EDITORIAL: Avoid outrageous religious rhetoric

There have been several different divisions and tensions during the six decades since the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime lost the Chinese Civil War and fled to Taiwan — ethnic tensions between Taiwanese and Mainlanders, and ideological tensions between independence and unification, to name two — with some remaining to this day.

Fortunately, it appeared that religious tensions had never been among them.

In Taiwan, where people are predominantly followers of Taoism and Buddhism, seeing a church sitting right next to a temple on the same street is so common that people do not find anything strange about it. Believers of different faiths usually get along without any problem.

Tibet must be lesson for Taiwan: dissident

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The 10th Panchen Lama was murdered by former Chinese president Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) and former Chinese premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶), a prominent Chinese dissident said in Taipei yesterday as he warned that Beijing’s cultural genocide in Tibet could serve an example for those Taiwanese who still have false expectations of China.

Citing the findings from his private interviews with Chinese and Tibetan officials, Yuan Hongbing (袁紅兵) told a press conference that the 10th Panchen Lama, Choekyi Gyaltsen, was poisoned to death in January 1989 rather than dying from a heart attack as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) claimed.

Removing Falun Gong posters a mistake: Tourism Bureau

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Tourism Bureau yesterday said that an administrative order demanding local governments remove posters and billboards put up by the Falun Gong movement at tourist attractions was a “rookie mistake” made by a new official and the bureau would revise the order within a week.

Blasted by lawmakers and representatives of Falun Gong in a news conference, Tourism Bureau Deputy Director-General Chang Hsi-tsung (張錫聰) said that the document, issued on Sept. 26, which asked all Falun Gong posters to be removed, was a mistake.

Tibetans call for Taiwanese solidarity

GET UP, STAND UP:Saying Taiwan also suffers China’s oppression, Tibetans urged a show of support ahead of tomorrow’s anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan uprising
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Tibetan government-in-exile Finance Minister Tsering Dhundup visited the Legislative Yuan yesterday to promote better bilateral ties ahead of a demonstration tomorrow to commemorate the 54th anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan uprising.

Accompanied by the president of Tibet Religious Foundation of H.H. the Dalai Lama, Dawa Tsering, the official appealed for Taiwanese to support Tibetans’ fight for freedom in a 60-minute meeting with lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).

Lee touts vital role of art, religion

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter, in Miaoli County

Art and religion play an equally important role in a country as politics and the economy, former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) said yesterday in Sanyi Township (三義), Miaoli County.

The 89-year-old former president was speaking to a group of woodcarving artists at Sanyi Woodcarving Museum, saying that art and religion are important in the 21st century because “technology cannot solve everything.”

Tibetans decry Chinese domination

UP IN FLAMES:：A series of self-immoliations by Tibetans are a desperate cry for freedom and should serve a lesson to Taiwan about the dangers of Chinese rule, exiles have said
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Mon, Sep 24, 2012 - Page 3

Taiwanese should take the capture of Tibet by China to heart and support the Tibetan people’s pursuit of freedom, Tibetan rights activists said yesterday.

“Buddhists in Taiwan in particular should understand that people of the same faith in Tibet are suffering brutal oppression when they’re currently engaged in so-called religious exchanges with China,” Taiwan Friends of Tibet (TFT) chairperson Chou Mei-li (周美里) said at a symposium.

Participants at the symposium, organized by the TFT and Taiwan Association of University Professors (TAUP), yesterday in Taipei said that Tibetans striving for democracy under Chinese domination are being forced into extreme acts such as self-immolation.

Bruce Chung thanks compatriots for help

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Tue, Aug 14, 2012 - Page 1

Bruce Chung (鍾鼎邦), a Taiwanese Falun Gong practitioner who was released by China after 54 days in detention, yesterday expressed gratitude to Taiwanese who supported efforts to secure his release and urged China to respect religious freedom.

“I am a lucky man in comparison with many Falun Gong members and Taiwanese businesspeople who are still in detention. I am deeply touched and want to thank the government, as well as people in Taiwan and overseas for their efforts. Without you [my release] would not have been possible,” Chung told a press conference in his first public appearance since his return on Saturday.

