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Wu denies calling Kadeer a ‘terrorist’
 

ATTACHING LABELS: Joining the premier on the legislative floor, the minister of the interior said Kadeer’s organization is closely related to ‘one or two’ terrorist groups
 

By Flora Wang
STAFF REPORTER
Wednesday, Sep 30, 2009, Page 3


Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday denied that the government had referred to Rebiya Kadeer, president of the World Uyghur Congress, as a terrorist, but insisted that her organization has close relations with terrorist groups.

“The government never said Kadeer was a terrorist. We never said that nor did we accuse the World Uyghur Congress led by her of being a terrorist organization,” the premier said during a question-and-answer session with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator John Wu (吳志揚).

Minister of the Interior Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺), who was fielding questions from John Wu, reiterated that the government’s decision to prevent Kadeer’s entry was made to protect the nation’s interests and security.

“This [decision was made] because the World Uyghur Congress is closely related to one or two terrorist groups although it itself is not a terrorist organization,” Jiang said.

Jiang said the groups he was referring to were the East ­Turkestan Liberation Organization and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement.

“We are being very cautious because the World Uyghur Congress secretary-general [Dolkun Isa] is also affiliated with the two organizations,” Jiang said.

Jiang said the secretary-general, along with 15 other people, had been put on the National Immigration Agency’s “red alert” category after they tried to enter Taiwan during the World Games in July.

Jiang was referring to allegations that appeared in a Next Magazine report in July. Isa rebutted the claims when contacted by the Taipei Times.

The Criminal Investigation Bureau also told the Taipei Times at the time that there was no intelligence indicating that Isa was linked to terrorists or involved in terrorism and that there was no reason he should not be let into the country.

Isa lives freely in Germany, which granted him citizenship in 2006. He visited Taiwan in 2006 to attend an event hosted by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy.

The premier and the minister reiterated the government’s stance against Kadeer’s planned visit on the legislative floor after its stance drew ire from Kadeer, the congress and sections of the public.

Jiang announced on Friday last week that the government would not issue Kadeer a visa because Kadeer’s planned visit would harm Taiwan’s national interests.

Kadeer immediately accused the government of bowing to ­pressure from China and demanded an apology from President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and the administration for linking the congress and her to terrorists.

The premier said yesterday that the visit by exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and Kadeer were different cases.

“Kadeer is not a religious figure, but a politician,” Wu Den-yih said. “The Dalai Lama was not involved in any political activities during his visit [last month].”

But DPP Legislator William Lai (賴清德) said it was ridiculous for the government to ban Kadeer based on that argument.

“Isn’t [China’s Association for the Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman] Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) a politician, too?” Lai said.

Wu Den-yih also dismissed Lai’s speculation that Taipei had received information from Beijing to deter the screening of a documentary about Kadeer — The 10 Conditions of Love — during the Kaohsiung Film Festival next month.

Wu Den-yih said the government agreed to screen Kadeer’s film in Kaohsiung.

“As a sovereignty, we need to respect freedom of speech, which is a very important part of human rights in the world,” Wu Den-yih said.
 


 

Beijing adjustments trickle to diplomatic staff: Yang
 

PATIENTLY WAITING: The minister of foreign affairs said that changes in the thinking of China’s leadership could take some time before it reaches overseas staff

STAFF WRITER, WITH CNA
Wednesday, Sep 30, 2009, Page 3


If China wants bilateral relations to thrive, it should not overlook the fact that Taiwanese expect international participation, Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (楊進添) said yesterday.

Speaking in an interview with the Central News Agency, Yang, a career diplomat who assumed the post early this month as part of a Cabinet reshuffle, said President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) “modus vivendi” policy has aimed to turn around diplomatic relations.

“The modus vivendi policy has allowed us to rebuild trust and strengthen interaction with our friends,” Yang said, referring to improved relations with Taiwan’s major trade partners, including the US, following a thaw in once strained ties with China.

But China’s attitude has been slow to change, Yang said, citing an incident earlier this year during his tenure as the nation’s representative to Indonesia.

At a public event, Yang was not allowed to sit in a section reserved for members of the diplomatic corps because of a protest from China’s ambassador to Jakarta. Yang said this showed that it could take time for China’s diplomatic personnel in the field to adjust their conservative traditions and mindset.

