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28-08-09, 07:54
Exiled Uighur leader's non-violent stance is genuine: Dalai Lama
Agence France-PresseJuly 29, 2009
Rebiya Kadeer waves to journalists upon her arrival Tuesday in Tokyo.
Photograph by: Toshifumi Kitamura, AFP; Getty Images, Agence France-Presse
The exiled leader of China's Muslim Uighur minority Rebiya Kadeer supports non-violence, the Dalai Lama said Tuesday, countering Beijing's claims she masterminded unrest in the Xinjiang region.
"She told me she totally agreed firstly to non-violence and, secondly, was not seeking separation," he said
Beijing has accused Kadeer of orchestrating recent clashes in Xinjiang's capital Urumqi between Uighurs and Han Chinese that have left more than 190 people dead.
Kadeer, 62, has flatly denied the allegations and has said the death toll could be in the thousands and that she had heard accounts of "mob killings."
The second-in-command of China's Xinjiang region vowed to crack down on violence with an "iron hand," Chinese state media said.
"Using force will never bring genuine harmony," the Dalai Lama said of the violence in the Xinjiang region. "Harmony must come based on trust, and trust you cannot bring by a gun. Using force will bring more suspicion, more distrust, more hatred, more anger."
Kadeer, the U.S.-based head of the World Uighur Congress, arrived Tuesday in Japan, drawing the ire of Beijing.
"My aim in visiting is for the Japanese people to understand how terribly our people are being massacred and repressed," Kadeer said.
"I hope Japan's government and people will help us escape these severe conditions. In future, I hope many other countries will also approve my visits so that I can work on promoting people's understanding about the Uighurs."
The mother of 11 and grandmother, wearing a traditional Uighur hat, was greeted at Narita airport by a handful of Japanese supporters waving flags and a sign that read "Free the Uighurs."
China's foreign ministry expressed "strong dissatisfaction" about Japan's decision to allow entry to Kadeer, who spent six years in a Chinese prison before being released under U.S. pressure in 2005.
The Uighurs have consistently complained about discrimination and repression under communist Chinese rule over the past 60 years, accusations the government denies.
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun
Agence France-PresseJuly 29, 2009
Rebiya Kadeer waves to journalists upon her arrival Tuesday in Tokyo.
Photograph by: Toshifumi Kitamura, AFP; Getty Images, Agence France-Presse
The exiled leader of China's Muslim Uighur minority Rebiya Kadeer supports non-violence, the Dalai Lama said Tuesday, countering Beijing's claims she masterminded unrest in the Xinjiang region.
"She told me she totally agreed firstly to non-violence and, secondly, was not seeking separation," he said
Beijing has accused Kadeer of orchestrating recent clashes in Xinjiang's capital Urumqi between Uighurs and Han Chinese that have left more than 190 people dead.
Kadeer, 62, has flatly denied the allegations and has said the death toll could be in the thousands and that she had heard accounts of "mob killings."
The second-in-command of China's Xinjiang region vowed to crack down on violence with an "iron hand," Chinese state media said.
"Using force will never bring genuine harmony," the Dalai Lama said of the violence in the Xinjiang region. "Harmony must come based on trust, and trust you cannot bring by a gun. Using force will bring more suspicion, more distrust, more hatred, more anger."
Kadeer, the U.S.-based head of the World Uighur Congress, arrived Tuesday in Japan, drawing the ire of Beijing.
"My aim in visiting is for the Japanese people to understand how terribly our people are being massacred and repressed," Kadeer said.
"I hope Japan's government and people will help us escape these severe conditions. In future, I hope many other countries will also approve my visits so that I can work on promoting people's understanding about the Uighurs."
The mother of 11 and grandmother, wearing a traditional Uighur hat, was greeted at Narita airport by a handful of Japanese supporters waving flags and a sign that read "Free the Uighurs."
China's foreign ministry expressed "strong dissatisfaction" about Japan's decision to allow entry to Kadeer, who spent six years in a Chinese prison before being released under U.S. pressure in 2005.
The Uighurs have consistently complained about discrimination and repression under communist Chinese rule over the past 60 years, accusations the government denies.
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun