professional laziness. That many of them have turned to pressuring other journalists to drop the story reveals a lack of understanding of the issues presented, and a lack of journalistic passion for truth. It does not matter that it was a “test.” The journalist must ask, “Was it right?” And in case you think that journalism isn’t about this all-important question, then you must not be paying attention to the world at large. Isn’t that what journalists around the world are doing right now?

• Was the Iraq war a right decision?
• Does Iran have a right to nuclear arms?
• Is North Korea a global menace?

Visit any news site on the Internet and scour the headlines. The most important stories and controversies of our day always revolve around issues of right and rights, truth and corruption.

In the Bible, Jesus Christ is recorded as saying, “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32). While Jesus was specifically referring to the testimony about himself, he was also presenting an important principle equally applicable to us all.

Truth brings freedom. It is imperative that the journalist pursue truth in his craft above else. It is for the discovery of truth that so many have worked so hard for freedom of press in the first place. Shall we let truth fall by the wayside now that we have freedom? If we do, will not freedom follow it?

The hijack story has been put to bed. All of the new stories that could come out of it, waiting to be told – most will never see the light of day. They will rest like a quiet bump under that thick Mongolian carpet, stepped over, but never quite noticed enough for anyone to wonder, “Why does the carpet bulge like that?” Why not peel it back and see what is there? Follow the trail of dirt where it leads – no matter where it leads – and then go find out who is supposed to clean up.

You may discover that in part, that’s the job of the journalist.

I was out all day at a meeting off-site yesterday so I did not get to post any updates for the blog. Now that I’m back in the saddle I wanted to provide you with transcripts of interviews and statements that appeared on Eagle TV on Tuesday, about the Mongolian CIA’s “hijacking” of a MIAT airline to test security and customs at Chinggis Khan International Airport. I’ll be posting a commenterry later this evening about the Mongolian media’s failure to cover what may have been one of the biggest stories of the year – and how some competing journalists are trying to pressure our people.

Are you sitting down? Some of the statements in these transcripts will blow your mind.

The following is a transcript of a live interview from Eagle TV between Eagle TV Lead Anchor Jargalmaa and Dorlig, editor of Umnugobi’s News” newspaper. Mr. Dorlig was a passenger on the plane that was “hijacked” in a “planned action” by the Mongolian CIA. (Note: Mongolians only use one name.)

–:BEGIN TRANSCRIPT:–

Anchor Jargalmaa: Thank you for being with us this evening. According to our request, the chief editor of “Umnugobi’s News,” Mr. Dorlig has come to our studio. He was on that plane. So, what happened on the airplane, was it just a training [exercise] or did real terrorists try to hijack the plane?Dorlig: The flight from Dalanzadgad to Ulaanbaatar was absolutely normal as usual. Some of the Aimag’s high government officials were on this flight. After landing, half of the passengers left the plane. I was just outside the plane, and suddenly the door closed right behind me and the stewardess screamed. When we were getting into the bus, one of the pilots rushed in and shouted: “Hurry, get out of here!” Then after entering the airport hall, he said that our plane, maybe, had been hijacked. And we were forbidden to leave the airport, and stayed there for about 2 hours. I am a media person, and I cannot be silent on this matter. In my view, this was not just a training exercise. This was a deliberate act to scare and insult people of my Aimag.

Anchor Jargalmaa: Who closed the plane’s door behind you?

Dorlig: Three young men were on the flight and they were drinking alcoholic beverages. The stewardess told us that she saw the pilot was held at gunpoint in the cockpit. At that time everybody was really shocked.

Anchor Jargalmaa: One [State] official denies that someone had been drinking alcohol during the flight.

Dorlig: I confirm that those guys were drinking. I saw it with my very eyes. They were at the front of the plane. I want to ask why did they choose exactly our flight; we’re not the test rats. And I’m going to say everything in our paper to protect the rights of our people.

Anchor Jargalmaa: How was it possible that some of the passengers had managed to get the gun aboard?

Dorlig: I don’t know, but it seems very easy to smuggle the gun inside. As far as I know, the MIAT officials had any information about this accident. And if the real hijacking takes place in the future, people would think that somebody is training. We have to find out who was responsible for such an act.

Anchor Jargalmaa: What was the reaction of the passengers?

Dorlig: I talked to one of the pilots. He said that he’d been at the gunpoint, hands tied up and beaten up. He was in a deep shock. And, also, one of the passengers was at the gunpoint. Most of the passengers were really frightened and shocked. A woman named Tumengerel, was beaten.

