In the National Interest: No Invitation to Kadeer

In the National Interest: No Invitation to Kadeer
WASHINGTON
China Times editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
September 25, 2009

The Green Camp recently invited the Dalai Lama, Tibetan spiritual leader, to visit Taiwan. Now it has extended an invitation to Xinjiang independence activist Rebiyah Kadeer. This time the invitation has nothing to do with humanitarianism. It has even less to do with religion. The Kaohsiung Film Festival is merely screening a documentary film on Rebiyah Kadeer. The invitation has provoked a backlash from the local Kaohsiung tourism industry. The Kaohsiung City Government responded by moving up the screening. Controversy has flared up, and the Green Camp is elated. The pro independence heavy metal band Chthonic visited Washington and invited Rebiyah Kadeer. Her visit is subject to the approval of the Ma administration. The Green Camp is watching to see how the Ma administration deals with this hot potato. They don't realize this hot potato is just like the Dalai Lama. It won't burn the Ma administration. It will only burn the DPP.
Rebiyah Kadeer is different from the Dalai Lama. Xinjiang's problems are different from Tibet's. Feverish Taiwan independence groups see the word "independence" and reflexively gave their approval. They have misunderstood the situation. They are harming the national interest. They are indulging in feel-good emotionalism, merely because of the word "independence." Their theatrics are futile and ignorant.

Kaohsiung City Mayor Chen Chu, eager to demonstrate her affinity with democracy, freedom, and human rights, made a special effort to see the Kadeer documentary ahead of time. After viewing the film, she said she and Kadeer were alike. According to the mainland, Kadeer did not come from a wealthy family. But thanks to reform and liberalization, a decade of struggle, and a special franchise granted by Beijing, she is now worth hundreds of millions of dollars. She is the richest woman in Xinjiang. Not only that, she was handpicked by the Beijing government and elected to the Eighth CPPCC National Committee. Apart from the fact that both Chen Chu and Rebiyah Kadeer both served time in prison, how is Chen Chu anything like Rebiyah Kadeer?

Not long ago, just before newly appointed Premier Wu Den-yih was interpolated in the Legislative Yuan, Green Camp legislators blasted Wu Den-yih for meeting with a "former CPPCC National Committee member." They accused Wu of colluding with Communists to sell out Taiwan. But isn't Kadeer a "former CPPCC National Committee member?" The Green Camp is cozying up to this life long beneficiary of Chinese Communist Party mentorship, and political and commercial sponsorship. Having benefitted, she is now biting the hand that fed her. In 1999 Kadeer was arrested for crimes against national security. In 2005 she was granted medical leave, and allowed to go to the United States. Before her departure, she promised "never again to participate in any activities that would endanger China's national security." But once she reached the United States, she plunged headlong into Xinjiang independence activities. In 2006 she was elected Chairman of the World Uyghur Congress. The World Uyghur Congress includes 20 East Turkistan separatist organizations in over 10 countries. It has engaged in terrorist attacks, and been identified as one of several terrorist organizations by Beijing. The 7/15 Incident and the recent needle attacks have provoked Beijing beyond its limits.

Taipei does not need to follow Beijing's lead. But neither does it need to deliberately invite Kadeer just in order to anger Beijing. The Dalai Lama spoke of love for peace. He has reiterated that he does not advocate Tibetan independence. He said he came to Taiwan solely to lead disaster victims in prayer. But why is Kadeer coming? What can she do for Taiwan? Preach Xinjiang independence? The intensity of the Xinjiang independence movement far exceeds anything the Green Camp can imagine. The Xinjiang independence movement sees independence for Xinjiang as a Jihad. Non-Muslim countries may not even assist or participate. But Xinjiang is not a region inhabited by only one ethnic group. It is true that Beijing has plans for Han Chinese to migrate to the region. But Xinjiang has long been home to Kazaks, Kirgiz, Kashgars and eight or nine other ethnic minorities. These ethnic minorities are scattered along Xinjiang's western border. They do not oppose the central government in Beijing. In fact they are responsible for garrisoning the Mainland Chinese border. The Xinjiang independence movement is based in southern Xinjiang, yet it often incites ethnic friction in northern Xinjiang. Is this really something pro-independence elements on Taiwan really want to see?

Green Camp organizations have Invited Kadeer. They hope the Ma administration will agree to her visit on the basis of "human rights." But if one wants to talk about human rights, why invite Rebiyah Kadeer? Why not invite pro-independence human rights icon Shih Ming-teh? After all, Shih was a "party outsider" and DPP Chairman who dedicated years of his life to human rights on Taiwan. The Green Camp has discarded its own human rights icon like an old pair of slippers. Instead it engages in Machiavellian calculation and underhanded political manipulation. It incites conflict within the community. It undermines cross-strait relations. But to what end? What is Taiwan to champions of Taiwan independence? Is it a land they can callously abuse?

When the Dalai Lama was about to visit Taiwan, the Presidential Office studied the matter for five or six hours, then gave its approval, on the basis of humanitarianism. It agreed on the basis of the welfare of the disaster victims. It followed through by treating religion as religion. It ensured that cross-Strait relations would not be damaged. Kadeer says she wants to visit Taiwan in December. The Ma administration has yet to express a position on the matter. It is over two months until December. Even if the Ma administration wants to drag its feet for two months before expressing an opinion, the Green Camp will not forsake this opportunity to play up the issue. It has demanded that the Executive Yuan provide an answer no later than Friday. Put bluntly, it wants Premier Wu to publicly respond during interpolation in the Legislative Yuan. It wants Wu to tell them whether the government dares to allow Kadeer to visit Taiwan? Is this hot potato hot? No it isn't!

