CECC指香港民主化進程受北京影響而出現阻礙

美國國會及行政當局中國委員會(CONGRESSIONAL-EXECUTIVE COMMISSION ON CHINA)在10月16日美國東岸時間早上正式公佈該委員會的2009年年度報告。在報告內的第300頁專門報告有關香港與澳門的問題。

報告認為香港民主化發展在過去一年顯著受阻﹐表示人大常委會在四年內兩度作出推遲香港全面實行普選的決定(In December 2007, the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) ruled in favor of delaying universal suffrage for the election of the chief executive until 2017 and for the legislature until 2020 at the earliest. This decision marked the second time in less than four years that the NPCSC has issued a formal ruling to delay the commencement of universal suffrage in Hong Kong.)。報告也提及香港終審法院首席大法官李國能宣佈提前退休的消息。

由於澳門在2008年10月通過了國家安全法﹐所以委員會也首次在年度報告內提及澳門的問題。
http://www.cecc.gov/pages/annualRpt/annualRpt09/CECCannRpt2009.pdf

十月十日是真正的中國國慶

Today (October 10) is the real National Day for all Chinese.

三民主義，吾黨所宗；
以建民國，以進大同。
咨爾多士，為民前鋒；
夙夜匪懈，主義是從。
矢勤矢勇，必信必忠；
一心一德，貫徹始終。

對於中國當局打壓政治異見人士﹐以及企圖透過種種伎倆來蒙蔽事實﹐蒙騙不知真相的西方國家傳媒記者﹐這篇美國國會議員在華盛頓郵報刊登的文章可以說是一語中的﹗

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/02/AR2009080201671.html?referrer=facebook

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Blame the Uighurs Don't Deserve
Monday, August 3, 2009

As co-chair of the House's Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, I am troubled by the premise of the July 25 news story "China, Uighur Groups Give Conflicting Riot Accounts."

I agree that we have yet to receive a full, credible and objective account of China's recent crackdown against the Uighur people of Xinjiang province and the events that led to it. Post reporters chose, however, to blame, in equal proportion, both Uighur human rights leader Rebiya Kadeer and Chinese authorities for waging "an emotional global propaganda war with geopolitical implications" with gaps in both sides' accounts.

I can only imagine how offensive such a comparison must sound to Ms. Kadeer, who spent almost six years in a Chinese jail for trying to share human rights information with a visiting congressional delegation.
When staff members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee traveled to Xinjiang as part of a fact-finding mission in 2006, Ms. Kadeer's family members were detained and beaten by Chinese police, even though no one was going to meet with them. Two of Ms. Kadeer's sons, Alim and Ablikim Abdureyim, have been imprisoned ever since.

These are the facts of life for Uighur human rights defenders, but they did not gain a mention in the article. Both the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission recently held hearings on the reality of Uighur rights in Xinjiang, testimony that could have easily been mentioned by your reporters

Regrettably, readers were left with the impression that China has allowed "unusual freedom to conduct interviews" and access to the area where clashes occurred. If China was so gracious as to grant access, why would it reject an impartial investigation by the relevant U.N. human rights agencies, which can genuinely investigate the circumstances of the violence and the legality of the subsequent mass arrests and detentions? If there are "gaps" in the story, they are in your reporting.

JAMES P. McGOVERN
U.S. Representative (D-Mass.)
Washington

一篇值得閱讀的網上文章

有網民分別在黃世澤與林忌的博客內留下以下的文章links。
這篇文章值得細讀﹐並反思當今中國的政治制度。
https://docs.google.com/View?id=dgrg4q87_319vtb3gt

本人曾於7月15日引用這篇刊登在英國衛報的Op-Ad英文原版文章。到7月28日衛報網站終於刊登了這篇文章的中文譯本。從UAA的朋友口中得知﹐英國衛報原本已聘請中文翻譯幫忙﹐不過這名翻譯害怕被中國當局發現並且招引麻煩﹐搞了個多星期後才有其他人願意接手翻譯。由此可見﹐中共的專橫跋扈到了無孔不入的地步﹐實屬可惡與可悲﹗

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/14/xinjiang-china-rebiya-kadeer