Live Caller #1: I’ve just seen your coverage. This is a barbaric act against the people. Those who went through this trial must fight for the compensation.

Live Caller #2: In my opinion, those three young men were the children of the state leaders. And, in order to cover it up, they say it was just training. (Note: “Children” in this Mongolian context does not mean literal children, rather “operatives.”)

Dorlig: Now, the officials are going to hide or cover everything up. Nobody’s going to apologize to its people. Those who were responsible must apologize to the Mongolian people.

Live Caller #3: There’s nothing serious. It’s just hooligans.

Dorlig: The saddest thing is that the officials are still covering this horrible act up. No one is going to tell the truth.

Anchor Jargalmaa: We’ve received information that MIAT officials have issued an apology [to the passengers].

Dorlig: That’s not true. But, even, if they apologized, that’s absolutely not enough. Those responsible must be punished and prevented from being elected or entered the government structures in the future. I have to say this on behalf of my people.

–:END TRANSCRIPT:–

The following are quotes from Members of Parliament from Umnugobi Aimag. The MP’s held a press conference on Tuesday after talking with passengers of the plane.

MP Baterdene:

“Passengers stated that throughout the flight four male passengers were drinking alcohol heavily. As soon as the plane landed in the Chinggis Khan airport of Ulaanbaatar and some of passengers left the plane, they suddenly jumped out of their seats brandishing guns. At the time four or five passengers remained in the plane. They shot in air and announced that the airplane was hijacked. They also hit one woman named Tumengherel, seriously wounding her lip. The hijackers acted very violently, tying up pilots, threatening the passengers. They even made impossible demands like flying the plane.”

MP Bayarsaikhan:

“Now these passengers under deep shock. They ask from us, “Where is our government? Why do they mock ordinary people and violate common rights of people?” Among the passengers were several representatives of local authority (Umnugobi Aimmag) as well as ordinary citizens. They all unanimously told about the cruelty of hijackers. According to passengers the hijackers waited until some part of passengers left the plane and then suddenly pick up these guns and announced that the plane was being hijacking. Hijackers demanded all passengers lie on floor face down and they hit one women. Then they penetrated pilot’s cabin and tied up the pilots. So we consider it a serious violation of constitutional rights of Mongolian citizen as well as a cruel police act which humiliated ordinary people.”

The following is a statement by the Vice Chairman of the Mongolian Central Intelligence Agency, Jargalsaikhan, about the “hijacking.” Delivered during an evening press conference on Tuesday and carried by Eagle TV.

What the Vice Chairman admits about Mongolia’s air security is a little more than alarming. I’m placing the most shocking statements in bold. I’m frankly shocked that this kind of admission would be made in public. But it was, so here it is.

“The results of the anti-hijacking exercise are: Firstly, it is quite possible to hijack a plane in Mongolia. This conclusion derived from the fact that some people today can smuggle weapons and explosives into Mongolian passenger plane which had flight from Dalanzadgad to Ulaanbaatar. So we can say that explosives and weapons could be smuggled into Mongolian passenger planes without problem. Therefore it is possible to hijack a plane using firearms and even explosives. “Secondly, we established that any kind of drugs and great amount of gold (410 gr of gold) could be smuggled through our custom’s controls without any problem, without any sophisticated smuggling techniques. Yes.

“Thirdly, in particular, we saw that in emergency situations our security and law enforcement organizations worked without any coordination, without any clear plan. In brief, I think it is needed to improve our information retrieving system as well as alarm control. Some people as well as some representatives of our mass media demand information about such exercises in advance. I think it is not so important as they consider. Because this is only begiinning, this is first phase of our activity.

“Thanks to this exercise we have learned some lessons. It is firstly, we learned that firearms as well as explosives could be smuggled into airplane. Secondly, our officers could smuggle over 800 gr of explosives into airport waiting room, and then into the plane. All our smuggling operations recorded via special video devices. We already sent official letter to the custom house authority, indicating all holes in security structure of the organization. We will also send similar document to the Frontier Guard Agency. So what kind of measures we must took in order to prevent real hijacking event? Some urgent preventive measures could be taken immediately, we consider. For example, we know some amount of explosives were sold through our blackmarkets because it is so easy to steal explosives from mining company storehouses. At last we must establish who is responsible for these drawbacks. I am ready to raise the problem as Vice Chairman of Mongolian Central Intelligence Agency. “

Screenshot of Eagle TV

UPDATE (10:40PM): Coverage of the “hjacking” will continue first thing in the morning and may run all day. Expect more updates in a few hours. We’ll be watching Parliament’s reaction to today’s events, talking with more passengers, and investigating the claims by the CIA and Prime Minister’s office regarding the claims contrary to eyewitness reports.

