Mongolian concerns about T bataar auction

[Dan Chure <danchure@easilink.com>]

The government of Mongolia is raising concerns about the forthcoming T 
bataar auction, the provenance of the specimen, and its possible illegal 
export from Mongolia. Here is the Mongolian President's letter of 
concern and a link to the government site where the statement is posted 
and includes a photo of the specimen.

Dan


     The office of the President of Mongolia, Public Relations &
     Communications Division

http://www.president.mn/eng/newsCenter/viewNews.php?newsId=708
*
President of Mongolia is concerned that T-Rex skeleton may belong to 
Mongolia*

President Elbegdorj Tsakhia talked to Minister of Education and Science, 
Mr.Otgonbayar calling his immediate attention to a dinosaur issue.
International science news on rare Tyrannosaurus Bataar skeleton to be 
auctioned on Sunday in NYC raised this alarm in Mongolia because the 
Heritage Auction website did not name the country where the T-Rex was 
found.
The President of Mongolia, Elbegdorj Tsakhia, instructed Minister 
Otgonbayar to find all the information on the origin and route of the 
T-Rex fossil and to send an urgent appeal to the Heritage Auction for 
disclosure of this
information before the Sunday auction.

If the T-Rex “uncovered in the Gobi Desert” originated in Mongolia, 
President Elbegdorj Tsakhia, said that it was illegal to auction the 
T-Rex and the fossil must be returned to Mongolia.
President Elbegdorj also called the international science community to 
help identify the origin of the T-rex and to alert the Mongolian 
government of any illegal international trade of Mongolian fossils.