維吾爾人的民權運動
在中國以強權侵犯維吾爾人的權利之時，絕無可能有新疆的和平或民族和解
熱比婭‥卡迪爾
（本文翻譯由熱比婭‥卡迪爾團隊提供）
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 14 July 2009 17.45 BST

1955年，一個14歲名為愛密特提爾的美國黑人男孩子在密西西比州的叔叔家里過暑假時，由于被認為對一個名叫卡羅琳布萊安特的白人婦女有不禮貌的行為，而遭到毆打并被槍殺。其后，他的遺体被沉入塔拉哈切河中。提爾的遺体已經嚴重變形，但是他媽媽堅持在葬禮上打開棺材的蓋子讓眾人觀看；約有5万人在葬禮上目睹了提爾的遺体。可是，一個全部由白人組成的陪審團只用了不到一個小時的時間就決定將被控謀殺提爾的兩名被告釋放，一名是卡羅琳布萊安特的丈夫，另一個是他的兄弟。

愛密特提爾的謀殺以及該案審理中缺乏司法公正導致了美國的民權運動。在提爾被殺三個月以后，羅莎帕克斯就拒絕坐在公共汽車的后排座位。提爾的謀殺事件震惊了世界，因為它揭露了美國黑人所遭受歧視竟是如此嚴重，尤其是在美國南部。美國的黑人為爭取平等和更多的自由而舉行的抗議和游行示威持續了几十年。騷亂也不時在美國的大城市發生，揭示了美國的种族關系中深存的創傷。

半個多世紀以后，在地球的另一邊，在中國南方韶關市的一個工厂，維吾爾人強奸兩名漢族婦女的謠言導致了打工的漢族暴徒對維吾爾工人宿舍的襲擊；他們用大刀，金屬管以及其他武器攻擊了維吾爾人。据報道，防暴警察在6月26日的凌晨赶到襲擊現場。中國官方報道說，兩名維吾爾人在襲擊中被打死，但是現場目擊這場謀殺和毆打事件的維吾爾人對境外媒体說，被打死的維吾爾人要多得多。中國政府在事件發生后馬上聲明說已經懲辦了一名漢族的工厂前雇員，他因為心存不滿而散布了維吾爾人強奸的謠言。但是，官方沒有說明已經逮捕了任何和這起暴力事件有關的人員。（7月13日，中國官方媒体報道說，在7月5日，中國逮捕了13名与韶關暴力事件有關的人員）。

7月5日，維吾爾人在烏魯木齊的街上示威，抗議韶關的殺人事件以及政府沒有逮捕韶關事件的責任者。示威活動開始的時候是和平的。許多人提出疑問，為什么在那么遙遠的地方發生的一起小規模的孤立事件（韶關在廣東省，距离烏魯木齊約3000公里）激起了那么強烈的憤怒和不滿。我要求他們理解，維吾爾人彼時的感受非常類似于美國黑人听到愛密特提爾被謀殺，以及殺人者被無罪釋放的消息時的感受；正如愛密特提爾的謀殺事件在全美國触發了對長期受到壓迫，私刑，以及缺乏机會的憎恨和不滿，在韶關暴力事件后，生活在東土耳其斯坦和全中國的維吾爾人對數十年來所遭受的經濟，社會和宗教歧視，以及維吾爾人所遭受的普遍存在的處決，酷刑和監禁所感到的憤怒和絕望突然爆發出來了。

我絕不支持上個星期發生在東土耳其斯坦的維吾爾人的暴力行為。我堅決反對一切形式的暴力。但是我認為，就如中國政府歪曲了韶關事件的真相一樣，它在更大的程度上歪曲了最近發生在東土耳其斯坦的抗議示威和暴力事件的真相。中國政府單方面地積极散布有關殺人和暴力事件的材料，向國際媒体發放几乎全部是維吾爾人向漢人施暴的光盤。不能否認的是，在這起事件中，維吾爾人向漢人施暴，包括殺了人。但是，東土耳其斯坦的几名居民告訴我領導的組織，他們親眼目睹了几百名維吾爾人被殺，而這些都沒有被官方的媒体報道。目前，要證實這些目擊者的證詞是不可能的，因為東土耳其斯坦和外面世界的通訊聯絡几乎被完全切斷。但是，我不能對我听到的很多駭人听聞的殘暴行為被掩蓋這种現象視而不見。

