- The Scope and the Seriousness of the Genocide in Its Historical Context

Tsengelt Gonchigsuren

In the first part of this article, I focused on the Brutality and Savage Nature of the Genocide and its general backgrounds. In the second part, I will discuss the Scope and the Seriousness of the Genocide in Its Historical Context.

During this horrible 10 years, the bloody hands of the genocide had reached almost every Mongolian family in IMAR and other areas where the Mongols lived. The Mongols from one year infant to 80 years old elderly were all effected. These can be seen from the Chinese official statistic numbers. According to a most completed contemporary history book "The History of Inner Mongolian Autonomy Region" (1991), which was compiled by the communist historians (edited by Prof. Hau Wei Ming) and approved by the Chinese authority".

Everywhere was "unearth" "IMPRP" and its branches, 340,000 people were persecuted, 16,222 people were tortured to death. In addition other false case total 27,900 some people were tortured to death, 120,000 were crippled. (Page 313). These are the highest numbers that the authorities allow to use in limited publication in China. The very origins of these numbers came from the official indictment brought against the "Gang of Four" at their trail in China; November 2, 1980" and "The decision of the supreme court of China" (January, 25, 1981) two papers. Nevertheless, these are also very intriguing and believed to be greatly reduced and disguised, intentionally distorted, fixed numbers. Even though, these numbers are shockingly high, if we compare them to a small ethnic group like Mongols whose population was only 1.44 million at that time. The true figures are much higher and many times more. In another official document "Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (Central/Issue [1981] No.28)" (1981) say

s "790,000 people were incarcerated, 22,900 some people died and 120,000 were crippled" (see Asia Watch's full translation of this document 1992). Even in these two documents, the figures do not add up correctly and people should question about the differences and demand the truth. Let me remind you again, there were 1,445,000 Mongols in 1965. How many of them were adults and what does that mean "790,000 people were incarcerated? That is more than 50 percent of the entire Mongol population. We have to consider that about a half million Mongols live in outside IMAR, and they were persecuted too, but the relevant statistics are hardly shown anywhere.

The compiling facts are shocking and I have too many reasons to call it as genocide and let me use reason to try to reach the true figures or the closet estimations and the scope of the genocidal campaign. According to Chinese documents, before the genocide started, Inner Mongolia had 1,445,000 Mongols in 1965. Between 1965 - 1981, the natural increase rate of the Mongols in IMAR was 2.1%. But from 1947's 830,000 to 1965 1,445,000, the natural increase rate was 3.11%, with this natural growth, by 1981, Inner Mongolia should have had 2,312,000 people. Yet the statistics show that the Mongols population was 2,020,000 people (Document No. 28). The difference is 282,000 people, what had happened to the 282,000 people. How many people died directly and indirectly after the ferocious campaign of this unjust case? Why the population has decreased this dramatically? Within the period of the genocide campaign there was no big famine, plagues or wars reported. Also the "One Child Policy" of China was even not started.

The only thing that was really happening is the genocide. I have the reason to use the year of 1981's population number. Because: 1. This is the year that China reconsolidated the three eastern Aimags and other administrative units (which were divided to other Chinese provinces in 1967) and lands back to IMAR, and the statistics can be seen as whole. 2. During prior 16 years (1965-1981), China did not conduct a census survey. 3. The genocide's immediate aftermaths continued after 1977, means that those severely wounded and sickened were dying slowly and continuously. Also, it should be stated here that most of the dead victims did not have any decent burials and funerals. The family members of the deceased were prohibited to take the bodies and conduct morning or other funeral ceremonies. In many cases, the victims' bodies could not be located and eventually people had to bury a piece of stone in empty tombs.

Until the in-depth and complete, independent investigation is done by unbiased scholars, historians, legal experts, we have to use the evidences and the statistics that are available to us to make the closet estimation about the total number of the victims. The missing part, at least 300,000 people were the direct and indirect victims of the genocide, and they can be divided into three different estimations. The first 100,000 people were the brutally killed by the authorities;

Another 100,000 people are the indirect victims or more precisely, did not die right away but died of the result of the long incarceration, brutal tortures and lack of medical care to heal the damaged health. Many people were forced to commit suicide, because they suffered unbearable pain of physical and mental traumas caused by the tortures. Hundreds of thousands of Mongolian families were destroyed and tens of thousands of children were orphaned.

