Official Evaluates Regional Ethnic Autonomy in Inner Mongolia

Ismail Amat, Vice Chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC), praised the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (IMAR) government for its successes in advancing the ethnic minority autonomy system and implementing the Regional Ethnic Autonomy Law (REAL), according to a July 17 report from the State Ethnic Affairs Commission Web site. He added that the IMAR should serve as a model for other ethnic minority autonomous regions. The article did not detail concrete measures undertaken in the region to realize ethnic autonomy but rather made a connection between economic development achievements in the IMAR and the promotion of regional ethnic autonomy. Amat's remarks came while he was visiting the IMAR to inspect the REAL's implementation there. Since July, the NPCSC has been examining the REAL's implementation throughout China. NPCSC members also gave positive evaluations of regional ethnic autonomy implementation in autonomous prefectures in Gansu and Guizhou provinces during inspections there in mid- and late July, and called for further work to implement regional autonomy, according to a July 24 article on the NPC Web site and a July 27 Gansu Daily article.

Despite the officials' positive evaluations, and despite some recent reported efforts to promote ethnic minority language usage, authorities continue to take measures that undermine meaningful autonomy. For example, in the past year, authorities in the IMAR closed Mongolian Web sites and tried a Mongol couple who practiced traditional Mongolian medicine. Ethnic Mongol bookstore owner Hada continues to serve a 15-year prison sentence for the crimes of “splittism” and “espionage,” based on peaceful protests for ethnic rights that he organized in the IMAR capital of Hohhot.

For more information on ethnic minority autonomy in China, see Section III(a), "China's Minorities and Government Implementation of the Regional Ethnic Autonomy Law," in the 2005 CECC Annual Report.