| Inner Mongolia Incident | |
| Location: | Inner Mongolia, China |
| Date: | 1967 |
| Partof: | Cultural Revolution in China |
| Native Name: | 内人党事件 |
| Time-Begin: | 1967 |
| Time-End: | 1969 |
| Target: | Ethnic Mongols, alleged former members of the Inner Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (PRP), "separatists" and Enemies of the Chinese Communist Party |
| Fatalities: | 16,222-100,000 |
| Injuries: | 81,000 |
| Victims: | 1,000,000+ (accused or persecuted) |
| Perpetrators: | Chinese Communist Party, People's Liberation Army, Teng Haiqing |
| Motive: | Cultural Revolution instigated by Mao Zedong, elimination of political enemies, persecution of ethnic minorities, prevention of political independence |
| Order: | st |
| S: | 内人党事件 |
| T: | 內人黨事件 |
| P: | nèiréndǎng shìjiàn |
| Also Known As: | Inner Mongolia People's Revolution Party purge incident |
| S2: | 内蒙古人民革命党肃清事件 |
| T2: | 內蒙古人民革命黨肅清事件 |
| P2: | Nèiměnggǔ rénmín gémìngdǎng sùqīng shìjiàn |
The Inner Mongolia incident, or the Inner Mongolia People's Revolutionary Party purge incident, was a massive political purge which occurred during the Cultural Revolution in Inner Mongolia.[1] The purge was supported by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and was led by Teng Haiqing, a lieutenant general (zhong jiang) of the People's Liberation Army.[2] [3] It took place from 1967 to 1969 during which over a million people were categorized as members of the already-dissolved Inner Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (PRP), while lynching and direct massacre resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands, most of whom were Mongols.[4] [5] [6] [7]
According to the official complaint from the Supreme People's Procuratorate in 1980 after the Cultural Revolution, during the purge, 346,000 people were arrested, 16,222 people were persecuted to death or killed directly, and over 81,000 were permanently injured and disabled.[8] [9] Other estimates have put a death toll between 20,000 and 100,000, while hundreds of thousands were arrested and persecuted, and over a million people were affected.[10] [11]
After the Cultural Revolution, the purge was regarded as a "mistake" and its victims were rehabilitated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) during the "Boluan Fanzheng" period, but the commander of the purge, Teng Haiqing, received no trial or legal punishment at all because the Central Committee of CCP thought he had made achievements during the wars in the past.[12] [13] On the other hand, some of Teng's affiliates received various terms of imprisonment, with a main Mongol affiliate sentenced to 15 years in prison.[14]
On 16 May 1966, the Cultural Revolution was officially launched in mainland China by Mao Zedong with the help of Cultural Revolution Group.[15] From 7 June to 20 July 1966, Ulanhu, then Chairman of China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, was accused of being an "anti-Party activist" and was persecuted. At the time, Ulanhu was also criticized by top leaders such as Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping, whom themselves were soon to be persecuted as well in the Cultural Revolution.[16] On 16 August 1966, Ulanhu was dismissed from his official positions and was placed under house arrest in Beijing. Some of his close affiliates such as Ji Yatai were also persecuted.
In May 1967, Teng Haiqing was appointed the top leader of the Inner Mongolia Military Region. On 27 July 1967, the northern branch of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party announced that Ulanhu had conducted five crimes, including anti-Maoism, anti-socialism, separatism, and so on.[17] Supported by Marshal Lin Biao, Jiang Qing (Mao's wife) and Kang Sheng (head of the internal intelligence agency of the Central Social Affairs Department), Teng began to initiate a massive purge which was intended to "dig out" the "poison of Ulanhu" in the Inner Mongolia region.
During the purge, the already-dissolved Inner Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (PRP) was claimed to have re-established itself and have grown into power since 1960. And, Ulanhu was accused of being the leader of this Party. At least hundreds of thousands of people in Inner Mongolia were "categorized" as members of the PRP, whom were regarded as separatists and were subsequently persecuted. During the purge, the Mongolian language was banned from publications and Mongols were accused of being “the sons and heirs of Genghis Khan”.
The methods used in lynching and killing during the purge included branding with hot irons, feeding furnace wastes, removing livers, hanging, cutting tongues and noses, piercing nails, piercing vaginas, pouring hot saline water into wounds, and more.
According to the official complaint from the Supreme People's Procuratorate in 1980 after the Cultural Revolution, during the purge, 346,000 people were arrested (75 percent were Mongols), over 16,000 were persecuted to death, and over 81,000 were permanently injured and disabled.
Other estimates include:
See also: Boluan Fanzheng. After the Cultural Revolution, China's new paramount leader Deng Xiaoping came to power in December 1978 and, together with Hu Yaobang and others, launched a large-scale campaign to rehabilitate victims in the so-called "unjust, false, and incorrect cases (冤假错案)" made during the Cultural Revolution.
The Inner Mongolia incident was regarded as a "mistake" and its victims were rehabilitated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1979 during the "Boluan Fanzheng" period, blaming the entire purge on “the Gang of Four and the Lin Biao Clique”. Trials for the Gang of Four began in 1980.[19]
In the 1980s, there were calls for trial of Teng Haiqing, the commander of the purge in Inner Mongolia, but the Central Committee of CCP thought Teng had made achievement during the past wars and therefore he would not be further punished for leading the purge. On the other hand, some of Teng's affiliates received various terms of imprisonment, with a main Mongol affiliate, Wulan Bagan, sentenced to 15 years in prison.