如何能夠在東土耳其斯坦實現真正的和平和司法公正？這是一個很難回答的問題。真正的和平不可能在缺乏透明的環境中實現，不能在兩万軍隊開進去以后實現；不能在指責"外部勢力"，比如我本人和世界維吾爾大會，是幕后操縱正在席卷整個地區的動亂的言語中實現。真正的和平不能在完全不承認東土耳其斯坦存在的种族歧視和族群矛盾中實現，而這种指責正是中國大使傅英昨天所發表的意見。真正的和平只有在中國至少能夠承認東土耳其斯坦所存在的問題的深度和廣度的時候才能開始實現。

中國政府必須停止在中國境內煽動民族主義情緒，以及利用對維吾爾人的憤怒來鞏固其政權的合法性。它必須檢視中國領土上普遍存在的政府壓迫，以及人工砌造的种族和諧。中國政府必須努力為東土耳其斯坦的維吾爾人提供工作机會，舒緩地區內漢族人和維吾爾族人在工作机會方面的嚴重不平衡。他們必須在維吾爾人和政府之間建立一個對話平台，以提供不同聲音的最基本的表達机會。對那些被指控參与暴力的人要進行公平審判。他們也必須允許獨立的國際机构來調查上個星期發生的事件。

在目前數万軍隊開進烏魯木齊，喀什以及東土耳其斯坦其他城市的時候，展望維吾爾人的民權運動的最終發展前景是很困難的。尤其是最近，北京的一名維吾爾族的經濟學教授只是因為呼吁為維吾爾族人提供更多的經濟發展空間就遭到逮捕，這就更讓人們不抱有較多的樂觀態度了。在中國的官員宣稱將處決上個星期暴力事件中的罪犯的時候，我認為那些遭到指控的人所受到的審判將達不到國際標准。我只能以一個希望來取代所有的期待，那就是為了東土耳其斯坦每個人的安宁和富裕，事情將開始轉變。

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/14/xinjiang-china-rebiya-kadeer

Breaking News: 熱比婭並無發信拉攏達賴喇嘛!

從互聯網上看到香港蘋果日報在七月十六日國際新聞的頭條說:“熱比婭拉攏達賴”。這篇報導說美國維吾爾人協會(Uyghur American Association, UAA)的秘書長阿林．塞托夫(Alim Seytoff)代表熱比婭(Rebiya Kadeer)致函達賴喇嘛辦公室﹐要求聯合對付中共。

在下於是將整份報導下載後向在UAA任職的朋友求證。他們表示這則報導並不真實﹐有人故意編造這封公開信及有關電郵。他們說﹐過去多個月﹐他們的電郵系統以及網站經常被不明身份的黑客入侵﹐並且曾經多次向他們發出載有電腦病毒的虛假電郵﹐企圖破壞UAA的系統, 因此可能被人攻入電郵系統發放假電郵。

我的朋友也表示﹐香港蘋果日報並無任何記者聯絡他們求證有關消息﹐對於蘋果日報這種報導手法, 以及記者並無根據專業原則求證消息來源就胡亂報導﹐他們感到非常驚訝及十分失望。

以下是UAA在美國東岸時間7月15日晚上8:53分(香港時間7月16日早上8時53分)發出的英語新聞稿﹕

E-mail allegedly from WUC board member to Tibetans is fake

For immediate release
July 15, 2009, 8:45 pm EST
Contact: Uyghur American Association +1 (202) 349 1496

The Uyghur American Association (UAA) and World Uyghur Congress (WUC) would like to clarify that an e-mail alleged to have been sent by Alim Seytoff, vice president of UAA and spokesperson of WUC, on July 14 is fake and was not sent by Mr. Seytoff. The fake e-mail (pasted at the bottom of this press release) calls on Tibetans to participate in worldwide protests in solidarity with Uyghurs in East Turkestan. It was sent from an email address, rkadeer@uyghurameircan.com, that is not associated with UAA or WUC, contains numerous misspellings, and lists an incorrect title for Mr. Seytoff.