UPDATE (10:24PM): Circle the wagons! I just received a fax from the Prime Minister’s office stating that the CIA informed the Prime Minister that “normal citizens were not involved in the test.” The fax claims that only four citizens were involved, and they were recruited in advance – including the Aimag accountant who was threatened at gunpoint. The fax claims the plane was emptied before the hijacking was staged.

The claims in the fax are completely contrary to the eyewitness testimony, aired on Eagle TV throughout the day, as well as claims by the MPs representing the Aimag.

Some questions need to be asked:

• If the plane was emptied first, why did it take 90 minutes to deplane the passengers?
• Why do passengers tell a different story – that they were terrorized and assaulted?
• Why was it necessary to have a doctor check out the passengers when they deplaned if “normal citizens were not involved?”

UPDATE (10:05PM The Mongolian CIA gave TV5 a copy of a video tape they shot of the “planned action” inside the airplane. Eagle TV, the only station providing continuous coverage, was purposely left out, not given access to this vital piece of information. This is not surprising as TV5 has a well-known reputation for being “controlled.”

Eagle TV is free.

After airing the tape the journalists from TV5 declared that this was “just a test” and nothing big should be made of it.

Now that I’ve picked my chin up off the floor I have to wonder what they are using for brains at TV5. Come on guys, you are smarter than that. “Just a test?” Since when does a real journalist NOT question the validity of hijacking a plane and assaulting passengers for the sake of a test?

UPDATE (9:50PM): Right now we have on an official who heads security for the Ministry of Tourism who stated that it was the security office of the Ministry of Tourism that asked the CIA to conduct a security test – the test that became today’s hijacking. He stated that they did not know what kind of test would be performed, but they wanted to test the airport officials.

Now we have three agencies taking responsibility for today’s situation. I’m all for taking responsibility and owning up to mistakes, but guys, “We did it! No, we did it! No, we did it!” My head is spinning and now I”m having trouble keeping up.

When the Ministry of Tourism steps forward and says they wanted a test done – one that eventually became some kind of hijacking, some foreigners are going to wonder if flying to Mongolia is such a good idea.

In the midst of all these “explanations” there are some critical words missing that no one other than MIAT seems to be saying, “We blew it. We’re sorry.”

UPDATE (9:23PM): It just occured to me…the MCIA stated in their press conference that this hijacking was NOT a training event. Rather, it was what they called a “planned action” to test the responses of the airport and customs department. Holy cow, do they know what they just admitted? They just admitted that they staged a REAL HIJACKING.

I think foreign air authorities need to be looking into this situation and question the Mongolian authorities here about their practices. After all, according to reports a Japanese citizen was also on this flight and subjected to these abuses.

UPDATE (9:15PM): As promised here are quotes from passengers who were on the airplane during the staged terror hijacking:

“When I was leaving the airplane one pilot who already went out said that the airplane is being held hostage.”"They tied up one pilot and threatened the passengers with weapons. One lady from Umanugobi governor’s office was beaten. They demanded the pilot fly [the plane].”

We did not think this was training because no one informed us us about the training before hand. We were all in shock from this, as we have never seen such a thing in Mongolia.”

“MIAT cannot just apologize to Umnugobi passengers because the company abused our human rights and they insulted and assaulted the passengers.”

At the press conference held by Members of Parliament Munkhtuya, Bayarsaikhan, and Bat-Erdene, all from Umnugobi Aimag: “They used force against ordinary citizens without informing them previously, and so scare them.”

CIA official admits to the hijacking.

UPDATE (8:50PM): Just when you thought it could not get any worse, or more weird. The Deputy Director of the Mongolian CIA, Jargalsaikhan, held a press conference this evening announcing that the GOoCF was NOT responsible for the terror training, but that their office was really responsible for the training. They stated the purpose of the “planned action” was to test the operation of the customs office, and airport, to see how they handle terrorist situations. The result of the test was that both agencies failed in the test.

So, who is telling the truth? I’ve heard of multiple agencies denying responsibilty for a fiasco, but not multiple agencies taking credit for a fiasco. How are the Mongolian people to know who is telling the truth when two deputy directors of two government agencies are both claiming responsibility for what is the single most exposed violations of citizen’s human rights in the last year?

If the agencies responsible for security failed the test, what does this say about the agency or agencies that were responsible for organizing and executing it in the first place?

UPDATE (7:55PM): Just returned from a short trip out of the office. While out I received a call from the Prime Minister’s Spokesman, Su. Batbold, requesting that we tone down our coverage for fear that people watching the coverage will blame the government. In fact, at the moment he called we were doing a live interview with one of the passengers who was questioning why the government allowed this kind of situation to take place.

I’m not here to lay blame on specific parties or officials, but it is clear from the responses we are receiving that people do NOT want us to tone down or stop talking about what happened today. What they are doing is demanding answers.

Revealed in the last hour, according to two MPs interviewed by Eagle TV, multiple passengers were assaulted. The “hijackers” were drinking. The pilots were tied up and restrained. The passengers were so terrorized that they could do virtually nothing.

One person asked me, just a few moments ago, “If this was anti-terrorism training, then who was being trained? Terrorists?” Indeed, we have to wonder. There did not appear to be anyone who was being trained in anti-terror tactics. The only people on the scene that appeared to be doing anything were the State-sponsored pretend hijackers, terrorizing passengers.

So…who was being trained? Who took up the anti-terror position. And if it was people outside the plane, then why was it necessary to assautl the passengers, pilots, and send one woman to the hospital?

In case you are wondering, no, we are not toning down our coverage. I offered to the Prime Minister’s Spokesman to join us on-air. So far that offer is untaken.

UPDATE (6:50PM): I will have another update in about an hour with an eyewitness account from a passenger, and other new information. Short quips from passenger, Dorlig (Editor of Gobi News newspaper): “I saw the pilots were scared and shocked, and were not able to speak normally.” “The hijackers were drinking, using bad words, they were rude guys.” This eyewitness seems to refute Mr. Munkhjargal’s claim that the “hijackers” were not drunk (or drinking).

More soon…

Eagle TV anchor talks with callers about the hijacking, while video of the victims leaving the airport rolls.

UPDATE (6:16PM): We did not obtain proper permission to air the audio conversation with GOoCF Deputy Director Munkhjargal so we cannot play it directly on-air. However, we have excerpted the transcript and the quotes will air tonight. I wil also post them later.

What you are about to read should shock you to outrage.

The following information comes from today’s interview with Deputy Director Munkhjargal of the General Office of Civil Flight.

The 32 passengers and pilot of the plane were not informed that a hijacking exercise was going to take place. A gun was pointed at a real passenger by one of the pretend hijackers. That passenger was Tumengerel, the accountant of the Umnugobi’s Aimag’s governor’s office. (We confirmed through a separate source that when checked by a doctor after the “hijacking” Tumengerel’s blood pressure was at a dangerously high level of 200. She is now in the hospital, in shock, unable to speak). Munkhjargal denied eyewitness reports that a woman was assaulted on the plane by a “hijacker.” The pilot was assaulted, shoved back, and did not know the event was staged. He thought it was a real hijacking. Munkhjargal defended the exercise as one that is conducted every year.

As I write this Members of Parliament representing Umnugobi Aimag are now investigating and have declared they will openly question the Prime Minister about this situation during tomorrow’s session of Parliament. A video crew from Eagle TV is on it’s way to see Tumengerel in the hospital. At least one passenger has come forward to give a live eyewitness account of the events that will air tonight on Eagle TV.

I cannot help but express my dismay and outrage at what has taken place today. In the name of a State-sponsored security exercise the passangers of this Mongolian Airlines flight were held against their will and assaulted. The victims who were physically assaulted by the pretend hijackers on the plane were not actors – but real passengers who thought their lives were in danger. It can be argued that in one sense they were being hijacked. They had no knowledge that the event was staged, and the people on the plane were really assaulted.

That this was an “exercise” is inexcusable. There are far better and more acceptable and effective ways to conduct anti-terrorism exercises without having to involve and assault real passengers and the worry of their families who were under equal impression that their loved ones had been hijacked.

The agencies have apologized to the passengers, but an apology from MIAT and COoCF is not enough. The government should launch an investigation of the policies and procedures for these kinds of exercises. Those responsible for these reprehensible actions should be dismissed from their jobs.

We must ask if criminal charges are appropriate.

One other things to note: Of the 12 TV stations in Ulaanbaatar, none have offered live coverage of this event. Only Eagle TV is bringing nonstop news, investigating the story. The other stations are playing movies, children programs, and such. I cannot help but wonder why.

