Inner Mongolia riots in 2011
The 2011 riots in Inner Mongolia began on March 10 in Aimag Xilin Gol after a shepherd was killed in protests against the destruction of pasture land. Protests subsequently spread throughout Inner Mongolia, and the authorities responded with repression and mediation. The unrest particularly alarmed the central government in Beijing because Xilin Gol had been considered stable until then.
On May 10, 2011, around 20 Mongolian shepherds in Xilin Gol protested against the pollution of their pastures from mining and the practice of coal-laden trucks taking short cuts across their pastures. A shepherd named Mergen was dragged along by one of the vehicles and died.
Protests in front of the Eastern Ujimqin Banner government quickly broke out . In Xilin Hot City , students protested outside government facilities. The protests spread, and rumors of a state of emergency spread . The police cordoned off schools and did not allow students to leave the school grounds so that they could not participate in the protests. After the protests spread across Inner Mongolia , internet access was restricted. There were reports of 10 fatalities as of June 4, 2011.
The security authorities responded by declaring a state of emergency in some cities, including Xilin Hot and Hohhot . Units of the People's Liberation Army from Hebei Province were relocated to Inner Mongolia. People who sympathized with the Mongol cause - including writers, academics, students and schoolchildren - and shepherds were arrested as a preventive measure. Universities such as the Nationality University of Inner Mongolia in Tongliao or the Nationality University in Hohhot remained cordoned off.
At the same time, the government took measures to resolve the issue amicably. The survivors of the killed Mergen were visited by the manager of the mining company, and financial compensation was offered. The media downplayed the protests but demanded that understandable complaints should be resolved. The media avoided making any connection with the Uyghur protests in Xinjiang or the Tibetans in Tibet . They stressed the economic cause of the protests and omitted any mention of a possible ethnic motivation.
The Han Chinese driver of the vehicle named Li Lindong, who killed Mergen, was charged with murder. After a six-hour trial, he was sentenced to death and his co-driver was given life imprisonment. The death sentence was also reportedly carried out. There were no trials of demonstrators. The government promised to discipline the mining companies and to compensate the herders for the damage caused by mining coal. Inner Mongolia Communist Party secretary Hu Chunhua announced inspections of the mining companies. Bagatur , head of the government of Inner Mongolia, announced measures to improve the living conditions of the Mongolian minority. Among other things, the shepherds' income should increase from 5,530 yuan a year to 10,000. It was emphasized that there must be harmony between the peoples of the People's Republic of China and that hostile forces must be fought.
In mid-June 2011 the protests had died down. The security controls were still strict, including not allowing locals to speak to strangers.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Michael Dillon : Lesser dragons: minority peoples of China . Reaction Books, London 2018, ISBN 978-1-78023-911-8 , pp. 126 .
- ↑ Michael Dillon : Lesser dragons: minority peoples of China . Reaction Books, London 2018, ISBN 978-1-78023-911-8 , pp. 127 .
- ↑ Michael Dillon : Lesser dragons: minority peoples of China . Reaction Books, London 2018, ISBN 978-1-78023-911-8 , pp. 128 .