Australia – China has complained to the Australian government about the planned visit to a film festival in Melbourne a Uyghur activist who Beijing accuses of inciting ethnic unrest in its western end, an official said Wednesday.
Rebiya Kadeer – who lives in exile in the United States – will attend the International Film Festival in Melbourne on August 8 for the premiere of a film about his life, “10 Conditions of Love.” She denies being behind the violence this month between Muslims and Han Chinese in the Uighur region of Xinjiang that left nearly 200 dead.
The complaint was the latest in a series of objections to the selection and appearance of Kadeer: Richard Moore, director of the Festival said an official from the Chinese consulate in Melbourne was asked to withdraw the film about three weeks ago. Two Chinese directors have withdrawn their films in protest. The festival website has been hacked into – an attack blamed Moore for his refusal to leave the cinema or visit Kadeer.
“I can confirm that China has made representations embassy here in Canberra, which is all I can say right now,” a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokeswoman told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, citing policy.
The spokeswoman could not say when he referred to the embassy of the government, which demanded the Chinese or how Australia responded. An official of China’s embassy was not immediately available for comment Wednesday.
China spokesman Foreign Ministry Qin Gang said this month that Beijing opposes any country providing 62 years of business “with a scene of his fight against the separatist activities in China.”
Gang added Monday that China “expresses strong dissatisfaction” with the Japanese government to allow a visit this week Kadeer.
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