Taipei City mayor Ma Ying-jeou yesterday criticized the Beijing
government for suppressing the Falun Gong movement, marking the first time a
well-known Taiwan political figure has spoken out over the matter.
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Falun Gong practitioners hold a candlelight vigil at the National Taiwan University stadium yesterday for the more than 533 fellow members killed in China since the Chinese government began its crackdown on the movement. PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES |
Ma showed up at a gathering of more than 5,000 Falun Gong followers at the
National Taiwan University stadium in Taipei yesterday.
The movement, which teaches breathing and meditation exercises based on a
mixture of Buddhist and Taoist doctrines, is banned in China where its
branded an <..>.
Ma accused Beijing of violating the freedom of religion, saying that he
“isn’t afraid of offending any government or regime.”
Ma called on China to rethink the diversity of Chinese culture and exercise
tolerance.
Ma also said Taiwan’s unification with China would be out of the question
until Beijing clears the names of people persecuted during and after the
Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989 that killed hundreds, perhaps thousands,
of students.
Ma has been widely tipped as the KMT’s presidential candidate in 2004 since
his landslide victory in Taipei’s mayoral election earlier this month.
Vice Minister of the Interior Hsu Ying-shen and NTU president Chen
Wei-jao also attended the gathering.
Chang Ching-hsi, chairman of the Falun Gong organization in Taiwan,
said the movement has never engaged in politics as Beijing fears, much less
plotted to overthrow the communist government.
Chang said more than 500 Falun Gong practitioners have been killed since
China began its crackdown on the movement more than three years ago.
Chang added that several hundred thousand Taiwanese are studying the
breathing and meditation exercises taught by the group.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2002/12/30/189110
Posting date: 31/Dec/2002
Original article date: 30/Dec/2002
Category: Media Report