Children and elderly were not taken care of, died unnaturally or died untimely early. The very last 100,000 were the unborn victims of the genocide. The families, marriages and reproduction were all severely damaged and tens of thousands of women lost their abilities of giving birth, because of the damaged body and other health problems caused by the inhumane tortures. So did to the males populations. People also should notice that the tortures in many cases in humanly targeted the victims gentle organs on purpose and the damages are permanent (see the first part of this article "The Genocide and Its Brutality and Savage Nature").

The dead victims' numbers in a conservative estimation could reach around 150,000 - 200,000, which is about 10-15 percent of the entire population of the Mongol at that time. It is by any and every standard, is a GENOCIDE. The regime claims that only 16222 people were killed, which is only about the one tenth of the total victims. The so called 16222 could be true, if, only if they say that these were the Mongolian nationalists activists whom they intended to kill anyway, and in order to kill these activists, they killed ten times more, just as what the leaders said "get one true, nine false". Let see how these numbers are applied in some local areas and try to picture the scope of the campaign:

Wu (vice Chief of the Ulan-Chav) stated the current situation and the policy to Wangdan: Your "IMPRP" has already destroyed. Now the whole Aimag have already registered, exposed 132,000 people, and in Ji-ning city alone, numbered 10,000 ...

- The same book, page 205

In the name of "Cultural revolution", conducted widespread tortures and interrogations, made the whole Autonomy Region 's dead and wounded, crippled people's numbers skyrocket, and shocking after November 1968. Up to May 1969, when the Central government issued a document to correct, already more than 346000 members of "IMPRP" have been unearthed, which was 50,000 more than the total number of the Communist party in IMAR at that time.

- The same book, page 309

Within less than 6 months, they unearthed 346,000 people, and this number exactly matches the Chinese claim on the unearthed people later on. But this number only reflects the about 6 months period, not ten years and the campaign lasted more than ten years and besides this case, there were also two cases like this big, plus hundreds of small cases in local areas. Many people were persecuted under three or ten different cases.

Up to May 1969, in whole Aimag (Jirim), 48500 people were accused of the member of NIMPRP or its disgusted branch organizations, among them, killed, wounded, crippled more than 14000, more than 7000 are Mongols...

- The same book, page 261

According to the four Aimags and two cities'(does not include the Malitia Units, the direct branches of the IMAR) uncompleted statistics, in the clearance of the front of the class, especially during unearth "IMPRP", 4759 people were killed or forced to die unnaturally...

The statistics from different areas came - 1679 people were killed in Ulan-chav Aimag, 1250 people were killed in Shilin-gol Aimag, 346 people were killed in Bayan-nuur Aimag, 938 people

in Ikhe-joo Aimag, 346 in Khuhu-Khot city, 205 in Boa-tou city ...

...

According to the statistics in a document called "The report on current status of the policy implementation in Ulan-chav Aimag" dated July 19, 1974, entire Aimag (not include the whole numbers of Si-zi wang banner, Liang Chen Xian, and the direct branches of the Aimag) unearthed 76162 people, among them, 1685 dead, 4565 people were crippled, 8628 people were wounded. If add up other cases like political, historical, family backgrounds etc., dead, crippled, wounded numbers are much greater than this number, death row could reach 2000 people.

The same book, page 285

In 1969, the Toga Collective only had a population of 2961, among them 1926 people were accused of being members of the "NIMPRP," about 71% of the adults. 270 people were under suspicion. 49 people were tortured to death and 270 people were severely maimed and 116 people lost their mobility and completely lost their productivity ...

The same book, page 203

46rom above-mentioned couple paragraphs (which did not even reflect the one third of the areas of the IMAR), we can tell that the dead victims' numbers are much greater than what the Chinese government claims "16222" people (the book claims the same) and in order to make this number looks as genuine as possible, they used so precise figures up to the last digit (I am surprised that they did not put a half person or a decimal point and say "16222.43" or something), and they even could put something like the name of the "last victim". The figure "16222" is not even close to the one big Aimag's death row. The number of the dead, crippled, incarcerated are very important for defining the true nature and scope of the genocide. That is why the Chine se authority tries extremely hard to distort the numbers and guards those statistics strictly as state secrete and anyone who tries to investigate the numbers will be punished with prison terms.

