The following is the full transcript of the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center (SMHRIC) Statement at the United Nations Forum on Minority Issues 9th Session held in Geneva from November 24-25, 2016. The statement delivered by the SMHRIC Director Mr. Enghebatu Togochog was interrupted by the Chinese Government delegation. Government delegations from Venezuela, Pakistan, Libya, Russia, Mauritania, Syria, Cuba and Iran supported the statement made by the Chinese delegation while the government delegations from Austria, United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Norway expressed their support to the SMHRIC’s right to continue its statement. The chairperson eventually allowed the SMHRIC to continue its statement. President of the Forum: Now I would like to give the floor to the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center. You have the floor. Enghebatu Togochog: Mr. Chairperson, distinguished members of the Forum, Thank you for giving me the opportunity to raise our concerns and issues on the human rights condition of the Mongolian people in China. As the Chinese authorities intensify their political repression, economic exploitation, cultural eradication and environmental destruction in Mongolian areas, the basic human rights and fundamental freedoms of the six million Mongolians are completely deprived off, and their very survival as a distinct people is threatened. Here, I would like to raise the following specific cases to the Forum: The first is the devastating effect of mining, land-grabbing and environmental destruction by the Chinese in Mongolian rural communities. As the Chinese Central Government announced that the Mongolian regions have become the largest “energy base of China,” Chinese extractive industries are rushing to the Mongolian grassland to open up coal, gas, oil, and other minerals, not only destroying the natural environment, but also escalating the tension between the Chinese and the Mongolians. Violent clashes are taking place on a daily basis between Mongolian herders. Defending the interest of the Chinese, the Chinese authorities are using excessive force, including police and prison system to crack down on the

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