Independent Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) and other lawmakers yesterday inaugurated the Taiwan Parliament Group for Uyghur.
“Our initiative is to show solidarity and support for Uighurs, as well as to network with legislators of other nations,” Lim said.
It is also to defend democracy and human rights as universal values,” he added.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
China has stepped up its oppression against Hong Kongers, Tibetans and Uighurs, he said, adding that “Taiwan cannot ignore these developments, because we are at the frontline of the Indo-Pacific region.”
World Uyghur Congress chairman Dolku Isa attended the inauguration event at the legislature in Taipei through videoconferencing.
“The Chinese Communist Party conducts severe crackdowns and brutal torture against Uighurs. We must draw attention to it for the international community to take action against these horrible crimes,” he said.
“We must also stand together in solidarity to fight against China’s human rights abuse and atrocities against Tibetans, Southern Mongolians, and the people of Hong Kong and Taiwan,” he said.
Dolku Isa said that during his trip to Taiwan in 2006, then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said that he would promote ties between Taiwan and Uighurs.
However, China in 2009 began to put pressure on him, and he has since been unable to visit Taiwan, he said, expressing the hope to do so in the near future.
Uighurs face genocide, he said, adding that “people must not keep silent on this anymore.”
Dolku Isa said he appreciates the lawmakers’ effort at this important point in time.
The event was also attended by Taiwan East Turkestan Association director Ho Chao-tung (何朝棟) and democracy advocate Wuer Kaixi, an exiled Uighur.
So far, 30 lawmakers have joined the group. Lin is to head the group, and Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) is to act as deputy head.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday inaugurated the Danjiang Bridge across the Tamsui River in New Taipei City, saying that the structure would be an architectural icon and traffic artery for Taiwan. Feted as a major engineering achievement, the Danjiang Bridge is 920m long, 211m tall at the top of its pylon, and is the longest single-pylon asymmetric cable-stayed bridge in the world, the government’s Web site for the structure said. It was designed by late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid. The structure, with a maximum deck of 70m, accommodates road and light rail traffic, and affords a 200m navigation channel for boats,
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