Security remains tight after days of protests in an Inner Mongolian area where a herder was killed while attempting to block a coal truck, and in Xilinhot, the city which witnessed the first unrest over the incident, life seemed back to normal.
An agent at a travel company said his company was not booking trips by individual tourists to Xiwu Banner, the county where the hit-and-run occurred, because the situation there was still too tense. 'It's not about business,' said the agent, who refused to be named, adding that, contrary to the official government line, 'the saga has not ended. It is still chaotic from time to time'.
The protests erupted across Inner Mongolia, which had not seen major unrest for 30 years, after the herder, named Mergen, was run over on May 10 by a truck driven by a Han Chinese as he attempted to stop coal trucks from taking a short cut across grazing land.
Local travel authorities told the travel agent that tour guides, drivers and tourists must register before entering the area. She was also told security forces would remain in place until mid-June.
Mainland residents can enter the area, but only after their identity cards are checked. People not holding mainland ID cards are not allowed in. Police at the identification checkpoint said the measure was being taken to protect the safety of tourists, who were being advised not to come back for at least two weeks.
A local resident who asked not to be named said work had returned to normal, but the atmosphere was still tense.