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Tosh, Yeh share views on freedom
FIGHT FOR FREEDOM: Yeh Chu-lan and Rebiya Kadeer's daughter cried while
watching a documentary on Yehs husband, democracy pioneer Deng Nan-jung
By Loa Iok-sin
STAFF REPORTER
Thursday, Jul 22, 2010, Page 3
Yeh Chu-lan, left, former vice premier and
widow of democracy advocate Deng Nan-jung, and Guts United Taiwan chairman
Freddy Lim, right, present copies of Freedom Era Weekly to Raela Tosh, the
daughter of World Uyghur Congress president Rebiya Kadeer, during Tosh¡¦s visit
to the Deng Nan-jung Memorial Museum in Taipei yesterday.
PHOTO: CHIEN JUNG-FONG, TAIPEI TIMES
The daughter of a top Uighur activist and the wife of a Taiwanese democracy
pioneer yesterday shared stories of the Uighur and Taiwanese struggles for
freedom.
Raela Tosh, daughter of World Uyghur Congress (WUC) president Rebiya Kadeer, met
former vice premier Yeh Chu-lan (¸µâÄõ) during a visit to a museum dedicated to
her husband, Deng Nan-jung (¾G«nº_), on the last day of Tosh¡¦s four-day stay in
Taiwan.
The museum, formerly the office of the pro-democracy magazine Freedom Era Weekly
founded by Deng in the 1980s, was also the site where Deng set himself on fire
in 1989, when police tried to arrest him after he was charged with sedition
following the magazine¡¦s publication of a draft ¡§Republic of Taiwan
constitution¡¨ in 1988.
Yeh took over her husband¡¦s mission and became involved in politics.
FREEDOM OF SPEECH
Tosh toured the museum, and then sat down with Yeh to watch a documentary on
Deng¡¦s campaign for freedom of speech and Taiwanese independence, and his death.
Yeh and Tosh became very emotional during the movie and both were in tears at
the end.
¡§You must be wondering why I cried,¡¨ Tosh said after taking more than 10 minutes
to calm herself down. ¡§I actually could understand only about 30 percent of the
subtitles because it¡¦s in old [traditional] Chinese and I can only read
simplified Chinese. But even with that 30 percent, the images were so strong
that I just could not stop myself.¡¨
¡§I can¡¦t say our family situation is similar because no one has died in my
family, but it¡¦s going there,¡¨ she said. ¡§I can see my family could be in that
category. My mom came out of the prison, but my brothers are still in prison
[and] I¡¦m not sure what¡¦s going to happen in the future.¡¨
Tosh called Deng¡¦s story a very inspiring one for Uighurs, as well as to
everyone fighting for the cause of freedom, describing it like a ¡§light in a
tunnel.¡¨
CHINESE THREAT
Tosh said she had been well-received by Taiwanese and felt that Taiwanese and
Uighurs are on the same boat facing threats from China.
¡§By coming to Taiwan I really, you know, have the feeling that we¡¦ll probably
work together in the future for a long time,¡¨ she said.
Tosh said that her mother would eventually visit Taiwan, but that Kadeer would
never apply for a visa while the current government is still in power.
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