“The change in the Beijing leadership’s way of thinking probably has not been fully conveyed to its overseas diplomatic staff,” Yang said. “We need to patiently wait for this adjustment.”

He also reminded Chinese leaders that if Beijing wants Taiwanese affection for China to grow, it should not disregard their desire for participation in international activities.

“If Beijing fails to make the necessary adjustments, cross-strait rapprochement could be limited,” Yang said.

To emphasize the importance of professionalism in diplomacy, Yang said Taiwan cannot afford to address issues simply from its own perspective, but should instead look at Taiwan’s issues from a global perspective.

Yang said he believes the government should factor in the general international perception of Taiwan rather than just focus on the country’s own stance so it can formulate balanced and feasible diplomatic policies and working strategies.

On the topic of diplomatic allies developing trade and ­economic ties with China, Yang said the government would not oppose such activities.

However, it is another story if allies intend to exchange representative offices with China, he said, adding that the government would prudently deal with such issues.

“We will let our diplomatic allies understand that our modus vivendi policy is based on pragmatism and we will not pursue it at the expense of bilateral ties,” Yang said.

 


 

Zelaya’s daughter given shelter at ROC embassy
 

By Flora Wang
STAFF REPORTER
Wednesday, Sep 30, 2009, Page 3


“Zelaya’s daughter was seven months’ pregnant. The embassy also understood she had taken virtually no part in political activities. Out of humanitarian concerns, [the embassy] allowed her to temporarily stay.”— Timothy Yang, minister of foreign affairs


Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (楊進添) confirmed yesterday that the Republic of China (ROC) embassy in Honduras shielded ousted Honduran president Manuel Zelaya’s daughter in June.

“[The incident] took place on June 28 when Zelaya’s youngest daughter and her five-year-old child came to our embassy to seek asylum,” Yang told reporters on his way to the legislature.

“Zelaya’s daughter was seven months’ pregnant. The embassy also understood she had taken virtually no part in political activities. Out of humanitarian concerns, [the embassy] allowed her to temporarily stay within the embassy compound,” Yang said, adding that she left on July 10.

Yang confirmed a story published by the Chinese-language China Times yesterday quoting anonymous sources as saying that Taiwan’s Ambassador to Honduras Lai Chien-chung (賴建中) agreed to temporarily offer her asylum for humanitarian reasons after she sought help at the embassy the day Zelaya was forcibly deported.

However, the news story reported the embassy denied asylum requests from Zelaya’s wife on the grounds that Taipei did not want to become involved in Honduras’ political wrangling.

The story said Taiwan’s decision to grant asylum to Zelaya’s daughter had reinforced the nation’s image as a protector of human rights.

Yang yesterday denied that Zelaya’s wife had also sought asylum at the embassy, adding that the embassy had fully communicated with top officials in Honduras’ interim government regarding Taipei’s decision and that the officials said they understood.

 


 

 


 

When words and actions diverge

Wednesday, Sep 30, 2009, Page 8


What might have come and gone with little fanfare has instead sparked a chain of events that has accentuated the fundamental differences between authoritarian China and democratic Taiwan.

When The 10 Conditions of Love, the documentary about Uighur rights activist Rebiya Kadeer, screens tomorrow in five cities around the country, it will enjoy attention the film could not have hoped for without the help of China’s relentless campaign against Kadeer.

Pressure — apparently applied through threats to cut Chinese tourism — that spooked Kaohsiung into reconsidering whether to include the film in next month’s Kaohsiung Film Festival, was an affront to Taiwanese values and destined to backfire. China, it seems — from its leaders to its ultranationalist hackers — learned nothing from a bungled attempt at censorship targeting the Melbourne International Film Festival last month.

But Kaohsiung’s reaction to the pressure — removing the film from the festival by rescheduling it — was equally offensive. The public outcry over its decision served as a sharp reminder to Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) that certain compromises will not be tolerated.

Chen’s administration has shown itself capable of engaging the Chinese to meet Kaohsiung’s needs, but it must remember that compromising free speech would never be in the city’s, or nation’s, best interest.

Tomorrow, on the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the screenings will send a message to Beijing and the Chinese public alike: Censorship has no place in self-respecting countries.

After the shameful behavior of the central government, which has barred Kadeer from visiting Taiwan, that message remains equally meaningful at home.

