Leading figures in Kaohsiung city of Taiwan have criticized the screening of the documentary "The 10 Conditions of Love" during the film festival in Kaohsiung.
The documentary is about Rebiya Kadeer, a separatist ringleader from northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
The dispute has resulted in losses to the tourism industry in Kaohsiung, which is unfair for local citizens and goes against their will, said Tseng Fu-hsing, president of Kaohsiung Tourism Association in an interview with Xinhua's residential correspondents on the island.
The Kaohsiung city government's insistence on screening the film could further damage tourism, which has been badly affected by the international financial crisis, the A/H1N1 flu, and the Aug. 8 typhoon, Tseng said.
Tourism operators are politically different from the city government and they are welcoming Chinese mainland travelers by providing them with careful, warm and quality services, he said.
Other critics, including a university professor, a leader of the city's indigenous cultural development association, and a manager of a local advertisement company, also showed their discontent about the city government's decision to screen the separatist documentary.
They blamed Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu, and urged the city government to adopt necessary measures to reduce its negative impact on tourism industry as well as cross-strait relations.
Due to public pressure, the city government has changed the venue for the screening of the documentary from the site of the film festival to the cinema library of Kaohsiung. This, however, has aroused strong disputes among residents in Kaohsiung and in Taiwan.
(Xinhua News Agency September 22, 2009)