The campaign started with full speed and the efficiency of the unearthing process was shocking, and the scope could reach to any Mongols who was alive and sometimes even tie dead people, including Genghis Khan, who died 800 years ago. See the following:

December 1968, Ten Hai Ching stated in a report to the Central Government on the issue of the IMPRP, "Report on the question of IMPRP"...

...

... The masses of the revolution, have launched a full attack against the Inner Mongolian People's Revolution Party (IMPRP), which is a nationalist, separatist intelligent cult and is anti-party betrayed from the country, and we won the initial great victory. According the uncompleted statistics from four Aimags and two Cities (not include the Hulun-boir, Jirem, and Bayen-nuur aimags), up to December 10, (we) have unearthed 10911 members of "IMPRP".

- The same book, page 208-209

On April 19, 1969, In an "A Memo of Teng Hai Chin, We Tao, Li Shu De" to the Central Government. Wrote: ...

"Before the Fourth Conference of the Revolution committee (held on November 3, 1968.-author), IMAR already unearthed 130,000 people." "From last year November to this year March 15, (we) unearthed additional 250,000 people".

- The same book, page 236

The campaign was so open and was a mandatory public work, started with shockingly speedy, terrifying campaigns of registration. Similar to the Nazi's actions forced the Jews to register, later insulted and condemned them, then caught them, then put into concentration camps, later brutally tortured them and inhumanly killed them. The Chinese rulers did almost exactly the same thing and if someone argues that the differences are just differences between the two cultures, I cannot agree more. The historical bitter coincidence of these two genocides took place apart from each other 20 years. Let see the registration campaign from one public notice back to October 18, 1968, and other announcements made by the authority. The following is the translation of the Public Notice:

Public Notice No.1

In the light of the series newest orders of great leader Chairman Mao, our region's proletarian cultural revolution is great. The mass campaign of the unearthing "Ulanhuu" black-front, liquidating Ulanhuu's poisonous influence has reached a great victor. Present, our region is same as everywhere in the country, in the peak of a great campaign of "struggle, criticize, and reform", to take over the whole and final victory of the proletarian cultural revolutionary.

According to the order of the Revolutionary Committee to the Policy and Law committee of the IMAR, "The report on a couple decisions on questions of conducting registration of 'IMPRP'", after the "Conference of May 1" 1947, "IMPRP" and its branches are all anti-revolutionary organizations, the members of which must register. The registration work is announced following:

One. Regarding registering "IMPRP" and its branches, under the leadership of the IMAR and Khuh-Khot city's two levels revolution committee, establish a registration work office. The registration office is located at Khuh-Khot City' Labor Union' building, third floor. Phone number: 2267. The office has five registration stations. They are located respectively: Dun-Fen Police units' military curfew committee (MCC); Shin-Cheng dispatcher of the police. Hung-Qi Police Units' MCC, Xiang-Yang Police Units' MCC; Suburban Police Units MCC, are responsible for entire work of registering the "IMPRP" and its disguised branch organizations.

Two. The work of registering the "IMPRP" and its disguised branches organizations are a serious class struggle, is an important measure to completely destroy Ulanhuu's anti-party cult, as well as taking the whole victory of the Proletarian Revolution in our country. Therefore, our proletarian revolution section and the revolution masses must actively take actions, to battle people's war of surrounding and destroying the IMPRP and its disgusted branches. Actively tip off, expose the members of the IMPRP and its disguised branch organizations. The revolution masses can come to the registration stations and registration office to tip off and expose the situation in written or in verbal.

Three. All those members of and who joined the IMPRP and its disguised branch organizations, you are already in an endless sea of the war of people, you cannot escape from the masses of people's net. You have to recognize the situation and choose a way of out 2E (You) must stand up and tip off and expose all the anti-revolutionary activities of the IMPRP and its disguised branch

organizations. Our party's policy is always "Confess would be lighter, not confess would be heavy (punishment)" and "the leaders must be punished, followers would not be asked, reward the ones who make contribution". All the joined members of the IMPRP and its disguised branch organizations must immediately confess and register, and actively tip off and expose, this is the only way out. Refuse to confess, must be severely punished.

Four. The members of the IMPRP and its disguised branch organizations, must conduct registration process, fill out the registration form. When register, must bring two pieces of photos with no hat. According to the requirements of the form, carefully write, the letters must be neat and clear, cannot be altered. Upon completion, the workers who are responsible for registering must check and if some unqualified must refill the form.