A number of news agencies around the world have reported on the e-mail, believing it to be genuine, and have stated that it was sent to the office of the Tibetan government-in-exile. Among the media reporting this, Hong Kong’s Apple Daily newspaper published it as their headline news for July 16. The Apple Daily interviewed Chinese counterterrorism expert Li Wei, who described both overseas Uyghur organizations and the Tibetan government-in-exile as separatist organizations.

UAA and WUC, together with our close contacts, are frequently victims of e-mail impersonation and e-mail viruses. This malicious activity has only intensified in the wake of the recent unrest in East Turkestan, with numerous fake e-mails currently circulating in English and Uyghur, claiming to be from Uyghur organizations and/or containing viruses. Cybersecurity researchers have documented many sophisticated attacks against Uyghur, Tibetan and Falun Gong advocacy groups in recent years

(see, for example, this article: http://www.upi.com/Emerging_Threats/2008/03/24/Analysis-Cyberattacks-on-Tibet-groups/UPI-92601206373884/).

UAA and WUC believe these fake e-mails and viruses are being sent out by Chinese hackers in an attempt to hinder Uyghur human rights advocacy, damage the reputation of Uyghur human rights activists and confuse readers as to what message is being sent by UAA and WUC. Incorrect website links and e-mail addresses, similar to virus attachments, can be used to crash computers and to infiltrate e-mail communications and Internet activities.

The situation faced by the Uyghur and Tibetan people under the harsh policies of the Chinese government shares many similarities, including religious repression, cultural eradication, imprisonment, and widespread torture.

However, just as the Tibetan government-in-exile is not a separatist organization, UAA and WUC are not separatist organizations, and both UAA and WUC seek self-determination and greater human rights for the people of East Turkestan.

Below is the fake e-mail allegedly sent to Tibetan organizations (please note the correct e-mail addresses for those referred to are rkadeer@uyghuramerican.org and info@uyghuramerican.org, and the correct website for UAA is http://www.uyghuramerican.org/):

From: Rebiya Kadeer
Date: July 14, 2009 6:07:12 AM EDT
To: (omitted due to privacy issues)
Subject: A call from Rebiya Kadeer: Please participate our world-wide protests
Dear (omitted due to privacy issues),
I am Alim Seytoff, spokesman of World Uyghru Congress (WUC) and general secratary of Uyghur American Association (UAA). I am writing to you on behalf of our president Ms. Rebiya Kadeer to ask for your kind help and possible cooperation, as we are common victims of Chinese imperialist colonization.

You must have learned about what happened in our homeland East Turkestan, almost the same as happened in your occupied country Tibet in 2008. We really appreciate the strong statement of support in the name of your 168 organizations all round the world. We are organizing world-wide protests in front of the Chinese embassies and consulates(To see detailed events, please visit our website www.uyghurameircan.com/events/). We are even thinking of organizing a world-action day. Therefore, we call on you and all other victims of Chinese communist brutal crackdown to firmly stand together to make our voice ever louder and stronger. United we stand, divided we lose.

Please circulate this letter to your member organizations and your supporters to ask them to join us in our protests. Many thanks and looking forward to your response.
Free East Turkestan!?Free Tibet!
?Alim Seytoff
Spokesman of World Uyghru Congress (WUC)?General Secratary of Uyghur American Association (UAA)?1701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 300?Washington, DC 20006?Tel: (202) 349-1496?Fax: (202) 349-1491?Email: info@uyghurameircan.com? rkadeer@uyghurameircan.com

See also:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/21/AR2008032102605.html

http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/cs_20080531_6948.php

http://roberts-report.blogspot.com/2009/07/information-war-over-urumqi-riots-and.html

* * * * *
If you wish to stop receiving e-mails from the Uyghur Human Rights Project, please send an e-mail to pressrelease-unsubscribe@uyghuramerican.org.

The Uyghur American Association (UAA) works to promote the preservation and flourishing of a rich, humanistic and diverse Uyghur culture, and to support the right of the Uyghur people to use peaceful, democratic means to determine their own political future.

The UAA has undertaken the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) for the purpose of promoting improved human rights conditions for Uyghurs and other indigenous groups in East Turkestan, on the premise that the assurance of basic human rights will facilitate the realization of the community’s democratic aspirations.