Businessmen in Kaohsiung have risen in protest. They have demanded that the Kaohsiung City Government refrain from inciting controversy harmful to the local economy. So why is the Ma administration hesitating? The government must give priority to just one thing: the national interest. The Ma administration should come right out and tell the public that based on the national interest, it is not appropriate for Rebiyah Kadeer to visit Taiwan.

中時電子報 新聞
中國時報 　2009.09.25
社論－為國家利益 不宜讓熱比婭訪台
本報訊

繼邀訪西藏精神領袖達賴之後，綠營天外又飛來一筆，要邀請疆獨人士熱比婭訪台。這次既非關人道，更非關宗教，只不過是為了高雄影展安排播放熱比婭的紀錄片，引發在地觀光業者的反彈，高雄市政府改變方式提前播放。綠營見爭議而心喜，由閃靈樂團奔到華府力邀熱比婭，熱比婭能否來台，還是得看馬政府是否同意，綠營壁上觀看馬政府怎麼處理這個燙手山芋，全然不知，這個山芋和達賴一樣，燙不到馬政府，只會燙到民進黨。

熱比婭和達賴不同，新疆問題和西藏問題迥異，獨派團體一頭熱地見「獨」就貼，完全搞不清楚狀況，傷害國家利益，只為了「獨」給自己爽，不但無聊，甚且無知。

為了表明自己先行播放熱比婭紀錄片，無違民主、自由、人權價值的高雄市長陳菊，特別前往觀片，看完她說覺得熱比婭和她有點像，根據大陸方面的資料，熱比婭並非富裕家庭出身，但在改革開放後，經過十年拚搏，加上中共的特許，擁有數億身家，成為新疆女首富；非但如此，她還在中共的刻意培植下，當選第八屆全國政協委員。除了坐過牢，真不知陳菊到底覺得她與熱比婭哪一點像？

猶記不久前，新科行政院長吳敦義就任赴立法院總質詢前，綠委還舖天蓋地痛批吳敦義赴港見了「前政協委員」，質疑吳有通匪賣台之嫌，熱比婭不也是個「前政協委員」嗎？綠營熱臉貼上這位中共一路栽培的政商既得利益者，有何好得意忘形的？熱比婭在一九九九年因危害國家安全罪被捕；二○○五年她獲准保外就醫赴美，離境前，她的保證是「決不再參與危害中國國家安全的任何活動」，但她一到美國便投身疆獨活動，並在二○○六年當選世維會主席。世維會結合世界十多個國家廿多個東突分裂組織，並從事多起恐怖活動，是北京當局認定的恐怖組織之一。從七一五事件到最近依舊肇事不斷的刺針黨行動，都讓北京當局對熱比婭有著忍無可忍的憤怒。

台灣確實不必以北京馬首是瞻，但也沒必要純粹只為激怒北京而邀訪熱比婭吧？達賴說什麼終究還是以愛好和平為宗旨，多次申明不主張西藏獨立，遑論來台還是為了災民祈福；請問：熱比婭來台要幹啥？能幹啥？宣揚推動疆獨經驗？綠營難道不知道疆獨的激烈程度遠超過他們的想像，他們將爭取新疆獨立視同聖戰，甚至不容非回教國家協助或參與。但是，新疆不是單一民族區，除了中共有計畫移民實邊而遷入的漢人外，還有哈薩喀、吉爾吉斯、喀什喀爾等八、九個少數民族，這些少數民族，散居新疆西界，不但不挑戰北京中央，還為中共戍邊；此外，疆獨以南疆為大本營，卻常在北疆製造擾亂活動、族群衝突。這是獨派人士希望在台灣看到的景象嗎？

邀請熱比婭的綠營團體希望馬政府以「人權」理念，同意熱比婭訪台。如果要談人權，與其力邀熱比婭演講，為什麼不邀請曾經為黨外、民進黨、獨派奉獻畢生精華歲月的台灣人權指標人物、前民進黨主席施明德演講？綠營把自己的人權指標前輩棄之如蔽屣，卻在權謀算計下，搞政治小動作、製造社會內部爭議，激化兩岸關係，圖的到底是什麼？台灣，在獨派心目中，難道是一個隨便耍弄糟蹋的地方嗎？

達賴訪台，總統府高層會議五、六個小時研商後旋即拍板，決定在人道關懷、為災民祈福的立場上同意，後續處理上也維持宗教的歸宗教，讓兩岸關係不至因此受挫；熱比婭表達希望十二月來台的意願，馬政府到現在為止，並未對此做明確表示。距離十二月還有二個多月的時間，但即使馬政府想賴著、拖著，兩個月後再說，綠委也不會放過這個擴大爭議的機會，早早表明要行政院「最遲」在今（周五）日以前要給個答案。說穿了，就是要吳揆直接在立法院總質詢時公開答詢，政府敢不敢讓熱比婭訪台？這個山芋燙嗎？一點都不燙！

當高雄業者群起抗議要求市政府不要再製造不利民間經濟的爭端，馬政府還有什麼可猶豫的？政府必須優先考量只有一件事：國家利益。馬政府就應該直截了當告訴全民：基於國家利益，並不適宜讓熱比婭訪台。