DPP pushes for Rebiya Kadeer to come

While visiting the Democratic Progressive Party legislative caucus, Premier Wu was asked by Trong Chai whether entry visas would be granted to Rebiya and her husband.

"I'll give you an answer by Friday at the latest," Premier Wu told DPP lawmaker Chai, the minority leader at the Legislative Yuan.

Chai and his DPP central office have required that all opposition party leaders and members to see 'The 10 Conditions of Love,'" a documentary on Rebiya, in Kaohsiung.

A two-day showing of Rebiya's biopic began in a movie library in the southern Taiwan port yesterday, ahead of the Kaohsiung Film Festival, where it was originally scheduled to be screened.

The festival, slated for October 16-29, angers China, which considers Xinjiang, formerly known as Chinese Turkistan, part of its integral territory. Rebiya, a Uighur, and her husband are regarded as "separatists."

China adopted an anti-secession law in 2004, codifying an automatic invasion of Xinjiang, Tibet and Taiwan, if any move toward independence is made in any of those places.

Chinese government spokesmen did not threaten retaliation when Chen Chu, mayor of Kaohsiung, said “The 10 Conditions of Love” will be shown in the film festival.

But Beijing is believed to be trying to “bully” Kaohsiung into canceling any screening of the documentary. The “bullying” has allegedly taken the form of the cancellation of close to 2,000 hotel bookings in Kaohsiung by Chinese tourists.

Mayor Chen had to reschedule the screening ahead of the film festival under pressure from worried hoteliers in her city, which just hosted the World Games in July. China participated in the international sports extravaganza.

Kuomintang lawmakers, on the other hand, are calling for moderation.

1|2|Next Page>>

PrintEmail

Write a Comment

Terms

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos
 Respond to this email