Sep 25, 2009

East Turkestan: Kadeer Plans to Visit Taiwan in December


Active ImageThe exiled Uighur political activist Rebiya Kadeer said Wednesday that she has accepted an invitation to visit Taiwan, to take place in December of this year.
 
 
 
Below is an article published by Taiwan News:

Kadeer, president of the World Uighur Congress, said she thinks December [2009] will be a more convenient time for her to visit, rather than November as suggested by her hosts. Kadeer said she has been dreaming about stepping foot on Taiwan's soil and hopes the government of Taiwan will approve her planned visit, which she stressed is non-political.

Kadeer, who is living in exile in the United States, made the remarks in response to a question by reporters after a meeting in Washington D.C. with Freddy, the lead vocalist of Taiwanese black metal band Chthonic and founder of the pro-independence organization Guts United, Taiwan.

According to Freddy, the invitation for Kadeer to visit Taiwan was jointly issued by Guts United, Taiwan, the Dr. Chen Wen-cheng Memorial Foundation, the Taiwan Association for Human Rights and the Taiwan Youth Anti-Communist Corps.

In a separate telephone interview with a CNA correspondent in Hong Kong, Kadeer said the main purpose of her visit will be to obtain a better understanding of Taiwan's human rights and democracy development and visit victims of Typhoon Morakot. She said she will officially file a visa application with Taiwan authorities next week.

Meanwhile, Dilshat Reshit, a spokesman for the World Uyghur Congress, expressed his appreciation to the groups for extending the invitation to Kadeer and for Taiwan's attention to the human rights situation of the Uyghur people.

The invitation followed the recent screening of a documentary about Kadeer's life - The 10 Conditions of Love - in the southern Taiwan city of Kaohsiung.