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BBC Slander about Inner Mongolia, Willfully Linking It to Tibet and Xinjiang

   
October 23, 2008
Huan Qiu Shi Bao --- China's official press
English Translation by SMHRIC

 

On October 21, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) published a news article launching another vicious attack related to China's ethnic problems, using the words "dissident" to condemn "international community's negligence of rights violation of the Mongols". Chinese scholars are critical of the BBC, which as a global media giant, has frequently aired reports full of prejudice and hostile attitude toward China, substituting field investigation with words from a handful of individuals, ignoring journalistic responsibility.

BBC quoted Xinna, wife of Hada, a so-called "dissident" of China's Inner Mongolia, as saying that the culture of local Mongols has been "threatened". Xinna claimed that her husband Hada has been "imprisoned for expressing his political opinion" and stating that she herself "has also been closely monitored and harassed by the authorities".

BBC also took a further step to link Inner Mongolia with China's Tibet and Xinjiang, stating that "although in Inner Mongolia there is no such large scale of protests and riots as happened in Tibet and Xinjiang, dissidents and rights groups say the Chinese Government has been secretly arresting and harassing those who are engaged in separatist activities."

The article continues, "Inner Mongolia is an ethnic autonomous region of China. However, like Tibet and Xinjiang, it has been under Beijing's strict control, because the Central Government has always guarded against those ethnic minorities in strategically important frontier areas."

BBC's style of expression of "linking" Inner Mongolia to the incidents which happened this year in China's Tibet and Xinjiang is not new at all. In April of this year, the Dalai Lama published a so-called "Appeal to the Chinese People around the World", and discussed about Inner Mongolia together with Tibet and Xinjiang, asserting that if "freedom of speech, rule of law and individual freedom are guaranteed", "important problems including the issues of Tibet, Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia can be resolved accordingly".

"Using the words of a handful of individuals about Inner Mongolia to distort facts, the BBC apparently has other motives. “If you deliberately borrow others’ words to stir up the ethnic problems of China, then you are doing nothing but exposing your dirty mind to others," Hu Yan, director of Ethnicity and Religion Theory Research Office of Scientific Socialism Research Institute at the Party School of the Central Committee of Chinese Communist Party, said to the reporter of Global Times (Hun Qiu Shi Bao).

Hu Yan told the reporter that he happened to visit Hohhot, capital city of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, last month. "In my understanding, economic growth of Inner Mongolia has always been at double digits, and with a growth of 18.5% Inner Mongolia has enjoyed the fastest economic growth across the country during the first three quarters of this year. All ethnic groups are embracing the 'Reforms and Opening-up' initiatives and have been sharing the great achievement of the country's economic and social development during the past 30 years. Recently the government also kicked off the Zhao Jun Culture Research, carrying out traditional education of ethnic harmony. From the perspective of demographical structure, linguistic and cultural tradition, and minority rights protection of Inner Mongolia, demonizing the Chinese Government and launching irresponsible and groundless accusations, western news media like BBC is stirring up China's ethnic relations."

In addition, Hu Yan also pointed out, "for London, there are people with different colors and different ethnicity everywhere. However, is BBC seeing this as a natural result of social development or a 'cultural pressure' from outside?"

In recent years, BBC has increased this type of unobjective and unfair reports on China. This year alone, when reporting on "3.14" Lhasa Incident of China's Tibet, BBC named an "ambulance" as an "armed vehicle"; in the so-called "Chinese Government to Monitor Olympics Guests on the Internet" it used an 8-year old photo etc.

 

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