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Taiwan is following the path of Xinjiang
By Susan Wang
Friday, Jul 23, 2010, Page 8
I ran into World Uyghur Congress president Rebiya Kadeer by
the elevator on my way to attend a hearing on July 19 of the US Congressional
Executive Commission on China on conditions in Xinjiang a year after the riots
in July last year. We exchanged a few words, and I could sense her warmth and
kindness.
She was accompanied by the vice president of the World Uyghur Congress, Omer
Kanat, a kind and friendly gentleman who has spent his life working for freedom
and human rights for people in East Turkestan or the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous
Region.
These two people live and work in Washington and are considered by the US
government and Congress to be respected and reliable sources of information on
what is happening in their homeland.
Last year, however, President Ma Ying-jeou¡¦s (°¨^¤E) administration blocked Kadeer
from visiting Taiwan to promote her movie The Ten Conditions of Love and only
last week stalled Kanat¡¦s visa application for so long that he was also unable
to visit Taiwan.
Whose side is the Ma administration on? Does it want to promote human rights and
democracy around the world ¡X and support freedom-loving people like Kadeer and
Kanat ¡X or does it side with the repressive government in Beijing, which is
increasingly seen in the international community as a perpetrator of injustice,
especially in Tibet and Xinjiang?
While I was listening to the panelists¡¦ comments about Xinjiang, I could not
help but compare events in Xinjiang and Taiwan. Conditions in Xinjiang have been
worsening, as the Chinese government classifies Uighurs as terrorists, stripping
them of their freedom and basic rights. Do the events in Xinjiang perhaps give
us some indication as to Taiwan¡¦s future if it continues on its present course?
The Ma administration seems intent on drawing Taiwan closer to China, and in
doing so has increasingly behaved in an undemocratic way in Taiwan. Ma¡¦s agenda
seems to be more concerned with pleasing the Chinese government than adhering to
the basic principles of human rights and democracy.
During the question-and-answer session at the congressional hearing, Shirley Kan
of the US Congressional Research Service expressed concern about these trends in
Taiwan. In particular, she criticized the decision by the Ma government to block
Kadeer from coming to Taiwan, saying the Taiwanese government was ¡§at odds¡¨ with
US and Japanese policies on these issues.
If the Ma government wants to be considered part of the democratic world, it
needs to show more clearly and openly that it upholds human rights and
democracy. Statements about ¡§shared values¡¨ with the US are not enough.
Indeed, the Ma administration has all too often given the impression that it has
¡§shared values¡¨ with the People¡¦s Republic of China. Its emphasis on being
¡§Chinese¡¨ creates the misconception that there is a common heritage ¡X which is
only true for those who came over from China with Chiang Kai-shek (½±¤¶¥Û) after
the civil war.
The reality is that Taiwanese have their own identity, a rich and multicultural
heritage based on Aboriginal origins, Hoklo and Hakka influences, and half a
century under Japanese rule. Based on this heritage, we need to distinguish
ourselves as a freedom-loving nation that is accepted by the international
community, instead of cozying up to an undemocratic China.
The people of East Turkestan regrettably do not have that choice anymore; the
people of Taiwan do and must exercise the right to self-determination denied
their Uighur cousins..
Susan Wang is an undergraduate student in international
development Studies at McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
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