Five. The members who joined the IMPRP and its disguised branch organizations after "The Conference of May 1 1947", if live in the Khuh-Khot City area, must go to the registration stations to register with accordance of the location of their work places, the police jurisdictions.

Six. The members who joined the IMPRP and its disguised branch organizations after "The Conference of May 1" 1947, must register between October 21 - November 21 2E Refuse to register, will be punished doubly.

Seven. The members of branch committee or equivalence or higher than branch committees' key members, or although no clear official tittles but practically work as key members, will be punished as anti-revolutionary. If can completely confess and tip off, may receive reduced punishment. Those who made the contributions, may be condemned but not with the element of anti-revolutionary.

Eight. Regular members, will not be treated as anti- revolutionaries. However, those who refuse to confess and tip off, or failed to register on time, must be strictly punished.

The People's Liberation Army's Khuh-Khot Police Units MCC

October 18, 1968

- The same book, page 149-151

These eight articles in this Public Notice used the strongest, the most frightening language and commands to repeatedly state one thing -- Give yourself up to the authorities and be persecuted, and if you don't, they will catch you by all means and severely punish you with no mercy for your uncooperative attitude with the authorities. In its true extent, they probably did not want you to real register yourself, but as a pretext to punish you by saying that we did give you a chance to give yourself up, but you refused. Thus, the punishments can be as cruel as possible.

Clearly this was a huge public campaign launched by the highest civilian and military authorities of the IMAR with consent and direct orders of the Central Government of China. If any one who sees this Notice and without having second thought about to register himself as a member of the so called IMPRP, he would be out of his common sense. Look how intimidating it is.

Still, this wasn't enough, so a month later, they issued another Public Notice No.2. on November 23, 1968.

Public Notice No.2.

One. The work of registering the IMPRP and its disguised branch organizations will be extended another month from November 23 till December 23.

Two. Members who joined the IMPRP and its disguised branch organizations between August 18, 1945 till "The Conference of May 1" 1947, must register, regardless the persons confessed or not, but still active. (Who) Continuously hides, must be strictly perused and will be punished.

Three. The members who joined the IMPRP and its disguised branch organizations after "The conference of May 1" 1947, must register within the deadline stated in this notice. Refuse to register, will be severely punished.

Four. All those who joined any underground organizations and groups which are active in ethnic division, Unification of Inner and Outer Mongolia, sabotaging the unification of the motherland, are all anti-revolutionary organizations and the members of which, must register, violators will be severely punished with no mercy...

- The same book, page 206-207

...

I don't think the Nazis even went this far and openly instigate hatred, cruelty and violent struggle among masses of the society in the beginning of their campaign against the Jews. The historical bases and frame of the struggle dated from twenty years ago, started from WWII. The records of history shown that those Mongols who related to the so-called "The Conference of May 1 1947", had already been persecuted many times even before this campaign and many of them died in Chinese prisons, or executed in public during the campaign of "Liquidation of the remaining anti-revolutionaries" and similar campaigns in the 50s' and early 60s'.

The very next day (November 23, 1968), an editorial article "Must be Steady, Accurate, Cruel" appeared in the front page of the "Inner Mongolian Daily News" ...:

After a year of "liquidating war," we have unearthed a bunch of class enemies. It's not because the more (we) unearth the enemies. But the more (we) unearth, the enemies become more devious. They can hide until today, because most of them have a protective cover, and are the two-faced good at play anti-revolutionary game. The struggle is in hard battle of a deep unearthing and deep condemning phase. It cannot be unsteady, inaccurate, un-cruel.

This editorial also articulated the relationship between three words: "Steady, Accurate, Cruel" as following:

"The 'Steady, Accurate, Cruel' three words cannot have one without another one of them. 'Cruel' is the base, if (we) don't be cruel to the enemies, then (we) are unable to be 'steady' and 'accurate'. Yet the key is 'accurate', hit (beat) accurately, 'Steady' and 'Cruel' are up there."