TSU, Tibetans, Falun Gong stage protests

UNITED FRONT:The diverse group of demonstrators were unified by their disapproval of China’s handling of several human rights issues and its dealings with Taipei
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Falun Gong members, Tibetan independence supporters and the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) yesterday staged protests against Chinese officials who are in Taipei for a round of cross-strait negotiations, resulting in brief clashes with police.

Thwarted by tight security, none of them were able to get close to the Grand Hotel, where Association of Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) was staying.

Investment pact not a guarantee: protesters

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Thu, Aug 09, 2012 - Page 1

The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) and various civic groups staged protests yesterday as a Chinese delegation arrived in Taipei to sign an investment protection agreement today.

“The agreement is an agreement supporting Chinese aggression and Beijing’s strategy of promoting eventual unification,” Hsiao Kuan-yu (蕭貫譽), director of the TSU’s Department of Organization, said at a rally in front of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) building.

About 100 pro-independence protesters from the TSU and subsidiary groups of the Taiwan Society attended the demonstration, accusing the SEF of “making major concessions and jeopardizing national interests” in the cross-strait talks.

Ma urged to end his silence on detainee

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Civic groups staged a 10-hour protest yesterday in front of the Presidential Office, urging President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to break his long silence on Beijing’s detention of a Taiwanese Falun Gong practitioner.

More than 200 representatives from civic groups, lawmakers and ordinary citizens asked Ma to speak up for his people, in this case Bruce Chung (鍾鼎邦), who has been detained in China for 51 days since June 18 after a trip to Yongkang City, Jiangxi Province.

“All I want to say is my father has done no wrong and does not deserve this. And I will be sitting here until President Ma responds,” Chung’s daughter Chung Ai (鍾愛) told a press conference on Ketagalan Boulevard.

Ma must help Chung: DPP

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday urged President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to actively seek the release of Bruce Chung (鍾鼎邦), a Taiwanese Falun Gong practitioner who has been detained in China for more than a month. The DPP expressed its serious concern about Chung’s detainment and his family being kept from contacting him. “We urge the Ma administration to be responsible for the personal safety of Taiwanese,” DPP spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) told a press conference yesterday. Chung, a manager at a Hsinchu-based technology firm, went to Jiangxi Province to visit relatives on June 15 and was reportedly detained by Chinese police on June 18 “for hijacking the signal of a Chinese TV station in 2003 from Taiwan with the help of Chinese nationals,” according to China’s Xinhua news agency. As personal safety is expected to be an integral part of the cross-strait negotiations on an investment protection agreement next month, Lin said, Chung’s arrest was ironic and was a “touchstone” of how Beijing would protect Taiwanese businesspeople in China if the agreement was signed.

Family of Falun Gong practitioner seek official help

WITS END:The family held a second press conference to plead for the help of the government in seeking the release of Chung Ting-pang, who is being held in China
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The family of Chung Ting-pang (鍾鼎邦) pleaded with the government for the second time in 10 days to do something about his detention in China.

Chung, a 53-year-old Falun Gong practitioner, was arrested in Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, on June 18 as he was about to return to Taiwan and accused of “sabotaging national and public security.”

“We do not want to wait for another minute or another second because his life is at stake,” Chung Ai (鍾愛), Chung Ting-pang’s daughter, told a press conference in Taipei organized by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsu Hsin-ying (徐欣瑩).

Suspend all religious exchanges with China: TSU

By Chris Wang  /  Staff Reporter

Taiwan should suspend all religious exchanges with China before Beijing stops its oppression on Tibetan monks, the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) said yesterday.

TSU legislative caucus whip Hsu Chung-hsin (許忠信) said China’s recent crackdown on Tibetan monks has been one of the most brutal cases of persecution in history, which has resulted in at least 20 monks dying from 30 cases of self-immolation since March last year.

Tsai expresses concerns over escalation in Tibet

By Chris Wang  /  Staff Reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday expressed concerns over the situation in Tibet amid an intensifying crackdown by Chinese authorities and called on President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to voice his concerns to Beijing.

DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said she was “heartbroken” about increasing reports of self-immolation protests by Tibetans in her meeting with Dawa Tsering, director of the Tibet Religious Foundation of H.H. The Dalai Lama, yesterday, said Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), deputy executive director of the party’s New Frontier Foundation think tank.

World Muslim League to hold seminar in Taipei

Taipei, Feb. 15 (CNA) Religious leaders and scholars from more than 20 countries are scheduled to participate in a seminar organized by the Muslim World League (MWL) Feb. 21-22 in Taipei, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) official said Tuesday.

