Taiwan Today

Exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer will not be allowed to enter Taiwan on the grounds of jeopardizing national interests, according to Minister of the Interior Jiang Yi-huah Sept. 25. “Kadeer is the president of the World Uighur Congress, which is closely connected with a terrorist organization, the East Turkistan Islamic Movement. Many countries have taken precautions against this group, with the WUC secretary-general on Interpol’s wanted list,” Jiang told the Legislature. As a political activist, Kadeer’s intended visit could be related to the Xinjiang independence movement, Jiang said. Kadeer is forbidden from entering Taiwan on the grounds of national interests, he added The minister’s remarks came after reports earlier this week that the U.S.-based Uighur activist expressed an interest in visiting Taiwan after being invited by two local youth groups. Premier Wu Den-yih said he supports the MOI decision that was made in accordance with the country’s Immigration Act. Upon learning of the minister's comments, a WUC spokesman in Berlin told Taiwan’s Central News Agency that the organization “regretted” the outcome. He added that the congress supports the Uighur people’s right to self-determination and is opposed to violence. Controversy surrounding Kadeer intensified this week in Taiwan after organizers of the Kaohsiung Film Festival were accused of bowing to pressure from Beijing and advancing screenings of a documentary on her life and struggle from next month to Sept. 22 and 23. According to local Chinese-language news reports, Beijing ordered all official and ordinary tour groups to steer clear of Kaohsiung, sending the city’s tourism-related businesses into a panic. Mainland China considers Kadeer a “criminal” and accuses her of inciting recent ethnic violence in the Xinjiang region. (JSM)