Uighur Kadeer arrives in Tokyo
Mrs Kadeer denies any involvement in the recent Xinjiang unrest
Uighur activist Rebiya Kadeer has arrived in Tokyo for a visit which has prompted an angry reaction from China.
Mrs Kadeer is expected to use her five-day stay to drum up support for the minority group.
Beijing holds that Mrs Kadeer was behind a recent outbreak of deadly ethnic unrest in Xinjiang province.
But Mrs Kadeer, once a businesswoman in China and now leader of the exile group the World Uighur Congress, has denied any involvement.
Mrs Kadeer, wearing a traditional Uighur hat, waved to reporters as she arrived at the airport, but did not speak to them.
She was greeted by a small group of supporters carrying Uighur flags.
Her visit to Japan will include a news conference and meeting with members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
But one supporter told the AFP news agency earlier the itinerary could chance according to events.
"We are a bit worried about ensuring her safety as she has been attacked by mobs in the past elsewhere," said the unnamed supporter.
'Culture threat'
The Uighurs say their culture is threatened by Han Chinese migration
Mrs Kadeer, who now lives in the US, was imprisoned in China for six years until 2005 on charges of endangering national security.
Beijing has accused her of organising the violent unrest in Xinjiang, in western China, earlier this month.
On Monday, Chinese ambassador Cui Tiankai called her a criminal.
"How would the people of Japan feel if a violent crime occurs in Japan and its mastermind is invited by a third country?" Mr Cui was quoted as saying by Kyodo news agency.
He hinted that the visit could harm relations between China and Japan.
"We must prevent important matters that should be worked on together from being disturbed by a criminal or attention to our common interests from being diverted," he said.
Nearly 200 people - mostly Han Chinese - died in the clashes with Uighurs in Xinjiang, according to Chinese officials. Uighur exiles say hundreds of Uighurs were killed.
The unrest began on 5 July during a protest by Uighurs over a brawl in southern China in late June in which two people were killed.
China's Uighurs are concentrated in Xinjiang but complain their rights and culture are being overridden by an influx of Han migrants from outside the region.
From: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8171791.stm
Mrs Kadeer denies any involvement in the recent Xinjiang unrest
Uighur activist Rebiya Kadeer has arrived in Tokyo for a visit which has prompted an angry reaction from China.
Mrs Kadeer is expected to use her five-day stay to drum up support for the minority group.Beijing holds that Mrs Kadeer was behind a recent outbreak of deadly ethnic unrest in Xinjiang province.
But Mrs Kadeer, once a businesswoman in China and now leader of the exile group the World Uighur Congress, has denied any involvement.
Mrs Kadeer, wearing a traditional Uighur hat, waved to reporters as she arrived at the airport, but did not speak to them.
She was greeted by a small group of supporters carrying Uighur flags.
Her visit to Japan will include a news conference and meeting with members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
But one supporter told the AFP news agency earlier the itinerary could chance according to events.
"We are a bit worried about ensuring her safety as she has been attacked by mobs in the past elsewhere," said the unnamed supporter.
'Culture threat'
The Uighurs say their culture is threatened by Han Chinese migration
Mrs Kadeer, who now lives in the US, was imprisoned in China for six years until 2005 on charges of endangering national security.
Beijing has accused her of organising the violent unrest in Xinjiang, in western China, earlier this month.
On Monday, Chinese ambassador Cui Tiankai called her a criminal.
"How would the people of Japan feel if a violent crime occurs in Japan and its mastermind is invited by a third country?" Mr Cui was quoted as saying by Kyodo news agency.
He hinted that the visit could harm relations between China and Japan.
"We must prevent important matters that should be worked on together from being disturbed by a criminal or attention to our common interests from being diverted," he said.
Nearly 200 people - mostly Han Chinese - died in the clashes with Uighurs in Xinjiang, according to Chinese officials. Uighur exiles say hundreds of Uighurs were killed.
The unrest began on 5 July during a protest by Uighurs over a brawl in southern China in late June in which two people were killed.
China's Uighurs are concentrated in Xinjiang but complain their rights and culture are being overridden by an influx of Han migrants from outside the region.
From: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8171791.stm
