Check out when you like, but never leave

WELCOME to the “Hotel Mongolia”. It’s a lovely place. But you might not be able to leave. For about 50 foreigners — miners, accountants, bankers and charity workers drawn there by the country’s resources boom — the lyrics of the Eagles song became reality when Mongolia prevented them from leaving.

Some of those under the travel ban said the cases involved probes of their employers that have dragged on months or years. Hilarion Cajucom, from the Philippines, was an accountant at SouthGobi Resources when it was ac- cused of tax fraud. Cajucom has been prevented from leaving Mongolia since 2012.

Many foreigners asked not to be named for fear of reprisals. All denied allegations against them. They retain their passports and have not been charged with any crime, yet they cannot leave the country. Authorities declined to comment. The detentions stemmed from cultural issues, said Jack Weatherford, author of Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World.

In Mongolia, expatriates are accountable for their employers’ actions. “For centuries, foreign rulers sent their sons and brothers as hostages to the court of steppe leaders. The hostage took the blame for any misdeeds,” said Weatherford.

Banker Chris Bradley returned to the capital, Ulaanbaatar, to recover debt on a loan for Standard Bank but was unable to leave because the Mongolian borrower was being investigated for corruption. He was freed and left for Australia in December. — Bloomberg