The Mainichi, 18 May 2012

TOKYO (Kyodo) — The World Uyghur Congress elected Rebiya Kadeer on Thursday to another three-year term as the leader of exiled Uyghurs as the group wrapped up its four-day meeting in Tokyo.

Kadeer assumed the post in 2006 and has already spent two terms as a leader of the group, which calls for political independence for Uyghurs who live in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in Western China.

In a speech after the meeting, Kadeer said the Chinese government “has given death sentences to courageous young Uyghurs who spoke out for freedom and confined them in prison,” adding, “Our existence is at stake.”

Kadeer also expressed gratitude to Japan for allowing the World Uyghur Congress to hold a four-day general assembly in Tokyo, despite opposition by China to allowing the group calling for self-determination for Uyghurs to meet in Japan.

“I appreciate Japanese people, the government and the Diet for giving us a precious opportunity (to hold the conference),” Kadeer said.

Some 120 Uygurs who attended the congress, as well as about 80 Japanese supporters, staged a demonstration in Tokyo, chanting such slogans as “Uyghur freedom” and “China go home.”

The Chinese government’s displeasure at Japan over the matter is believed to be behind the failure of Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda to meet bilaterally with Chinese President Hu Jintao on Monday in Beijing.

Meanwhile, Chinese Ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua has sent letters to about 90 Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers protesting the holding of the Uyghur conference in Japan and asking them not to contact Kadeer and other senior members of her group, LDP members said Thursday.

As there are some non-LDP lawmakers who have received a similar letter, the total sent may surpass 100, the members of an LDP group of politicians supporting Uyghurs said.

The lawmakers said the letter was a “blatant interference in domestic affairs” and they plan to send a protest letter to Cheng shortly.

The letter, dated May 8 and signed by Cheng, says the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region has been an important part of China since the first century B.C. and describes the World Uyghur Congress as an anti-China organization that plots to divide China.

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