Uyghur Human Rights Project
Uyghur American Association
1701 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. Suite 300
Washington, D.C. 20006
Tel: +1 (202) 349 1496
Fax: +1 (202) 349 1491
info@uyghuramerican.org
www.uhrp.org
www.uyghuramerican.org

窺探維吾爾族人的民權訴求

這篇Op-Ad是我的一名朋友以熱比婭(Rebiya Kadeer)的名義在7月14日發行的英國衛報(Guardian)評論版內刊登。

無論你(或妳)是否認同維吾爾族人的訴求﹐這篇文章可以讓我們就目前在新疆維吾爾自治區(東土耳其斯坦)的局勢作一番思考。

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jul/14/china-uighur-equality-xinjiang

A civil rights movement for Uighurs
No peace or reconciliation is possible in Xinjiang while China rides roughshod over Uighurs' rights to shore up its authority

Rebiya Kadeer

In 1955, a 14-year-old African-American boy named Emmett Till, who had been sent to rural Mississippi to spend the summer with his uncle, was beaten and shot, and then his body was weighed down and dropped into the Tallahatchie River after he was alleged to have made a vulgar pass at Carolyn Bryant, a white woman. Till's body was badly disfigured, but his mother insisted that there be an open casket at his funeral, and up to 50,000 people viewed his body. It took just over an hour for the all-white jury to decide to acquit the two defendants accused of murdering Till – the husband of Carolyn Bryant and his step-brother.

The murder of Emmett Till and the subsequent lack of justice in his case helped spark the beginnings of the American civil rights movement. Just over three months after Till's death, Rosa Parks refused to sit in the back of the bus. Till's murder shocked the world, revealing the severity of the prejudice experienced by African-Americans, particularly in the southern part of the United States. Decades of demonstrations and protests followed, as African-Americans struggled for equal treatment and a greater share of America's freedoms. Riots also rocked major American cities, exposing deep wounds in America's racial landscape.

More than half a century later, and half a world away, rumours that Uighurs at a factory in Shaoguan, in south-eastern China, had raped two Chinese women led a mob of Han Chinese workers to raid the dormitories of Uighur workers and attack them with knives, metal pipes and other weapons. Riot police reportedly took their time in arriving at the scene of the attacks, in the early hours of 26 June. Chinese officials reported that two Uighurs had been killed in the attacks, but Uighurs who witnessed the murders and beatings told the international media that many more had been killed. Immediately following the incident, the Chinese government only indicated that it had punished the disgruntled Chinese man, a former worker at the factory, responsible for spreading the false allegations of sexual molestation. However, there was no official indication that any arrests would be made related to the killings and beatings that took place. (On 7 July, the official Chinese media reported that 13 arrests were made on 5 July that were related to the Shaoguan factory violence.)

On 5 July, Uighurs began taking to the streets in Urumchi, at first peacefully, to protest the killings at Shaoguan and the lack of government action to bring the perpetrators to justice. Many people have questioned how an event that took place so far away (Shaoguan, in Guangdong province, is more than 3,000km away from Urumchi), and why what they perceive as such a small-scale, isolated event sparked so much anger and frustration. I ask people to understand that Uighurs feel much as African-Americans must have felt at the death of Emmett Till and the acquittal of his murderers; and that, just as the murder of Emmett Till sparked resentment and sadness throughout the United States at many decades of deep repression, lynchings, and lack of opportunity, following the Shaoguan violence, Uighurs in East Turkestan and throughout China felt anger and despair rise up over decades of economic, social and religious discrimination, together with the widespread execution, torture and imprisonment of their people.

I in no way endorse any of the violent acts carried out by Uighurs in East Turkestan over the past week. I am absolutely opposed to all violence. However, I believe that, just as the Chinese government misrepresented the facts in the Shaoguan incident, it has, on a much larger scale, grossly misrepresented the truth of the recent protests and violence in East Turkestan. The Chinese government has aggressively promoted a sophisticated, one-sided image of the killings and beatings that have taken place, distributing CDs to international journalists featuring an almost exclusive picture of violence committed by Uighurs against the Han Chinese population. It is irrefutable that acts of violence, including murders, were committed by Uighurs against Han Chinese. However, numerous residents of East Turkestan have told the organisations I lead that they have witnessed the deaths of hundreds of Uighurs that have gone unreported in the official press. At this point, it is impossible to verify these eyewitness accounts, as communications have been virtually cut off between East Turkestan and the outside world. But I cannot ignore the many accounts I have received of unimaginable atrocities that have been covered up.

