Thread by @lauriechenwords

Just over a week after Inner Mongolia saw its largest uprising in decades against unpopular Mandarin-language curriculum reforms, a swift and brutal crackdown has eliminated all outward signs of dissent. Ethnic Mongolians now live under a climate of fear. channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/inne…

Last week, we found a heavy police presence at schools in Tongliao, where nearly half the population are Mongolian. We interviewed a brave father, who spoke up at immense personal risk, in this video shot by @LeoRamirezAFP

https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1305782153167294464

Authorities are now using a growing number of ways to coerce parents to send their kids back to school, including denial of loans & welfare benefits, layoffs, and harsh fines. Many say they are losing hope, as the police dragnet closes in on the remaining few who dare to resist.

Schools are the pillar of their communities, said Prof Chris Atwood. "If they’re transformed into Chinese-language schools, it’s like the loss of a whole world for a lot of the students ... schools are to the Mongol ethnic identity what monasteries are to Tibetan identity."

The policy aligns with Xi Jinping's push to assimilate ethnic minorities into the dominant Han Chinese population The pervasive notion of minority-language education as "backwards" has seen similar reforms in Xinjiang and Tibet that have severely reduced Uyghur & Tibetan teaching

I'm v grateful to all the brave Mongolians in IM and Mongolia who spoke to me for this piece. Unfortunately I didn't have room to include all their insights, but will be closely following the situation. For now, IM remains under a blanket of heavy police control and surveillance.

Bonus content: here is a herder and his massive flock of sheep we encountered while being chased out of the region by propaganda officials 🤪