The seminar, titled "Dialogue: A Human Common Bond" and co-organized by the Muslim World League and the Taiwan-based Chinese Muslim Association, will be held at the National Central Library, said Lin Jinn-jong, director-general of the MOFA's Department of West Asian Affairs, at a press briefing.

The Taipei seminar, Lin said, will be the second time the MWL has taken its religious conference overseas and the first time the religious dialogue will be held in Taiwan, one of the founding members of the MWL, which was established in 1962.

One of the largest Islamic nongovernmental organizations, the MWL receives most of its funding from Saudi Arabia.

"The holding of this seminar in Taipei shows recognition of Taiwan's religious freedom, " Lin said.

Led by MWL Secretary-General Abdullah bin Abdul Mohsin Al-Turki, scholars and leaders from Saudi Arabia, Japan, South Korea, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Russia and Taiwan will attend the two-day seminar.

The conference will try to promote dialogue between different religions and peace while also campaign against extremists who use Islam as a tool to promote terrorism, according to Lin.

Islam is not a major religion in Taiwan, which is dominated by Buddism and Taoism. According to Ishag Ma, the imam of the Grand Mosque in Taipei and secretary-general of the Chinese Muslim Association, there are around 200,000 Muslims in Taiwan, with 150,000 of them being migrant workers from Indonesia.

In Taiwan, mosques can be found in Taipei, Jhongli, Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls

Arms sales highlight U.S. foreign policy idealism: AIT head

Taipei, July 10 (CNA) Washington's arms sales to Taiwan shows that the United States' foreign policy still upholds idealism over pragmatism, the top U.S. diplomat in Taiwan said in a speech Saturday.

"From the Machiavellian point of view, it's easy to say we're not selling arms anymore to Taiwan, " said William Stanton, director of American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the U.S. representative office in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties.

But he said arms sales to Taiwan went beyond such geopolitical calculations and reflected the U.S.' continued efforts to strike a balance between idealism and pragmatism.

"In some people's point of view it's an issue of law (Taiwan Relations Act)... but it's also a commitment, as some would say it's 23 million people (who live) in a democracy" that the U.S. couldn't walk away from.

Stanton spoke of the commitment during a question and answer session after delivering a speech titled "The Paradox of the America" to around 300 local students at "Taipei Salon, " in an event organized by the Lung Ying-tai Cultural Foundation.

In the speech, Stanton highlighted several paradoxes and characteristics the U.S. has faced in its history and social development, such as diversity and individualism vs. collectivism and the "American Dream."

Stanton said he believes that the idea of the "American Dream, " which means one can achieve great things if he or she works hard, still prevails and holds Americans of different religions, races and cultures together in a time of chaos.

He also recognizes immigrants' contribution to the U.S. and their home countries after their return, pointing out that many Taiwanese, including Morris Chang, the founder of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Lin Hwai-min, founder of the renowned Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, Oscar-winning director Ang Lee and Nobel Laureate Lee Yuan-tseh, made Taiwan proud after finding success in the U.S.

Having previously served in Pakistan, Lebanon, South Korea and Australia, the seasoned diplomat said that if there's one thing he has learned during his public service career, it would be that people tend to stress differences too much rather than looking at the "commonality we can share." (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls

Abuse case shows lack of knowledge of Muslim culture: Arab officials

Taipei, May 22 (CNA) A recent scandal in which a Taiwanese employer forced Muslim workers to eat pork exposed a lack of knowledge of Islam in Taiwan and could harm Taiwan's international image, representatives from the Middle East said in Taipei Saturday.

While most of them accepted that it was an individual case, the diplomats urged the government to take notice of the severity of the incident, which has drawn international criticism and a protest by labor activists and migrant workers May 16 to demand respect for religious freedom.

"It shows that the Middle East is misunderstood here. And it is an opportunity for Taiwan to learn more about Muslim culture, " said Sulaiwan Al-Mughairy, Director of the Commercial Office of the Sultanate of Oman-Taiwan, on the sidelines of a Middle Eastern Culture Exhibition organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and representative offices of various Middle Eastern countries.

He said he had learned of many cases in which Muslims are prohibited from praying five times a day and observing Ramadan -- the Islamic month of fasting -- and that such employers should be punished severely.

