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China's Inner Mongolia 'under heavy security' China's Inner Mongolia 'under heavy security'
(about 3 hours later)
Chinese authorities have tightened security across the province of Inner Mongolia after days of unrest, rights groups and residents say.Chinese authorities have tightened security across the province of Inner Mongolia after days of unrest, rights groups and residents say.
Hundreds of riot police armed with batons are patrolling the main square in the provincial capital, Hohhot. Hundreds of riot police armed with batons have been posted at the main square in provincial capital Hohhot.
Ethnic Mongolians began to protest after a farmer was run over and killed. Access to the internet has been blocked in some areas, and universities and schools are under close watch.
Reports say the herder was trying to protect his land when he was run down on 10 May by a van driven by an ethnically Han Chinese man. The unrest erupted last week after two ethnic Mongolians were killed in separate incidents.
The demonstrations are thought to be the region's largest in 20 years, involving hundreds of ethnic Mongolians.
The New York-based Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Centre said more demonstrations had been planned for Monday.The New York-based Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Centre said more demonstrations had been planned for Monday.
The centre described the situation in many parts of Inner Mongolia as martial law.The centre described the situation in many parts of Inner Mongolia as martial law.
Amnesty International also described the situation as martial law and called for restraint from the authorities. Residents of the city of Chifeng told the Associated Press that police were out in force, and the internet had been cut off.
"Given the heavy-handed repression of similar protests in other regions, like Xinjiang and Tibet, there are real grounds for concern about the situation in Inner Mongolia," said Catherine Baber, Amnesty International's Asia Pacific deputy director. "There's no point in going to the internet cafes since they have suspended business because the internet is down there too," said a waitress at a Chifeng restaurant.
Residents told the Associated Press that police were out in force, and the internet had been cut off.
"There's no point in going to the internet cafes since they have suspended business because the internet is down there too," said a waitress at the Laozhuancun restaurant, in the city of Chifeng.
A university worker in Hohhot told Reuters that three entrances to the institution had been sealed off by police.A university worker in Hohhot told Reuters that three entrances to the institution had been sealed off by police.
Arrests Deep-seated concerns
The demonstrations last week are thought to be the region's largest in 20 years, involving hundreds of ethnic Mongolians. The BBC's Michael Bristow in Beijing says references to the demonstrations are being wiped from the internet.
The Xilinhot government has not commented on the protest. But he says the authorities are also trying to ease the anger of the ethnic Mongolians by sending senior Communist Party officials to the city of Xilinhot, where the trouble started.
But the government confirmed last week that two Han Chinese were arrested for murder. Ethnic Mongolians were infuriated by the death of a farmer on 10 May. He was trying to protect his land when he was run down and killed, apparently by an ethnically Han Chinese driver.
Some analysts believe one of the men is a suspect in the killing of the farmer on 10 May. Five days later, another ethnic Mongolian was killed during a protest at a mine.
Analysts say the deaths have tapped into deeper concerns among ethnic Mongolians that their traditional nomadic way of life is being overridden by mining projects.
The government confirmed last week that two Han Chinese had been arrested for murder, but gave no further details of the cases.
On Monday, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported that a man had been put on trial for the murder of Yan Wenlong, the ethnic Mongolian killed during the mine protest.
Some analysts believe the other man who was arrested is a suspect in the killing of the farmer on 10 May.
On Friday, provincial Communist Party chief Hu Chunhua met students and teachers and promised that anyone found to have committed a crime would be brought to justice, according to the state-run Inner Mongolian Daily.On Friday, provincial Communist Party chief Hu Chunhua met students and teachers and promised that anyone found to have committed a crime would be brought to justice, according to the state-run Inner Mongolian Daily.
"Please rest assured that the suspects will be punished severely and quickly," Mr Hu said, without specifying which cases he was talking about."Please rest assured that the suspects will be punished severely and quickly," Mr Hu said, without specifying which cases he was talking about.
The population of Inner Mongolia is predominantly Han Chinese. Less than 20% of Inner Mongolia's estimated 25 million residents are ethnic Mongolians. About 80% are Han Chinese.
But the province is still home to an estimated five million ethnic Mongolians, and many of them say their nomadic pastoral existence is being threatened by the growth of mining projects in the mineral-rich region.