Mom told me to set myself on fire, son says

• Source: Global Times
• [02:13 August 05 2009]
• Comments

By Qiu Yongzheng in Urumqi and Qiu Wei in Beijing

Rebiya Kadeer’s family members living in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region went a step further yesterday in criticizing Kadeer for her alleged involvement in the July 5 riot that left 197 dead in Urumqi.

The trio appeared in a televised interview with China Central TV (CCTV) a day after making public their letter to the exiled leader of “separatist organization” World Uyghur Congress (WUC) headquartered in Germany.

Alim, 33, Kadeer’s youngest son, expressed regret and sadness over his mother’s acts.

After graduating from medical school in 1999, he took over his mother’s company and was put in prison later for tax evasion.

“When the company was investigated, my mother called me from abroad and told me that I should go to the street to demonstrate and set myself on fire with gasoline so as to threaten the government,” Alim, wearing a prison uniform, said on CCTV.

Alim said that his mother’s separatist comments made him so sad that he hung up the phone without saying a word.

“She’s my mother, but she told me to do that,” Alim said. “I’m also a father; I love my children. I didn’t do that and I’ll never do that.”

Khahar, Kadeer’s eldest son, was also interviewed.

Khahar said Kadeer “must have been involved,” as his uncle, Memet, had received a call from Kadeer six hours before the riot took place.

Khahar, along with two other families, wrote a letter July 24 to Kadeer, asking her not to organize more violence or upset the peaceful lives in Xinjiang.

“She is my mother,” he said. “It isn’t good to say bad things about her. But we just hope she can pull herself out of these (separatist) activities.”

Khahar, however, admitted that his mother does not listen to them much.

In the letter to Kadeer, her family made it clear they were not involved in the riot, expressed their sympathy to the victims, and told people not to listen to rumors spread by Kadeer, according to the text published by Xinhua.