Muzaffer Eroktem, representative of the Turkish Trade Office, said the incident was an individual case but emphasized that all religions should be respected.

Taiwan has good reasons to know more about the Middle East, as there are 60,000 Muslims in Taiwan and bilateral trade between Taiwan and the region in the first half of the 2009 reached US$27.1 billion, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Javier Hou said, adding that 83 percent of Taiwan's oil imports come from the region.

Hou admitted that Taiwan's understanding of the Middle East is limited, which is why the cultural exhibition will also be held in the central city of Changhua May 29-30 and in Pingtung City, southern Taiwan, June 5-6.

Representatives from Jordan and Saudi Arabia also attended the exhibition, which showcased food, artifacts, paintings, clothing and travel information relating to the Middle East. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

Taiwan-Vatican City ties remain strong: foreign ministry

Taipei, May 11 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Tuesday reiterated that Taiwan-Holy See ties remain strong, amid media reports that Taiwan's relations with its only diplomatic ally in Europe are at risk because relations between China and the Holy See are warming up again.

Taiwan enjoys solid and stable relations with the Holy See and expects continued cooperation with the city state, said MOFA spokesman James Chang in response to a reporter's question regarding improving China-Vatican City ties.

Three bishops have been installed in China in the last three weeks with the approval of both China's government-sanctioned Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and Vatican City, the Financial Times of London reported Sunday. It also stated that as many as 20 bishops could be ordained over the coming months with the agreement of both sides.

As Pope Benedict XVI has listed establishing diplomatic relations with China as one of his priorities, the recent assignments signalled significant progress in bilateral relations and could mean that Taiwan's ties with the Holy See are in jeopardy, according to the local Want Daily.

"Religious freedom in China has always been one of Vatican's biggest concerns and we understand Holy See's concerns about the 10 million Catholics in China, " said Chang. "However, Vatican City and Taiwan share the same values and enjoy a longstanding friendship. We expect continued exchanges and development cooperation in the future on the basis of solid relations." He said that there have been extensive exchanges between Taiwan and the Holy See over the years, including visits by five Cardinal Bishops and more than 60 archbishops to Taiwan and a visit by Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng to the Holy See in 2009.

Senior diplomatic officials from China and Vatican City have been meeting two or three times a year in their ongoing effort to re-establish diplomatic relations. The last summit was held in Rome in February, and the next one is expected in Beijing this summer, the Financial Times reported.

It will be a complicated matter for the Holy See to establish diplomatic relations with China because Beijing still would not recognize the large number of so-called "underground Catholic churches" in China, said James Lee, deputy director-general of the MOFA's Department of European Affairs.

Diplomatic ties between China and the Holy See were severed in 1951 and bilateral relations deteriorated further in 2006 when China unilaterally consecrated two bishops who belonged to the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. (By Chris Wang) enditem /pc

Dalai Lama's first autobiography published in Chinese after 48 years

Taipei, March 10 (CNA) Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama's first autobiography has finally been published in Chinese, 48 years after it was first released in English, the book's publisher said Wednesday.

The Dalai Lama's first autobiography, titled "My Land and My People, " was published in English in 1962, three years after his flight into exile, but it was never published in Chinese due to the sensitivity of the issue, said Chou Mei-li, president of Taiwan Friends of Tibet, an organization supporting Tibetan democracy and also the book's publisher.

The publication date of the Chinese edition was selected to coincide with the 51st anniversary of Tibetan National Uprising Day, Chou said, adding that the publication "is long overdue for the Mandarin-speaking community." On March 10, 1959, Tibetans took to the streets to demand that the China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) pull out from the Himalayan region, nine years after the Chinese invasion. Weeks later, the PLA launched a brutal suppression that the Dalai Lama claims killed more than 80,000 Tibetans.

In order to raise the awareness for Tibet's struggle for democracy and freedom, Taiwan Friends of Tibet was scheduled to hold a candlelight vigil Wednesday evening, as well as a March 14 rally, to commemorate the anniversary, Chou said at a book-launching press conference.

"There are only six million Tibetans. We need your help, " said Dawa Tsering, representative to Taiwan of the exiled Tibetan government.

Helping Tibetans is helping the Taiwanese, because the two countries have both been fighting for their future under the threat from China, Chou said, noting that March 14 will also mark the fifth anniversary of China's passage of an anti-secession law targeting Taiwan.

