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WONG:
And now a rare interview with the wife of a prominent Mongolian dissident. The wife of a scholar named Hada, talks about how the region has been overlooked by the international community, and how the survival of Mongolian culture hangs in the balance.

STORY:
A Mongolian scholar named Hada was tried behind closed doors in 1996 and jailed for 15 years for separatism, spying and supporting the Southern Mongolian Democratic Alliance.

Now, Hada's wife is speaking out against her husband's detainment. She says she's harassed by
local authorities and that her house is under strict surveillance. She isn't even able to leave the country to attend an awards ceremony.

[Xinna, Hada's Wife]:
"I went to the local police station to ask for a document (for my visa). They refused to give it to me, citing my husband's case as the reason. I asked, 'Isn't this kind of an implication' and they answer explicitly, 'Yes, it is'. A policeman said he would lose his job if he gave me the document."

Hada's son, Weilesi, says visiting his father is becoming increasingly difficult.

[Weilesi, Hada's Son]:
"Just by visiting my father, what harm could I cause to the state security during the Olympics? What rules have I broken just by taking notes of what daily necessities he asked for? They kept saying that human rights situation in Mongolia has been improving. My experiences can clearly tell that no improvements have taken place.”

Xinna says there's a growing sense of dissatisfaction amongst ethnic Mongolians.

[Xinna, Hada's Wife]:
"Some rights of the ethnic minority groups have been denied and some requests have been ignored. This causes dissatisfaction among the ethnic minority group and conflicts between them and the Han people."

Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region, but like Tibet and Xinjiang in the far west, Beijing keeps a tight rein on the region, fearing ethnic unrest in the country's strategic border areas.