Taipei: Exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer plans to sue Taiwan`s government for linking her organisation to terrorism, a Taiwanese group advocating independence from China said.
Taiwanese officials last week banned Kadeer from visiting the island, saying her World Uighur Congress has close links to the East Turkestan Islamic Movement -- a charge she flatly rejected. The group is listed as a terrorist organisation by the United States.
"She is planning to sue unless the Taiwanese government apologises and clears her name," said Marie Lin of the Taiwan Youth Anti-Communist Corps, one of the local bodies that invited her to visit.
If Taiwan`s government had granted Kadeer a visa, it would in all likelihood have infuriated Beijing, which says she is a "criminal" who orchestrated ethnic violence in northwest China`s Xinjiang region in July.
Kadeer, in an interview with the Taipei-based Next Magazine, again expressed indignation at the terrorist allegations.
"The World Uighur Congress has never had anything to do with the East Turkestan Islamic Movement. I do not wish for nor support violent means," she told the weekly in Washington.
She reiterated that her organisation had received grants from the United States and blasted Taiwanese officials for making "reckless" and "irresponsible" remarks.
"I can back down or keep silent on many accusations but I can`t remain silent on terrorist claims. I don`t care if the Chinese authorities are making the accusation because everybody knows they are liars," she said.
"Taiwan is a democratic country and it is irresponsible to accuse our organisation (of terrorism)."
The screening of a Kadeer biopic in Taiwan after a visit to the island by exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama have strained China ties, which have otherwise improved markedly since Ma Ying-jeou became president here in 2008.
Bureau Report
