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Coordinating Committee of 11/06/11 Demonstration
On October 20, 2011, a second Mongolian herder, Mr. Zorigt, was
killed by a Chinese oil transport truck as he tried to protect his
grazing lands in Huhtolgoi Gachaa of Uushin Banner, Ordos
Municipality of Southern (Inner) Mongolia. Five months earlier,
large-scale demonstrations across Southern Mongolia were sparked by
the death of Mr. Mergen, a herder from Shiliin-gol League, who was
killed under similar circumstances when defending his grazing lands
from Chinese coal haulers. Zorigt was pronounced dead at 11:22 AM on
the same day after an emergency treatment at a local hospital.
With the brutal killings of two Mongolian herders, Mr. Zorigt and
Mr. Mergen, the ongoing destruction of Mongolian culture and
unrestrained exploitation of the natural resources of Southern
Mongolia by the Chinese communist regime, the right to life and
security as well as basic human rights and fundamental freedoms of
the Southern Mongolians as a people are in serious question.
Following the widespread protests by Southern Mongolians over the
death of Mr. Mergen in May, the Government of China promised to
protect the grasslands and herders¡¯ rights in response to the anger
expressed by Southern Mongolians. But, the Government of China
failed to fulfill its promises and even more troubling, accelerated
its extraction of natural resources and tightened its security
forces to put down any form of resistance.
Over the past six decades, the policies of the Chinese government
have been characterized by destruction of the natural environment
and eradication of Mongolian traditional culture, language and
identity. It has been accompanied by heavy-handed political
oppression and unregulated economic exploitation. Starting in early
2001, ¡®protection¡¯ of the ecology has been turned into a pretext to
further eliminate the last remaining areas where traditional
Mongolian nomadic lifestyle and culture are practiced. In order to
give way to the extraction of vast deposits of natural resources and
the expansion of large-scale farming practice by the Chinese, tens
of thousands of Mongolian herders have been forced to abandon their
herding lifestyle. They have been forced to move to non-herding
areas where they have been unable to secure housing and pursue a
livelihood. The coal and other mineral deposits have contributed in
no small measure to the accelerating expansion of the Chinese
economy. But very little benefits from the industrialization of the
grasslands has been returned to the original inhabitants of the
grasslands who have had their herds and pasturelands taken away. In
exchange for the loss of their property and lifestyle, they have for
the most part been given a life of poverty. Those herders who are
still allowed to practice animal husbandry are faced with numerous
obstacles and hardships such as truckers and corporations who have
little regard for their lands or way of life.
Those who have stood up for the rights of the Mongols have been
subjected to harsh punishment and arbitrary arrest. The most notable
one is Mr. Hada, who, after serving a 15 year jail sentence was
placed under arbitrary detention by the Chinese authorities, now
approaching nearly a year. His whereabouts and health condition are
unknown. Hada¡¯s wife and son were also detained by the police just
prior to his release date. Noted writer and essayist, Ms. Huuchinhuu
has been held in detention without any official charges since last
November and subjected to repeated beatings by the police. UN
refugee applicant Batzangaa remains under house arrest and continues
to fight his three-year imprisonment. Many more have been silenced
and kept incommunicado. Internet web sites promoting Mongolian
culture and identity have routinely been disrupted and shut down.
Given these many grievances, Southern Mongolians can no longer
remain silent to the enormous abuses of their human rights. In order
to urge the Government of China to stop its brutal treatment of
Mongolian herders and to end the egregious violations of the human
rights of millions of Mongols in Southern Mongolia, Southern
Mongolian communities worldwide are planning to have a simultaneous
demonstration across the globe.
Please join us on Sunday November 6, 2011, at 12:00 PM local time in
front of the Chinese embassy or consulate in the country where you
reside to demand the government of China respect the human rights,
life and dignity of the Mongols in China and to resolve the case of
Zorigt in a just and fair manner. We ask you to contact your
district representatives in parliament or congress to request the
government of China to respect the human rights of the Mongols and
to release Hada and his family and all Mongolian political prisoners
immediately and unconditionally.
Demonstration Info:
Where: In front of the Chinese Embassy or Counsulate in the country
where you reside
When: November 6, 2011, at 12:00PM local time
Suggested slogans:
¡°Stop the killings in Southern Mongolia¡±
¡°Stop butchering herders¡±
¡°Human rights for herders¡±
¡°Freedom for Southern Mongolia¡±
¡°We want dignity; we want freedom¡±
¡°Return the dignity of Southern Mongolians¡±
¡°Give us back our grasslands¡±
¡°Human rights for Southern Mongolians¡±
¡°Free Hada Family Now¡±, ¡°Free Hada Now¡±,¡°Free Xinna Now¡±,¡°Free Uiles
Now¡± ¡°Free Huuchinhuu Now¡±, ¡°Free Batzangaa Now¡±
¡°Justice for Zorigt¡±, ¡°Justice for Mergen¡±
¡°China out of Southern Mongolia¡±
¡°You built the Wall, the Wall is the border. Go back to your side of
the Great Wall¡±
¡°Defend Human Rights in Southern Mongolia¡±.
Flag: None or the Flag of your organization
Coordinating Committee for November 6, 2011 Worldwide Protest
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