- The same book, page 207-208

This is the largest newspaper in IMAR and owned and ran by the state, and people take it as seriously as an administrative order during these years. This type of propaganda were used to mobilize the masses in the most effective, fanatic and demagogic way. From this Editorial alone, we can see they launched the campaign as a war-like nation wide public campaign, and they called it a WAR. The WAR and the battles should be as cruel and steady as possible to against the enemies - the unarmed innocent Mongols from infant to elderly, men and women, civilian and monks. It was a WAR, and on the other side or the war launchers were the People's Liberation Army, the police and other law enforcement forces, the communist party and its affiliated revolutionary organizations, civilian authorities, and the so-called "ordinary citizens" or the "revolution masses." There were no records that the Nazis mobilized these many forces and instruments to catch the Jews during 1930s'. The language and voice used in this and other p

ublic announcements are the strongest and the most frightening, bold words that you can find in Chinese language. I feel chilly and horrified when I read them even after 30 years later in a free country. I don't think the 5,000 years literature tradition of the Chinese written history can produce any other public writings that are as dreadful as these used in the campaign.

Let see how the Chinese rulers from the highest leader to local power-holders were truly seeing this campaign and seeking maximum damaging result from it. They were definitely aware of the devastating impact of the campaign but they encouraged and demanded the ferocious progress and result of deepening the scope and seriousness of the genocide. They did not hesitate to sacrifice and exterminate entire population of the Mongols. The slogans and the orders that given for unearthing Mongols were shockingly open and near hysteric, full of hatred and complete disregard of human life. It is also important to note that most of the rulers of the IMAR and its lower levels had been Chinese high-ranking military generals from the Southern parts of China and directly report to the Central Government and the highest leaders of the country, including Mao (Chinese Hitler), Primer Zhou, Kang Sheng (Chinese Goebbels) and many others, some may even still be in power today.

The directors of Propaganda Department Communist Party IMAR, Gou Yi Qin said in 1968 July, "Some are afraid of making mistakes in the campaign of "unearth and liquidating." I don't. Working for revolution has no fear of risks! As long as 30 percent is true, must continue to unearth, unearth wrongly, (we) will correct in the future. Unearth ten and get seven false, but three are true, eventually bow to these seven and apologize. Even unearth ten and get one true (member of IMPRP), nine false, is a great achievement"

- The same book, page 143

Kang Sheng said "You comrades from Inner Mongolia have no alert about the enemy. IMAR has such a huge anti revolution organization, what do you need to ask the center committee? How many are there, unearth that many, the more the batter!

- The same book, page 145

The commander of Shilin-gol military sub-region Zhao De Roung said "Kill all 560,000 people of Shilin-gol, it is just a small pinch in the country"

- The same book, page 214

Zhao Yu Wen (the commander of the Jirim military district) unearthed till he becomes read-eyed, ... and said "Jirim Aimag must unearth bad people closer to (quote?). (It) Cannot be less than 50,000 people, must be above 50,000 people."

- The same book, page 261

The primer of China Zhou En Lai said in May, 13, 1969 "Comrade Teng Hai Ching went to IM since 1967, April, and has closely followed Chairman Mao's great strategic deployment, did a lot work, and accomplished new achievement."

- The same book, page 240

General Teng was the general commander of the military district of IMAR and the highest military commander and also the highest civilian leader during April 1967 - 1971, who was the key criminal responsible for this genocide. After 1971, he was appointed as second general commander of the Beijing Military Region and the Jinan Military Region respectively, and both are the largest military regions in China. Teng is still alive and retired as senior cadre of the communist party and never been charged for the crimes that he did to Mongolian population.

Same as general Teng's case, the regime transferred most of the key members of the leaders of the IMAR to different places for new jobs and high-ranking official posts.

This odious scourge of the case of IMPRP is one of the most maliciously fabricated pretext by the Chinese regime used to mobilize the Chinese mass population to persecute the Mongols. It is one of the worst ethnic genocides perpetrated by a regime against a minority people, and should be regarded as an organized, long term, a state-sanctioned campaign of murder. By any means a small nation like the Mongols could not defend themselves from such a large scale genocide launched by the Chinese authority and supported by billions of the so called "Revolution masses."

People also understand that the Mongols had to face 8 billion Chinese, which compare to 1.45 million Mongols the percentage would be like an astronomical figure. Mongols went through this horrible ordeal ALONE and ISOLATED and got virtually no supports and concerns from the humanity as whole. Even after 30 years later, the Mongols still helplessly and perhaps hopelessly as well, fight against the Chinese brutal oppression.

- Continued to Part Three "The Devastating Aftermaths of the Genocide and the conclusion with legal bases"