The torch of Tibet's fight for freedom will be passed down from generation to generation forever, said Tashi Tsering, chairman of the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress in Taiwan, in a pre-recorded video.

"We will never forget what China has done to Tibet, " he added.

Meanwhile, the Dalai Lama said in a statement to mark the anniversary that "despite the great hardships Tibetans have faced for many decades, they have been able to keep up their courage and determination, preserve their compassionate culture and maintain their unique identity. It is inspiring that today a new generation of Tibetans continues to keep Tibet's just cause alive. I salute the courage of those Tibetans who are still enduring fear and oppression."

Silent protest in Taichung hopes to be the loudest

Taichung, Dec. 21 (CNA) When the motorcade carrying Chen Yunlin, China's top negotiator with Taiwan, arrived at a Taichung hotel Monday, he was welcomed by loud air horns and chants of "Taiwan, China -- one nation on each side." What he did not hear but could definitely see were numerous banners held high by Falun Gong practitioners, who comprised the bulk of the protesters kept at a distance by barricades.

Falun Gong is a system of spiritual beliefs and practices founded in China by Li Hongzhi in 1992. Before it was banned in China, there were 70 million to 100 million practitioners in China, according to the group's Web site.

"This is not really a protest. We're here to voice our opinion and express our views that Falun Gong practitioners are still being suppressed in China. And it's a wrong thing to do, " said a protest leader surnamed Chen.

Mr. Chen was among around 1,000 Falun Gong members who were scattered around different intersections and open areas surrounding the Windsor Hotel where Chen Yunlin is staying.

Coming from different parts of Taiwan, the Falun Gong demonstrators were easily differentiated from the so-called "political protesters", who can be identified by their loud chants.

"We probably don't say much publicly, but our determination is strong, " the Falun Gong's Chen said.

The group remained silent for much of the day, standing roadside and holding banners up to 10 meters long reading "Stop suppressing Falun Gong, " "The world needs truthfulness, compassion and forbearance" and "High-ranking Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials were prosecuted by a Spanish judge." A huge balloon also flew outside the hotel with an attached banner saying "stop suppressing Falun Gong." On Nov. 18, a Spanish judge indicted five high-ranking CCP officials for their role in crimes of torture and genocide committed against Falun Gong practitioners.

Among the defendants is former Communist Party boss Jiang Zemin, widely acknowledged as the chief instigator of the campaign.

On Dec. 17, an Argentine judge indicted and ordered the local Interpol branch to seek the arrest of two high-ranking CCP officials -- Jiang and Luo Gan -- for crimes against humanity committed against Falun Gong practitioners.

"We were always peaceful in expressing our views. With our fellow practitioners still being suppressed in China, the cases in Spain and Argentina and the arrival of Chen Yunlin, we feel that this is a good time to get our messages out, " the Falun Gong's Chen said.

Hundreds of Falun Gong members practiced their rituals in a lot located across the Windsor Hotel on Monday. Chen said they will remain there for 72 consecutive hours.

Falun Gong members will also gather at Sun Moon Lake, a well-known scenic spot in the central Nantou County especially popular with Chinese tourists, when the Chinese negotiator visits there Thursday, Chen said.

The Falun Gong spokesman also noted that the police have been friendly to its group of demonstrators, Chen noted.

"They still asked a lot of questions, but that's their job. I understand that, " he said, observing that the Falun Gong has seemingly become a sensitive issue for the government because China is not happy with the group.

Taiwan's government should do more to support the group and condemn China's persecution, said a practitioner surnamed Liao, who preferred not to reveal her full name.

Liao said she has been hoping for more support from the government, particularly from President Ma Ying-jeou, who according to Liao never hesitated to show his support for the group in the past but had failed to do so since assuming office as president.

"I thought this is a human rights issue and President Ma always advocated human rights as a universal value, didn't he? On top of that, he signed two United Nations human rights conventions this past year. Honestly, I'm disappointed with him, " Liao lamented.

The Falun Gong Web site says that more than 3,300 practitioners are confirmed to have died in China as a result of abuse in police custody or other forms of persecution since 1999.

According to the U.S. State Department, there are 600,000 Falun Gong practitioners in Taiwan, making it the largest contingent of practitioners outside of China.