With the approach of May 10, 2014, the third anniversary of Mongolian unrest, Chinese authorities in Southern (Inner) Mongolia were on high alert, warning schools and colleges to prevent possible student protests and tightened up security measures to crack down on any possible disturbances.

A text message was circulating in major schools and colleges in Southern Mongolia sent by the Chinese Public Security or State Security authorities stating:

“Since Kunming Train Station terrorist attack, there have been a number of terrorist attacks across China. Crowded places and occasions are still in high risk of security vulnerability. Recently, the Inner Mongolian Internet surveillance authorities discovered that an organization called ‘Inner Mongolia Youths’ is planning to carry out an activity called the ‘May 10th Night March of Blue City’ on the evening of May 10 at 5:30 PM. For the sake of personal safety of all students, the schools must not allow students to go outside school campuses on Saturday and Sunday. Participating in the activity is strictly prohibited. If there is a real need to go outside the campus, students must complete a vacation approval process. If there is no urgent need, all students must not go out to the streets. If any student is found participating in any related activity, the school must punish accordingly. Hope all will follow the rule voluntarily.

A later version of the notice states that the “organization called ‘Inner Mongolia Youths’ was created in Inner Mongolia by overseas hostile forces”. The notice also urged the students to stay within their school campuses and participate in the activities organized by their respective schools.

“All classes and dormitory units must carry out a count of the students and report to personnel on duty if there is any suspicious move,” the notice called on the students “to be alert, to raise political consciousness and sensitivity, to contribute as much as possible as a responsible citizen to social stability and social harmony”.

Information received from the students and teachers in colleges of Hohhot, capital city of Southern Mongolia, confirmed that indeed  security was very tight on campuses and students were forced to join unscheduled and unplanned campus activities such as sport contests and art performances during the past weekend.

While on the one hand taking preemptive measures to prevent possible student protests, the Chinese authorities on the other hand prepared to crack down on any possible mass protests in public places outside campuses. A number of anti-terrorism drills and relevant activities have recently been carried out by the Chinese authorities across Southern Mongolia.

On May 5, 2014, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Public Security Bureau started the first session of an 8-session “special training for using weapons and police equipment in accordance with law”. “Five consciousnesses including anti-terrorism consciousness, fighting consciousness, legal consciousness, security consciousness and self-discipline consciousness” are the main goal of the training “in order to better cope with various social stability issues under the new circumstances,” according to the Public Security Bureau’s website.

On May 7 and 8, 2014, an anti-terrorist drill code-named “Jade Dragon No.4” was carried out in eastern Southern Mongolia’s Ulaanhad City (“chi feng” in Chinese). In the staged plot of the drill, “a dozen unidentified assailants suddenly emerged in the city train station and started attacking the crowd randomly, leaving many dead and injured.” An anti-terrorist command center was set up immediately, and all forces including criminal police, traffic police, fire fighters, secret service, detectives, Internet security, state security, intelligence agencies and riot police worked in concert to “shoot 8 terrorists dead” in 25 minutes “while 2 others were still on the run in a car”, according to the official website of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Public Security Bureau.

On May 8, 2014, Ma Ming, Deputy Chairman of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and the Director of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Public Security Bureau, carried out a special inspection in the Hohhot Train Station “in order to improve the railway public security, local public security, armed police uninterrupted service and permanent preparedness of anti-terrorism apparatus”. Ma Ming stressed that security measures must be tightened in critical places to “maintain  social stability with full effort”.