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Today I learned about the 2011 Southern Mongolian protests in China. The protests were a reaction to decades of discrimination and colonization in Inner Mongolia by China. Thought to do a thread explaining the events in a nutshell
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Inner_Mongolia_unrest
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Inner_Mongolia_unrest
I want to clarify that I do not claim to be an authority of these matters. If there are any Southern Mongolians who like to comment here, I encourage them to do so. This is just a compilation of information I found from online
Protests began when a Mongolian herder was hit by an ethnic Han coal truck driver on May 10th. Angered by the incident, ethnic Mongols protested at government buildings in the West Ujimqin Banner on May 25th. Meanwhile herdsmen and secondary school students protested in Xilinhot
Protests spread to the Bordered Yellow Banner by May 26th. On May 27th, authorities in May 27th declared martial law in Plain Blue Banner and the West Ujimqin Banner. Riot police arrested up to 40 people and schools outlawed students from leaving campus grounds during the weekend
Then, 150 people protested at the Inner Mongolian capital of Hohhot, where police and paramilitary forces cordoned off the city's main square. Several secondary schools outlawed students from leaving campus, and internet and mobile communications were disrupted
Eventually, the truck driver was arrested and sentenced to death on June 8. The head of the company the truck driver worked for apologized and promised to do better to respect the environment and the local people. The family of the truck driver was compensated with 10,000 yuan
So here's what the protests were about now that we got the events cleared up
Many protesters expressed grievances about ecological destruction in Inner Mongolia and the desecration of their indigenous homeland, which are still serious problems today https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/aug/07/china-rare-earth-village-pollution
Many protesters expressed grievances about ecological destruction in Inner Mongolia and the desecration of their indigenous homeland, which are still serious problems today https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/aug/07/china-rare-earth-village-pollution
Western media had compared the Inner Mongolia protests to protests in Tibet and East Turkestan. However, the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center found that none of the protests had demanded local autonomy or independence, but rather legal rights for herders
The Chinese government has accused outside forces of being responsible for the protests and denied that Mongolians have ever been mistreated. See something familiar with this and the CCP's accusations in regards to Hong Kong and East Turkestan?
Human rights abuses are still serious problems in Inner Mongolia. Censorship and arbitrary arrests are not uncommon in Inner Mongolia
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/06/inner-mongolia-internet-crackdown
https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/asia-and-the-pacific/mongolia/report-mongolia/ https://cpj.org/2018/04/china-arrests-journalist-for-spreading-rumors-afte.php
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/06/inner-mongolia-internet-crackdown
https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/asia-and-the-pacific/mongolia/report-mongolia/ https://cpj.org/2018/04/china-arrests-journalist-for-spreading-rumors-afte.php
This shows that colonialism and political repression isn't limited to East Turkestan, Tibet, and Hong Kong. Unfortunately Inner Mongolia isn't as reported on in comparison to the aforementioned three. I hope this thread can encourage more attention
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