How can real peace and justice be brought to East Turkestan? This is a difficult question to answer. Real peace cannot be achieved through a lack of transparency; through the 20,000 troops that have been brought in; or through blaming "outside forces", such as myself and the World Uighur Congress, for the turmoil that is now rocking the region. Real peace cannot be achieved through a complete lack of acknowledgment of ethnic discrimination and ethnic disharmony in East Turkestan, such as was exhibited in yesterday's opinion piece by Chinese ambassador Fu Ying. Peace and reconciliation may only begin when China, at the very least, acknowledges the depth and scope of the problems that exist in East Turkestan.

The Chinese government must stop fanning the flames of nationalism within the PRC, and using anti-Uighur anger to shore up its own legitimacy. Instead of blaming "outside forces", it must look within its own borders to examine widespread official repression and officially-promoted ethnic stereotypes. Chinese officials must work to provide job opportunities for Uighurs within East Turkestan and mitigate the severe employment imbalance between Uighurs and Han Chinese in the region. They must provide a forum for the most basic forms of dissent and dialogue between Uighurs and the government. There must be fair trials for those accused of perpetrating violence. And they must allow an independent, international investigation into the events of the past week.

It is hard to imagine the eventual growth of a Uighur civil rights movement, as tens of thousands of troops patrol Urumchi, Kashgar and other cities in East Turkestan. Not much hope for optimism can come from the recent arrest of a Uighur economics professor in Beijing, who merely called for more economic opportunities for Uighurs. And as Chinese officials broadcast rhetoric about the need to execute those found guilty of crimes over the past week, I expect that trials of the accused will not meet international standards. I can only hope against all hope, for the peace and prosperity of everyone in East Turkestan, that things will begin to change.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jul/14/china-uighur-equality-xinjiang

世維會發表聲明譴責阿蓋德組織(Al Qaeda 基地組織)

雖然與熱比婭(Rebiya Kadeer)並非深交﹐只因為工作上的關係與她結識﹐不過也可以很勉強地說﹐我是她在首都華盛頓這個圈子內少有認識的漢人。

對於過去多個星期位於東土耳其斯坦(即中國所稱的新疆維吾爾自治區)境內發生的暴力事件﹐我個人感到非常遺憾﹐也希望有關方面可以儘快將事件調查清楚﹐還人民(無論漢人﹐還是維吾爾族人)一個公道。

我認為基地恐怖組織(又譯作阿蓋達組織)可能受到某方面指使﹐企圖借這個機會乘機抽水﹐或企圖離間世界維吾爾人代表大會(World Uyghur Congress, WUC)與自由世界之間的關係﹐讓中共有機可乘。不過好彩世維會終於在7月14日下午發出聲明﹐譴責阿蓋達組織﹐以正視聽。

UAA and WUC condemn Al Qaeda statement
For immediate release
July 14, 2009, 1:40 pm EST
Contact: Uyghur American Association +1 (202) 349 1496

The Uyghur American Association (UAA) and the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) are extremely disturbed by reports that the North African wing of Al Qaeda has threatened to attack Chinese workers in Africa in revenge for the deaths of Uyghurs in East Turkestan. UAA and WUC are absolutely opposed to all forms of violence, and condemn the reported statement of Al Qaeda.

“I abhor violence,”said Uyghur democracy leader Rebiya Kadeer. “I do not believe violence is a solution to any problem. Global terrorists should not take advantage of the Uyghur people's legitimate aspirations and the current tragedy in East Turkestan to commit acts of terrorism targeting Chinese diplomatic missions or civilians.”

Terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda do not represent the peaceful aspirations of the Uyghur people. UAA and WUC, together with Uyghurs in East Turkestan and throughout the world, seek to peacefully advocate for Uyghursó basic human rights, including freedom of belief, freedom of expression, and equal access to employment and healthcare. UAA and WUC seek the right of self-determination for Uyghurs.

Uyghurs practice a moderate form of Sufi Islam and lead predominantly secular lives. Much like Tibetans, Uyghurs in East Turkestan have struggled for cultural survival in the face of a government-supported influx of Chinese migrants, as well as harsh repression of political dissent and any expression of their distinct identity, however lawful or peaceful.

