Southern Mongolia encompasses both the Chinese ‘Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region’ (IMAR) and other large areas in China inhabited by the Mongolian people for centuries. The signing of the Kyakhta Treaty in 1915 by China, Russia and Mongolia prevented Southern Mongolia from declaring its independence and reuniting with the North. It was annexed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1949 and its history ever since has been a story of struggle for self-determination, human rights and countering systematic persecution and state violence perpetrated by the PRC government and the Chinese Communist Party. The people of Southern Mongolia are fighting a Chinese regime pursuing a relentless policy of assimilation and elimination of Mongolian culture, heritage, language, traditions and identity.
Southern Mongolia: Past, Present and Future will look at the rich and independent history of Southern Mongolia, the period following the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911, its annexation by the PRC in 1949, and the suffering endured by the Mongolian people at the hands of Communist China. The session will touch on the current situation in Southern Mongolia, key issues and challenges, and where Southern Mongolia is headed in the future.
Date: Friday, January 31, 2025
Time: 8:00 am (Washington DC). 6:30 pm (New Delhi). 9:00 pm (Ulaanbaatar)
Event Type: Live Podcast (YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn)
Speakers:
| Enghebatu Togochog Director of the SMHRIC. Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Centre |
Chuluu Ujiyediin Founding member of the SMHRIC |
| Soyonbo Borjigin Journalist, Voice of America |
Moderator:
Sakina Batt
Host, Freedom Hour, AFI
Live Video Podcast Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AsiaFreedomInstitute/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AsiaFreedomInstitute/streams
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-freedom-institute/
Participant Biographies:
Soyonbo Borjgin
Soyonbo is a journalist from Southern Mongolia. He worked for Southern Mongolia Life Weekly from 2014 to 2021, traveling across all the counties of Southern Mongolia and interviewing people from all walks of life, including herders, workers, and intellectuals. The newspaper he worked for was shut down by the government during the 2020 language protest, and Soyonbo was sent to a one-month political reeducation. He has also produced Mongolian podcasts for the Southern Mongolian audience at Voice of America. Soyonbo is based in New York City and continues to write and advocate for press freedom and cultural identity.
Enghebatu Togochog
Enghebatu established the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center (SMHRIC) in 2001. SMHRIC is a New York based human rights organization dedicated to promoting and protecting the rights of the Mongolian people in Southern Mongolia. Enghebatu serves as the Director of the SMRHIC and the chief editor of the organizational newsletter “Southern Mongolia Watch”. He has testified on human rights conditions in Southern Mongolia before the United Nations Human Rights Council, United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, United Nations Forum on Minority Issues, United Nations Committee Against Torture, and European Parliament, and the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China. Enghebatu was born in Southern Mongolia and came to the United States in 1998.
Chuluu Ujiyediin
Chuluu is a founding member of the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center (SMHRIC). He has participated in various international human rights meetings, including the United Nations Forum on Minority Issues. He has testified at the European Parliament and the Japanese Parliament, and delivered presentations on human rights violations in Southern Mongolia. His focus has been on social and cultural issues, such as language rights and environmental preservation. Chuluu grew up in the eastern part of Southern Mongolia. He completed his PhD from the Department of East Asian Studies, University of Toronto in 1998 and now lives in the United States.
Sakina Batt
Sakina Batt is a Producer and Director at Meeting Point, a leading audio-visual production house and buying agency in Nepal. She directs promotional videos, does voice overs, writes scripts and copywriting for the videos in Meeting Point. Sakina worked for Tibet TV at the Central Tibetan Administration in India for four years (2017-2021) where she served as a news presenter and an interview host. She also made short documentaries for the channel, wrote scripts, conducted research, edited videos and anchored the show In Conversation with Tibet TV. Sakina has a Masters in Mass Communication from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi and a bachelors from Delhi University.
