RFA

MC

[ By RFA Correspondent Shi Shan, English Translation by Hotala Mergen ] May 1st is the 55th anniversary of the establishment of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Inner Mongolians who live in the United States launched demonstration to protest the oppression over the Mongols and the plundering of Inner Mongolia's natural resource by China since more than fifty years. Our correspondent Shi Shan reports:

VOICE

The demonstration organized by Inner Mongolian People's Party, was originally planned to be in front of the Chinese embassy in the US. But because of Chinese vice president Hu Jintao's on-going visit to Washington D. C., the demonstration was shifted to be held in front of the hotel where Hu stayed.

In front of Sheraton Hotel, gathered about two to three hundred people, including both people who came to welcome and to demonstrate. The welcome group being organized by the officials of Chinese embassy, included Chinese students and scholars from nearby universities. The demonstrators included free Tibet organizations, Falungong practitioners, Xinjiang independence activists and Mongolians.

In the bustled scene of demonstration, Oyunbilig, Executive President of Inner Mongolian People's Party, talked to Radio Free Asia correspondent.

ACT

Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (IMAR) is the earliest among the autonomous regions for ethnic minorities that were set-up by the Chinese Communists government. It was established in 1947, even two years before the establishment of PRC itself.

According to Xinhua News Agency, on the occasion of the anniversary of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Oyunchimeg, Chairman of IMAR, had expressed that the establishment of IMAR indicated the creativity of CPC in combining Marxist theories on ethnicity with the ethnic reality of China, and it is the beginning of an ethnic autonomous regions system which suited the ethnic conditions of China as well as the basic interests of all ethnic groups.

To this, Executive President of Inner Mongolian People's Party Oyunbilig holds a somewhat different point of view. Oyunbilig expressed that the closer location of Inner Mongolia and its geographical significance had made Inner Mongolia being oppressed more seriously than Tibet and Xinjiang, since the establishment of PRC. He said that since more than fifty years, there were over 2,000 monasteries been destroyed and tens of thousands of Mongolian monks were either imprisoned or forced to be derobbed.

ACT

During the 60s of last century, the content of Cultural Revolution in Inner Mongolia mainly was to crackdown on Inner Mongolian People's Party. Oyunbilig says the case of Inner Mongolian People's Party which later was proved to be a false one, had caused death of 160,000, overwhelming number of whom being ethnic Mongolians. He pointed out that since the 80s, because of their demand for democracy and freedom, again thousands of ethnic Mongolians have been arrested and been serving long-term prison sentences, most famous among them being Hada of Southern Mongolian Democracy Alliance.

Oyunbilig reveals that the current Inner Mongolian People's Party was founded later and it is not directly related to the one during the Cultural Revolution. He expresses that all facts since the establishment of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region tells the Mongolians that such an autonomous is not trustworthy. Therefore the goal of Inner Mongolian People's Party is to seek a complete independence of Inner Mongolia.

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