UPDATE (5:35PM): I’ve just received a piece of information about today’s staged hijacking, that if true, would be absolutely outrageous behavior for a State agency or airline to engage in. The information comes from our interview with the GOoCF. I’m waiting for an exact translation of the text to be sure the information is correct.

If I were a passenger on a plane and this happened, based upon the information we are checking now, I’d sue the airline and government office responsible. Hang tight. If this is what we think it is I’ll have it up in the next 5-10 minutes.

UPDATE (4:53PM): The interview with the Deputy Director of GOoCF will air shortly. In the interview Mr. Munkhjargal will state that the exercise was held according to procedure, but that mistakes were made. He stated that MIAT has already apologized to the passengers and will make a public apology if necessary. We are waiting to confirm with MIAT regarding the apologies. Munkhjargal denied that the four men executing the exercise were drunk, and that the delay of the flight from Beijing had any relationship to the botching of the exercise.

UPDATE (4:25PM: Journalist Erdenbulun is interviewing GOoCF Deputy Director Munkhjargal in his office right now. He has refused to appear on camera, but agreed to an audio interview, which we will air the moment the tape arrives.

UPDATE 3:47PM: Hat tip to TV8 who started live coverage with an interview claiming the men who took part in the exercise – i.e., THE GUNMEN – were drunk! We are trying to get separate confirmation of TV8’s report.

It’s not to early to say that somebody needs to lose his job over this.

UPDATE 3:15PM: The information now given to us is that this in fact was not a hijacking, but a security exercise. MIAT, on whose airline the exercise was executed, claims they were not responisble, but rather the State organization that conducted the exercise, “General Office of Civil Flight.” The director of GOoCF, Batmunkh told Eagle TV producer, Oyuntungalag, “Yes, we are the one’s who organized this exercise and it was done successfully.”

Successfully done? Passengers witnessed a hijacking exercise that was begun before they finished deplaning and apparently thought the plane was really being hijacked, and a doctor had to check passengers as they deplaned. The exercise was “successfully done?” I’d hate to see a failure.

Eagle TV reporters are on their way to talk to the Deputy Director of the GOoCF, as well as back to the airport for more video. Stay with me for another update shortly, and more screen caps from our live coverage.

UPDATE 2:46PM: One of our reporters was told by an official with Emergency Office of the Mongolian government that the EO had no involvement and that this was an exercise by MIAT. However, an official with MIAT remarked to another reporter that an urgent meeting was held of MIAT officials and the problem was “solved.” When asked just what the problem was, the person remarked, “I don’t know.”

You know, it would be a simpy thing for MIAT or the appropriate agency to send a spokesperson out the media covering the situation and make a simple statement like “exercise” or “hijacking,” and “we’ll give you more information as soon as we have it,” and then ask journalists to standby. Instead, by refusing to say anything, and then passing on multiple opportunities to clear things up, they are creating an even worse situation ripe for speculation.

UPDATE 2:30PM: I’m watching a replay of the video coverage with security personnel on the tarmac and police vans waiting for something. If this was an exercise, it was a boneheaded execution.

The authorities had a doctor on the scene taking the blood pressure of passengers when they got off the plane. Also, a flight from Beijing was delayed by an hour, but know one is sure if the flight was delayed as a result of this situation.

UPDATE 2:06PM:The latest summary provided to me: The MIAT plane coming from Umnugobi Aimag landed at 11:40am. The passengers could not get off the plane until 1:10pm (90 minutes). As the passengers were finally deplaning, two-to-three men changed their attire to look like hijackers and began a “hijacking.” According to witnesses, at least one “hijacker” was armed and struck a woman on the plane. Other passengers were manhandled and the pilot may have been beaten.

Was this staged for training or a real hijacking? No one is saying. The remaining passengers who witnessed the action were alarmed. The beatings seemed to eyewitnesses to be real. To the remaining passengers it looked like a real hijacking. However, even by 2:30pm the authorites are not providing any information about whether it was an exercise or real.

Hello? If this was an exercise, who was the genius who decided to begin staging it while the passengers were deplaning? If this was not an exercise, why are authorites not saying plainly what the situation is? Any why did it take 90 minutes to get the passengers off when there was no apparent sign of a “hijacking” at the beginning?

Watch this space for an update soon.

ORIGINAL POST: We are covering a live story right now about a situation at Chinggis Khan International Airport where a MIAT plane may have been hijacked. The situation is unclear. Is it a hijacking or a security excersie? No one seems to know. Watch this space for updates every 15-minutes as we learn more.