By TING-I TSAI

TAIPEI -- Taiwan's government said it won't allow Uighur activist Rebiya Kadeer to visit in December, in another sign of China's increasing clout over the island.

台灣政府表示將不許可熱比婭訪台--另一個指標顯示中國的對台影響力日增.

Ms. Kadeer, the U.S.-based leader of the World Uyghur Congress, had accepted an invitation to visit Taiwan and applied for a visa. But the government said Friday that Ms. Kadeer's visit would hurt Taiwan's national interests, citing terrorist links that have been claimed by Beijing but not accepted by most Western countries or independent analysts.

熱比婭,平日居住美國的世界維吾爾大會領袖,雖然接受邀請並申請簽證拜訪台灣, 台灣政府於週五表示熱比婭的訪台會傷害台灣的國家利益,因為根據北京政府,熱比婭與恐怖份子有關聯, 但北京政府的這個"恐怖份子"指控(我把claim意譯, 不是逐字譯)並未被西方國家或是獨立分析者所接受.

(請注意喔, 台灣政府拒絕的是一個美國-based leader喔, 而且是根據北京的說法, 偏偏這說法在西方國家不被接受. 別的國家脫亞入歐美,只有台灣政府脫歐美入中)

"We have found out that Rebiya's World Uyghur Congress is related to terrorist groups," Interior Minister Jiang Yi-huah said in response to questions in parliament. "Since the government doesn't want the hint of a terrorist group to visit Taiwan ... we decided to ban her visit."

China has accused Ms. Kadeer of masterminding a deadly ethnic riot in July that left nearly 200 people dead and 2,000 injured. Ms. Kadeer has denied the charge.

Taiwan and China have improved their relationship significantly since Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou took power last year. Taiwan, however, approved a visit three weeks ago by exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama to say prayers for victims of Typhoon Morakot, which struck in August. Beijing accuses the Buddhist leader of fomenting Tibetan independence and a riot last year.

That visit made it hard for Taipei to grant Ms. Kadeer a visa, analysts said.

The groups that invited her condemned the decision. "The government is making every decision in China's favor," said Marie Lin, co-founder of the Taiwan Youth Anti-Communist Corps, one of two pro-independence groups that invited Ms. Kadeer.

extended reading:

司馬觀點：台灣民主之羞（江春男) 2009年09月28日蘋果日報

update:

another WSJ piece to read--Kadeer vs. Taipei: Ma Government Misstep (含翻譯)