China detains 23 in crackdown on Inner Mongolia protests

Police in China's Inner Mongolia region have detained at least 23 people following protests last week against a new policy that replaces Mongolian-langu textbooks with Chinese ones in classrooms.

push to use new textbooks, which started in or ethnic mirity regions such as Xinjiang and Tibet in 2017, has prompted demonstrations and school boycotts by ethnic Mongolians in at least five cities and counties in Inner Mongolia.

23 detentions were across eight banners, regional word for counties, according to an Associated Press tally of nine local police reports over past several days. reasons range from “organizing and collecting signatures for a petition” to “picking quarrels and stirring up trouble."

Ors were for “flagrantly insulting a deceased former leader of country” and “sharing videos in a WeChat group to obstruct implementation of national textbooks policy.” WeChat is a popular messaging app in China.

local government is also exerting pressure in or ways. Authorities in Zhenglan banner anunced Saturday that y had suspended two members of ruling Communist Party without pay for failing to carry out policy.

Police in Chifeng city said Monday y handed over Communist Party members, including two elementary school teachers, to a local party disciplinary committee for investigation.

Information about situation has become harder to get, said Enghebatu Togochog, U.S.-based director of Sourn Mongolian Human Rights Information Center, an activist group for Mongolian rights.

“Before se things happened, we were able to get relatively accurate information through WeChat groups,” he said. “w, it’s almost a communication blackout.”

government has stepped up positive messaging on policy, under which more classes will be taught in Mandarin Chinese.

“re are still many young people, middle-d people and herders who cant use Mandarin for basic communication,” said a Q&A published by state-backed Inner Mongolia Daily. “This has become an obstacle to lifting individuals out of poverty, impacting local ecomic and social development, and an important factor limiting ethnic unity and harmony in our region.”

Local governments have published videos of happy-looking students in class and playing on school grounds, saying that students have returned to school.

Togochog said many people in rural areas are still t sending ir children back to school, based on private messs his group has received. But he was unable to say how many.

A high school student who left school with ors last week said a teacher had told m to come back to class, and that classmates said ir parents had been threatened over ir jobs. AP is withholding student's name for safety reasons.

“I have a feeling I may be in trouble soon, parents of a lot of students have been caught. I spoke out, telling everyone to persist,” student said on Sunday via a messaging app. “But I'll be deleting this app. You won't be hearing from me anymore.”