Oct 13, the Global Times (Huan Qiu Shi Bao), one of China’s official presses, published an article stating that “the BBC is slandering Inner Mongolia”. The report referred to me as “a so-called ‘dissident’s’ wife”. Clearly, the reporter of the Global Times is representing the government view, and trying to restrict the right of free speech and free press. In their words, we are just a handful of “so-called dissidents” and the foreign media reports are “slanderers”. In their view, the foreign media has no right to report on any problems in China, including big events like the Tian An Men Massacre. The report also mentioned that Inner Mongolia is doing well with double digit economic growth. Actually this growth itself is very problematic. Because it is acheived through sacrificing the interest and well-being of the minorities like the Mongols. For example, the Mongol herders of Shiliin-gol League have to give up their traditional way of life to give way to the mining and other industries who are encouraged to occupy their ancestral grazing lands. There is no freedom of speech for the Mongols. For example, the well-known singer Lhajab was interviewed by the Chinese official TV, but he was not allowed to talk about his personal experience during the Cutural Revolution. The report also claimed that “BBC is willfully trying to link Inner Mongolia with Tibet and Xinjiang”. In fact, the problem the Mongols are facing is exactly the same with what Tibetans and Uyghurs are experiencing. There is no need to link them. They are the same issue, the same ethnic issue. What the Chinese authorities are trying to do is to suppress the voices of the Mongols. Actually, their attempts will end up actually proving that there is a real problem and they feel nervous about it.