Kaohsiung has backtracked on its decision, placing the film back in the festival after screening it prematurely last week. The city’s stand for free speech, while belated, is appreciated.

In contrast, the central government seems less likely to back down and let Kadeer visit in December. While both Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) and Executive Yuan Spokesman Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) said the government would not protest the screening of The 10 Conditions of Love out of respect for democratic freedoms, their concern for free speech apparently ends there. Kadeer will not be allowed to state in person the message she conveys in the film.

“We are a country that has independent sovereignty and freedom of speech,” Su said on ­Kaohsiung’s screening of the documentary.

The government’s actions belie its professed support for these principles. Its rejection of Kadeer was not the first indication that the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is willing to yield to Beijing on matters concerning Xinjiang.

A statement by the National Immigration Agency in July that Dolkun Isa, the secretary-general of the World Uyghur Congress, would not be allowed into Taiwan was disconcerting. As Isa had no plans at the time to visit, however, it was difficult to test the agency’s resolve on the matter. The refusal to allow Kadeer’s visit confirms that Isa would likely have been denied entry.

The question now is whether the government will be embarrassed by public criticism into showing some backbone. If not, the matter may not stop at barring dissidents from entry. Earlier this month, Isa was invited to a forum in South Korea organized by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, then promptly detained on arrival. It is hoped that activities such as this in Taiwan will not fall victim to pressure as well.

 


 

Australia and the US share fears over Asia
 

By Richard Halloran
Wednesday, Sep 30, 2009, Page 8


Australians and Americans are much alike — not exactly the same — but they have more in common than not. Both are nations of immigrants, have robust and sometimes brawling democracies and hold similar values on human rights.

The countries also rely on each other for national security. Australia, a nation of only 23 million people situated next door to a potentially troubled Southeast Asia, has long looked to the US as its main ally. In turn, the US, situated far across the Pacific Ocean from Asia, looks to Australia as its main ally and well-informed partner in Southeast Asia.

At a gathering in Honolulu last week, Australian and US security specialists discussed a range of topics, including political, economic and military issues in Asia, with the rise of China hovering in the background or as the focal point of discussion. Under the rules of the conference, speakers could not be identified.

Differences of opinion, some stark, others subtle, cropped up in the Leadership Dialogue — an Australian initiative — at the East-West Center, a congressionally funded research and educational center in Honolulu. However, the differences appeared as much within the Australian and US ranks as between them.

Early on, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s views on China came under scrutiny because he studied Chinese at Australia National University, then in Taiwan, and later, as a diplomat, in Beijing. The Chinese were audibly pleased when he became prime minister in December 2007, with some saying Rudd speaks their language without an accent.

One Australian at the conference contended that, despite his affinity for the country, Rudd “has a realistic view of China.”

“Rudd and his government can say ‘no’ to China,” another said.

After China detained four executives from an Australian mining company in Beijing on charges of espionage, Rudd was quoted as saying: “We share enormous common interests with our friends in China, but we have continuous differences.”

An American who has dealt with China agreed:

“You can’t be afraid to stand up to them,” he said, but “not with silly stunts.”

He referred to some members of Congress who had made vague accusations about the Chinese government not based on fact.

An Australian said about Rudd: “I think the PM is personally too much involved.”

In contrast, an American, asked to sketch out US President Barack Obama’s foreign policy, including that on China, grumbled: “What foreign policy?”

He said that the administration, which has been in office for eight months, has gotten so wrapped up in the war in Afghanistan, the struggle over healthcare and the debate over the economy that Obama has not focused on foreign policy.

An Australian chimed in to say he worried about what he saw as “the lack of a constant approach” on China by the US. An American sought to ease the Australian’s fears, saying that US presidents for years had come to office staking out a hard right or hard left position on China “but then they all oscillate back to the middle.”

Another Australian said he was taken aback by the focus on China that he said he had seen in US military thinking in Asia. Even with that attention to China, however, he suggested that a shift in the balance of power had begun, given China’s military modernization. He wondered what the US would do to retain its preponderance of power in the Pacific.

An American and an Australian both expressed concern about what the American called “the expanding Chinese capacity for covert operations.” He said the Chinese had “hundreds of thousands of people” spread around the world seeking to influence the politics of other nations, to manipulate economic affairs and to collect all sorts of information.

Richard Halloran is a writer based in Hawaii.

 

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