Section: Policy

In the middle of 1937 Stalin propaganda machine launched large-scale campaign to discredit Buryat-Mongol Republic�s leadership, intelligentsia, and Buddhist religious communities. Wave of slanderous charges in separatism, nationalism and espionage in favor of Japan felt upon everyone who represented educated leading force of the Buryat people.

Aftermath this anti-Buryat hysteria in the Soviet media press security agencies had started campaign of arrests. In the course of several months the Republic was decapitated, virtually all of the top political leadership in the Buryat-Mongol Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR) had been arrested, then, shot or sent to concentration camps (GULAG). Waves of arrests sacked thousands of people in the Republic which were threatened and tortured in special chambers of notorious People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs (NKVD). The same fate was shared by Buddhist church in Buryatia. One of the largest world religions represented in the USSR it was purged the worst as clergy organizations were completely wiped out having all temples closed or destructed; so that all practices were compelled to go underground. Glorious Buryat-Mongol Cavalry Brigade that had engaged in Sino-Soviet war in late 1920s was no exception as all of its commanding leadership including low rank officers were subjected to purges too, right before its complete disbanding.

Repression campaign culminated in a forceful partition of Buryat-Mongol Republic. On 26th of September 1937, the Republic lost near one third of its initial territory, where considerable Buryat-Mongol population and assets were located and subsequently lost. Having incurred such an unjust conduction no indemnity were received and Buryat people still is not rehabilitated.

On this date a small group of enthusiasts from the public came together to commemorate and mourn tragedy of political purges and to pay tribute to thousands of innocent people who were massacred in Buryatia, in 1937. However, current matter of things does not bring positive moods to those enthusiasts. They express grievances and indignation for the authorities and public representatives which do nothing to address the issue of rehabilitation. To make it worse, contemporary agenda in Russia politics to merge numerous ethnic-territorial embodiments such as republics and autonomous districts with predominantly Russian areas amount to no less than a veiled continuation of Stalin regime�s anti-minority campaign.

COMMEMORATION DATE OF STALIN PURGES IN BURYATIA

Buryat capital Ulan-Ude, National Library Building. A meetting was held to devote discusion to the illegal partition of the Buryat-Mongol Republic on 26 September 1937. Representatives of different public organizations, scholars, students, and common citizens of the Buryat Republic summoned to declare and support patriotic enthusiasm to keep awareness among the public about those terrific Stalinist purges, malignant consequences of which still haunt all the people who lives on this land.

Participants expressed their growing concerns and fears as neighbor Irkutsk area authorities continue to push the issue further to assimilate Ust-Orda Buryat enclave located right in its middle. This act would further exacerbate already poor territorial and administrative dissociation of Buryat people. Thus, it would embody exactly the same policy that Stalin intended to apply. Also it has been noticed by participants that territory partition aggravated Buryat Republic�s economic well-being only favoring the political elite of neighboring region. This conjuncture has impeded Buryat Republic�s economic growth from the very partition till present day. Moreover, partition left Buryatia powerless in pursuit of her interests in provision of favorable conditions in obtaining electric energy, sharing burden of protecting ecology in Baikal basin area, and even in controlling natural resources base on its own territory.

Some speakers at the meeting said that Republic of Buryat which economic and political might that was undermined by Stalin partition shall be revived nowadays. Should Buryatia be once again united by recovering its initial lands she would be powerful enough to secure its interests through out the Baikal region by exploiting its favorable geographic location as it provides host to Russia�s key transportation channels to fast developing of the Asia-Pacific. No doubt, this case would enable Buryatia to become powerful enough to successfully secure its citizens� interests in conditions of Russia�s harsh capitalist competition. Meeting concluded in expressing concerns to initiate Buryat people�s rehabilitation campaign and to further bids to live as united nation in united autonomous Buryat statehood under sovereignty of the Russian Federation.

�Ugai Zam� periodical editor�s remark:

68 years ago, breaking existing Constitution and without consent of Buryat-Mongol ASSR, significant parts of its territory were illegally cut off and reinstituted as Ust-Ordinskiy and Aginskiy Buryat �autonomous districts� beside Olkhon and Onon districts relegated to Irkutsk and Chita areas respective as mere common districts. Many traditional Buryat settlements along Trans-Siberian railway were left out of Buryat autonomous entities. Nowadays, virtually no Buryat speech or a native song can be heard in there. Too much time has passed from the last time Buryat language was ever taught in local schools. Buryat language education for Buryat children simply is not even planned or mentioned in local budgets. At this moment, it is hardly possible to calculate the scale of Buryat population outflow that occurred to there to resettle in Buryat Republic where a milder ethnic environment was possible. For instance, it is known that district of Kachug (Upper Lena) in Irkutsk area had more than 10 thousand strong Buryat community. Today Buryats� number in that district is than 1200 people. Today more than % 90 Buryat migrants were embraced by Buryat Republic. Actually, from the very foundation of the Buryat-Mongol ASSR those migrant Buryats played significant role in Republic�s economic and cultural development along with fulfilling crucial function in consolidation of the Buryat people. Continuous movement of Buryats from different settlements in western Buryatia (Ust-Ordinskiy A.D., Olkhon, Kachug), Aga (Aginskiy A.D.) and other districts towards Republic�s capital Ulan-Ude clearly demonstrates that demand for enclaves to unite with mainland Buryat Republic do exist.

To conclude, dismantle of Buryat ethnic-territorial autonomies in the most affluent and fertile areas where Buryat ancestors traditionally lived from the very prehistoric times definitely had negative implications on Buryats. Therefore, it clear that if it should happen again in survived enclaves an even greater Buryat exodus would be triggered to live ancestral homeland and resettle in the Buryat Republic.