【10/8/2023Cologne, Germany 】
Is this a tragedy for all of us Mongolians?
Chairman of the South Mongolia Congress, Temchilt.
Today is a national holiday in Germany and marks the day the two Germanys were unified. In 1991, I crossed the border between China and Mongolia and walked into Mongolia. I was detained and arrested as an illegal immigrant, and ultimately sentenced to three years in prison. I initially refused to accept the accusations of misconduct. As a Mongolian, I believed that entering Mongolia was not a matter of crossing borders of any country. I said “The Great Wall of China, which has been built over thousands of years, forms the border between Mongolia and China. This was established by Qin Shihuang in a long time. You Mongolian government officials are shameful and corrupt because you don’t even know the borders of your country”. In the end, the Mongolian judge couldn’t laugh or get angry. He had no choice but to confess to me. They said they couldn’t go any further unless I pleaded guilty. If I stayed in Mongolia, Mongolia would be under a lot of pressure from China, which would be against Mongolia’s national interests. In the end, I pleaded guilty and was sentenced. I requested that the Mongolian side not send me back to China. In case I was to be deported to China, I asked them to hold a press conference for me before deporting me and provide me with one final chance to explain “my reasons for leaving my homeland of Southern Mongolia to come to my country Mongolia ”. At least superficially, the Mongolian side has agreed to my request. Shortly after being convicted and imprisoned, President Ochirbat pardoned me through presidential order, taking advantage of the traditional amnesty that Mongolia grants to prisoners. When Chinese President Yang Shangkun visited Mongolia, I was placed under house arrest for several more days. Regarding my future, a Mongolian friend asked me to choose which country I would like to move to as a refugee. They said they could only help me once. After careful consideration, I chose Germany. Why? 1. Of course, I thought of the United States first. I don’t speak English and I don’t have any friends or acquaintances. 2. My friend has a son in Germany. My friend is a kind and strong Mongolian. I thought his son was someone I could trust. 3. At that time, I was a loyal Pan-Mongolist and wanted Mongolia (Southern Mongolia, Buriad, Kalmykia, and Tuva) to be unified. Because at that time, the two Vietnams had just been unified, the two Yemens had just been unified, and the two Germanys had just been unified. According to Mongolian customs, this is an auspicious sign. That’s how I came to Germany. Before leaving Mongolia, I left a letter to Mongolian President Ochirbat, writing: “If we can’t unify, we won’t have a place in the world, and I think we’ll end up being swallowed up by powerful countries.” Of course, my letter was forwarded to the president by a friend, but the President did not respond. More than 30 years have passed and my heart is still beating for Mongolia, but my dream is still far away. This is the tragedy a personal tragedy for me, or a tragedy for all of us descendants of Genghis Khan? It really hurts my
2023.10.3
