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Government defends visa rejection

The Presidential Office yesterday defended the government's decision to reject a visit by exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer, saying it was a matter of sovereignty.

In a statement, the Presidential Office said it was unfair for Kadeer to say Taiwan was undemocratic simply because she could not visit.

Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said in the statement that a documentary about Kadeer was screened in Taiwan despite protests from Beijing, which showed that her right to free speech was protected and that Taiwan was on a par with other advanced democracies.

The statement said the fact that her interview with the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times' sister paper) criticizing President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and his administration as being undemocratic was published was another reflection of democracy in Taiwan.

“We do not deny entry to all those listed as persona non grata by mainland authorities,” it said. “The administration has allowed Chinese democracy activists and the Dalai Lama to visit the country despite protests by the Chinese Communist Party [CCP].”

Whether a person can visit Taiwan is not a human rights issue, but rather one of sovereignty, it said.

“The decision to reject Kadeer's visit was made on the basis of national interests. It is the exercise of a country's sovereignty and has nothing to do with the issue of freedom or democracy,” it said.

The statement was issued in response to Kadeer's interview in the Liberty Times yesterday.

Kadeer said she had always thought Taiwan was a democratic country but that now she had doubts. If she ever had the chance to visit Taiwan someday, she said she would like to say to Ma that he should serve the people in Taiwan rather than listening to the lies of China.

She urged Taiwanese to continue to fight for freedom and democracy and never to become a propaganda tool of the CCP, or Taiwan would end up like the Uighurs.

Minister of the Interior Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) said last month that Kadeer, president of the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress (WUC), should not be allowed into the country since she has “close relations to a terrorist group.”

He also accused WUC secretary-general Dolkun Isa of involvement in terrorist activities that led Interpol to issue a “red notice” for him.

Jiang's remarks were criticized by opposition legislators, civic groups, Kadeer and Isa. Kadeer said that she would file a lawsuit against the government unless it apologized for the terrorist remark.

Chinese tourists have boycotted Kaohsiung over the screening of a documentary featuring Kadeer as part of the Kaohsiung Film Festival.

Executive Yuan Spokesman Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) also said Kadeer's criticism was “unacceptable.”

“It is unacceptable to us for an individual who does not have a thorough understanding of Taiwan to criticize the Republic of China as being undemocratic,” Su said.

“We accept Ms Kadeer's ideals and her documentary was screened in Taiwan without any interference. This shows Taiwan is a democracy,” Su said.

ADDITIONAL RPORTING BY FLORA WANG

Also See: Kadeer urges Tokyo to press China
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