* * * * *

http://www.uyghuramerican.org//articles/3229/1/Uighur-leader-rejects-Al-Qaeda-support/index.html

美國國務院對六四事件20週年的特別聲明

http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2009a/06/124292.htm

Message on the Twentieth Anniversary of Tiananmen Square

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
June 3, 2009

On this the 20th anniversary of the violent suppression of demonstrations in Tiananmen Square by Chinese authorities, we should remember the tragic loss of hundreds of innocent lives and reflect upon the meaning of the events that preceded that day.

Hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets for weeks, in Beijing and around the country, first to honor the late reformist leader Hu Yaobang and then to demand basic rights denied to them.

A China that has made enormous progress economically, and that is emerging to take its rightful place in global leadership, should examine openly the darker events of its past and provide a public accounting of those killed, detained or missing, both to learn and to heal.

This anniversary provides an opportunity for Chinese authorities to release from prison all those still serving sentences in connection with the events surrounding June 4, 1989. We urge China to cease the harassment of participants in the demonstrations and begin dialogue with the family members of victims, including the Tiananmen Mothers. China can honor the memory of that day by moving to give the rule of law, protection of internationally-recognized human rights, and democratic development the same priority as it has given to economic reform.

也談成龍

過去多日﹐已經有很多有良知的網友談論“國際功夫巨星”成龍在週末的言論﹐我也不用在此重複。

我在兒童時期曾經居住在新蒲崗崇X大廈﹐成龍的父親也居住在同一棟大廈內。印象中成龍的父親出入戴著灰色毛絨扁帽﹐口中經常含著煙斗﹔雖然很少與人談話﹐但可以看得出是一名謙謙君子。家父曾經說, 成龍還未紅時也曾經在同一大廈內居住過﹐出入大廈時不使用電梯﹐只是在大廈的後樓梯跑步練氣。可惜這些都已經化成往事...........

如果成龍的父親泉下有知﹐見到兒子”一朝得志，語無倫次“﹐言行流於“成蟲”的話﹐不知道陳老先生的內心有何感受呢﹖

美國總統奧巴馬在2月3日美國時間星期二下午(香港時間星期三凌晨)分別接受美國廣播公司(ABC News)、全國廣播公司(NBC News)、哥倫比亞廣播公司(CBS News)、CNN有線電視新聞網﹐以及立場偏向共和黨的霍士新聞網(Fox News Network)的皇牌新聞主播單獨一對一的採訪﹐在這些採訪內帶出來的信息都是承認自己在提名內閣閣員時﹐忽略了他們在過往的私人記錄﹐並且公開承認自己犯下錯誤(I screwed up!)。。

這些訪問其實是在被提名的內閣閣員宣佈退出提名程序之前就已經越好的﹐不過今次剛好造就成為奧巴馬公開承認錯誤的訪談。首先﹐政治人物﹐尤其是政府領袖公開承認錯誤已經不是容易的事﹐除了在政治上的考慮﹐尤其是在承認錯誤後所出現的後果以及效果之外﹐領袖個人的勇氣也是非常重要的。另外﹐無論奧巴馬這次接受訪問的大背景是否公開承認錯誤﹐我們也應該要留意一點﹐就是身為美國總統﹐他(或者她)需要經常面對美國以及全世界的公眾﹐所以他必須要接受傳媒的訪問﹐也必須要面對不友善的問題殺到埋身。奧巴馬用一個下午接受來自五大無線與有線電視新聞的主播採訪﹐可向而知美國政治人物對於新聞界的重視程度﹐起碼他願意花時間﹐無論他心裡認為這是“應酬”也好﹐還是“尊重”﹐起碼他已經做到﹐並且成功地做好。

公開承認犯下錯誤﹐已經向新聞界給予尊重﹐這兩樣事情究竟會在幾時真正降臨到中國以及香港的政府領袖身上呢﹖

NBC 網上影片:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/29002023#29002023

奧巴馬就職演說(英語全文)

REMARKS OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
Inaugural Address
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Washington, D.C.
**EMBARGOED UNTIL DELIVERY**

My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

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