Comments

Posts

Uighurs Hold Protest March in Japan

Japan’s small Uighur community held a protest march yesterday in Tokyo:

“Free Uighurs! We want real freedom!” around 60-70 demonstrators shouted, as they marched from a Tokyo park to mark riots that the Chinese government says killed nearly 200 people after unrest broke out in Xinjiang on July 5.

The marchers carried the large sky-blue flags of East Turkestan, home to Uighurs but crushed by China in 1949. Signs read “We don’t forgive China’s massacre of Uighurs!” and “Stop ethnic assimilation!”
Ilham Mahmut, who heads an association of Uighurs and their supporters in Japan, said many Uighurs were still missing one year after the unrest.

Marches were also held in Europe.

—

Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

18 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - July 5, 2010 at 7:16 am

Categories: Foreigners in Japan Tags:

Jamesw

The Uighurs are not above violence against other ethnic groups. Those who live in glass houses…
Vonskippy

How brave they are to wave their flags around in Japan, where no one is doing nothing. Why don’t they take their complaints over to China in person – see what happens then.

James

“… no one is doing nothing.”

You mean that everyone is doing something?

Bigfujisan

The problem with these groups in Japan is the far-right uses them to attack China.

The same thing happened with pro-Tibet groups during the Beijing Olympics.
People who don’t care about Tibet or any other country join up just to attack China.

I dislike the Chinese government, but I wouldn’t join one of these groups just to protest against them.

善悪。
ij487i

Just curious James, but what’s with all the free publicity for these Youtube right wingers?
Seems like you’ve come to sympathize with their views.

http://www.japanprobe.com James

I saw the story from the AFP and posted the only related YouTube video I could find. Upon further inspection, it looks like the YouTube channel belongs to some Uighur exile organization with Ilham Mahmut as leader.

I posted this because it’s an interesting example of foreigners in Japan engaging in political activism. I’m well aware of the fact that some right wingers in Japan will attach themselves to any cause that makes China look bad, but I don’t see how posting this story gives free publicity to right wingers.

Robin

Thanks for posting this James. I wouldn’t have been aware of this protest otherwise.

ponta

Just curious, what’s wrong with the marchers as long as they are working to help Uighurs ?

Canadian

Many people don’t want another ultra-Islamic warlord country in the middle of Asia. As much as people hate China, we should at least thank the Chinese government that is curbing down ultra-Islamic activities in China and some parts of Central Asia.

Robin

“Another ultra-Islamic warlord country in the middle of Asia?”

Another? Are you making stuff up?

okotowarishimasu

We do this since Chinese people don’t give a fuck about them.
If Chinese people don’t like Japanese doing this, you can just help them as it supposed to be first of all.

LB

I am no fan of the PRC, but do you really want to help create another militant fundamentalist Muslim state in central Asia?

okotowarishimasu

I think china is much more dangerous than militant fundamentalist Muslim state.

cambio

has anyone noticed that there seems to been almost no protests/marches
by supporters of Taiwanese independence now? At least none that I’ve
seen in major cities like Tokyo or Osaka during the last three years.

has Taiwan already gained its independece or come to an agreement
with China on this issue?

LB

has Taiwan already gained its independece or come to an agreement with China on this issue?

Both. The Republic of China is a free and independent state. The PRC does not control the island of Taiwan like it controls Tibet or Xinjiang.

However, the government of Taiwan has to continue to state that it is the government of China, and Taiwan is one province in that China (the Republic of China, not the People’s Republic of China). As long as both Beijing and Taibei agree that there is but one China, of which Taiwan is a province, and the “disagreement” is a “simple” matter of “which government is the legitimate government of all of China” then the ROC is pretty much free to do as it wishes.

However, if the government in Taibei ever decides to drop the charade and become “The Republic of Taiwan” or something like that, all hell is likely to break loose. I don’t think that would be in the PRC’s interest, as it would doubtless do major damage to their own economy as well as Taiwan’s, but they’ve painted themselves into a corner by repeatedly telling their own people “Taiwan has been a part of China since time immemorial” (must have short memories, Taiwan was only made part of China in the mid-19th century) and that they “reserve the right to use force to reunify Taiwan and China”.

cambio

Taiwan’s current president got his start in politics by being anti-Japanese. He is probably the most pro-Chinese(PRC) politican in Taiwan right now. This is just as well,
because there’s no way that Taiwan can possibly achieve full independence under any
name, without a bloody war with China.

http://www.killerjo.net Zen

Well let’s be real, Lee Teng Hui is the one that actually forfeit “Republic of China”‘s independence by declaring Taiwan independence.

While many try to see the ongoing dispute about Taiwanese Independence as simply one between Pro-Taiwanese independence group and Pro-PRC group, they forgot majority of the Taiwanese population actually do not give a dam (They don’t want to be ruled by the Communists but yet they do not feel the need to cut their ancestral ties from China).

Pres. Ma Ying Jeou belonged the last group of people (He is anti-PRC but do not acknowledge Taiwanese independence), but being a big compromiser and political idiot like Obama, being stuck between the KMT and DPP, his policies is not going anywhere (since he prob do not know what he should do).

WillUSDeclineBePeaceful

You all realised that if Taiwan declares independence, all US bases in the Pacific will be attacked by China. And don’t think China will send their bombers and fighters to degrade the facilities in Yokohama and Okinawa or those in South Korea or in Singapore. Its going to be a tactical nuke, if not a full one. That’s what they communicated to the US back in the 90s on what they would do. There was this admiral back then who told his counterpart, I think you would value Los Angeles more than Taipei. China had nothing in its arsenal back then saving for ICBMs that could hit Los Angeles. Taiwan independence is not a joke for any country in the Pacific with a US base.

Uighurs Hold Protest March in Japan

Recent Comments

Further Reading

Washington Times Freelancer Slams Former Employer, Fails to Ethically Disclose Relationship?

Christopher Johnson Attempts to Silence Criticism of His “Gaijin Gulag” Article (Legal Threats!!!)

Tabloid Reports About Yu Darvish’s Love Life: Kirara Asuka & Miho Koga?

Does K-Pop Group KARA Have Ties to North Korea?

Tokyo Gate Bridge

Sara Errani Admits She Avoided Tennis Tournament in Tokyo: Feared Radiation

Chinese Workers Who Survived March 11th Tsunami Return to Tohoku

Why’s Zippei So Quiet? TV Dog Had Vocal Cords Removed

UN: Fukushima Radiation Health Effects Will Be Relatively Small / Not At All Comparable to Chernobyl

Korean Ultra-Nationalists Lobby Virginia: Demand Textbooks Use Korea-centric Geography (“East Sea”) @SenDaveMarsden

Categories

Archives

Subscribe

Japan Blogs

Korea Blogs

Linkroll

Other Asia Blogs