Ethnic Mongols are planning more protests in an area of northern China already rocked by unrest, a rights group said Sunday, after the region's leader tried to address simmering anger over Chinese rule.

The spectre of more unrest came as locals in Inner Mongolia reported tight security following a wave of protests triggered by the killing of an ethnic Mongol herder, amid resentment over perceived Chinese oppression.

The US-based Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Centre, which has many contacts in the region, said a "regionwide demonstration" was planned for Monday and urged people globally to protest in front of Chinese embassies.

The unrest -- which has involved thousands of protesters in different areas over the past week -- erupted after Mergen, the herder, was run over on May 10 by a truck driven by a member of China's dominant Han ethnic group.

In the last reported incident, more than 300 riot police clashed Friday with hundreds of herders and students in Shuluun Huh banner, or Zhenglanqi in Chinese, the Mongol rights group said.

It urged people around the world to protest Monday at midday "to demand the government of China respect the human rights, life and dignity of the Mongols in China and to resolve the case of Mergen in a just and fair manner."

China is home to an estimated six million ethnic Mongols who have cultural and linguistic links with the Republic of Mongolia to the north.

Many harbour resentment over alleged Chinese repression and encroachment on pasture lands by Han mining and energy interests, in grievances similar to those reported by minorities in Tibet and the northwestern region of Xinjiang.

In what appeared to be a bid to address the resentment, Inner Mongolia's Communist Party chief on Friday visited a school in one of the restive areas.

Hu Chunhua pointed out that suspects had been arrested in several cases that sparked anger, the local Hulunbei'er Daily reported. One of these cases is thought to be the killing of Mergen.

"Teachers and students, please rest assured that the suspects... will be punished severely and quickly, to resolutely safeguard the rights of victims and their families," he was quoted as saying.

The official People's Daily newspaper on Sunday reported on government efforts to improve people's lives in Inner Mongolia, such as the 4.4 billion yuan ($680 million) allocated for better transport in rural areas this year.

Meanwhile, residents in many areas of Inner Mongolia, including Hohhot, the regional capital, said there was tight security on Sunday.

"There are still many police patrolling near the government building, one every several metres," one local in Xiwuqi, where protests have taken place, told AFP, adding that no further demonstrations had happened at the weekend.

An employee at a hotel near Xinhua Square in Hohhot said all roads around his building had been blocked since Sunday morning.

"This is because police want to prevent students from gathering at the square and making trouble," he said.

Chinese authorities -- already jittery about anonymous online calls for nationwide protests emulating unrest in the Arab world -- also appeared to have clamped down on Internet communications in parts of Inner Mongolia on Sunday.

An employee at a store belonging to telecommunications operator China Unicom said it was not possible to go online in Hohhot using mobile phones, although it was unclear if this was directly linked to the unrest.

A resident in Xianghuangqi, a city to the northeast of Hohhot, said she had received a government notice calling on people not to post messages online and not to "sensationalise" anything.

The Mongol rights group said some bloggers and online users in Tongliao city, where a university has been sealed off, had been summoned by police. In Hohhot, it added, some Internet chat rooms had been shut down.

Authorities are deeply concerned about the potential for the Internet to spark unrest. In 2009, the Chinese government blocked Facebook and Twitter amid fears the social websites helped ignite deadly riots in Xinjiang.

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