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Human Rights Jubilee Could Bring Unification of Chinese Catholics Pope Writes Chinese
Catholics' Patriotic Association Controlled by Party ZENIT(10.12.1999)/ HRWF
International Secretariat (15.12.1999) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email:
info@hrwf.net - John Paul II has made an unprecedented call for unity for the
Great Jubilee of the year 2000 in a letter to Chinese Catholics belonging to
the Patriotic Association -- a national church controlled by the Communist
Party, which does not accept papal authority. The Pope's announcement caught many
people by surprise: "I rejoiced when I learned that you intend your most
precious gift on the occasion of the Great Jubilee to be unity among yourselves
and unity with the Successor of Peter," he began. Archbishop Riberi, the Vatican's
Inter-Nuncio in China was expelled from the country in 1951, at a time of
repression of Christians by the Communist Party. Six years later, the Chinese
Catholics' Patriotic Association was established in Shanghai, as an organism of
the Communist Party to oppose papal primacy, considered a foreign authority
and, therefore, illegitimate. In 1958 the first consecration of two
"official" bishops was effected. At present, there are some 10
million Catholics in China. Just over half are faithful to Rome, in spite of
the persecution campaign unleashed by the regime to oblige them to form part of
the Patriotic Association. There are 70 "official" bishops, and 60
who belong to the Underground Church, openly faithful to Rome. However, many of
the "official" bishops adhere to the Patriotic Association because
otherwise they would be unable to act. In private, they admit their adherence
to the Pope. In fact, during Mass, all bishops, even those working with
permission from the Communist Party, pray for John Paul II. There are about
1,000 "official" priests, and about the same number of
"Un-official" priests. Both the Church that is faithful to Rome, as
well as the Patriotic Association, each have about 2000 nuns. There are 14
official seminaries and 10 non-official. Negotiations are underway at present
between the Vatican and Beijing, to try to reestablish diplomatic relations,
which were interrupted at the time of Archbishop Riberi. However, as a
condition, Rome requires the dissolution of the Patriotic Association. This is,
perhaps, the most difficult issue to resolve, as the Communist Party is opposed
to the idea. Many "official" Catholics, however, have declared they
are totally amenable. According to the international
agency "Fides," even hardline bishops of the official Church in China
are supporting the Jubilee celebrations. Meeting in a Synod last October, they
made concrete proposals for the celebration of the year 2000. A few days ago,
Bishop Fu Tieshan of Beijing, who is close to the Party, pointed out the
important churches of the city as the Jubilee places where pilgrims will be
able to gain the indulgence. The official Jubilee symbol can been seen in all
Catholic Churches. What is most interesting,
"Fides" explained, is that some Chinese Catholics are planning to
travel to Rome for the Jubilee. "To date, these hopeful pilgrims have not
received an answer from the government," the agency clarified. The Natang Cathedral in Beijing has
opened an Internet site for the Jubilee (http://www.sapientia.netfirms.com/) in
which there is information on the Church, the Jubilee, Christian art, and
Catholic books that can be purchased by post. In his letter, John Paul II explains
that this change in attitude of Catholics of the Patriotic Association does not
in any way mean giving up their pride "as good Chinese and authentic
Christians; you love your country and you love the Church, both local and
universal." The Pope hopes that the Jubilee will
be an opportunity to remember the Church's martyrs. "My heart overflows
with wonder and gratitude to God for the generous witness given by a host of
bishops, priests, men and women religious, and lay people. And it seems that
the time of trial, in some places, has not yet come to an end!" Falun Gong Fined 10
Million For Tax Dodging Agence France Presse (10.12.1999)/
HRWF 15.12.1999) Website http:www.hrwf.net - Email info@hrwf.net China's outlawed Falungong
spiritual group and its founder Li Hongzhi have been hit with a 10 million-yuan
(1.2 million dollars) fine for tax evasion, state press reported Friday. "The evidence fully exposes Li
Hongzhi's true evil nature of taking advantage of the Chinese people to further
his political ambitions and become filthy rich in the process," tax
officials were quoted as saying. "In a preliminary survey done
between 1994 and 1998, Li Hongzhi and Falun Dafa Reasearch Society acquired
2.68 million yuan (323,500 dollars) from giving lectures and conducting other
activities without declaring any tax," Xinhua news agency reported. Other Falungong organizations
nationwide earned more than 22 million yuan (2.6 million dollars) from selling
materials, books and audio visual products, it said. Falungong was outlawed nationwide on
July 22 after the group staged a series of protests nationwide calling for the
protection of their right to meet and practice morning meditation exercises in
Chinese parks. Following an April 25 demonstration
of some 10,000 Falungong followers around the headquarters of the Communist
Party in central Beijing, the government has moved to brand the group the
biggest threat to political stability since the 1989 Tiananmen democracy
protests. Over 35,000 followers of the group
have landed in police custody, while trials of the groups leaders have resulted
in prison sentences of up to 12 years. An arrest warrant for Li Hongzhi was
issued in July, but Chinese attempts to have him extradited from his exile in
the US have so far failed. The Falungong group advocates clean
living and high moral standards and boasts a following of up to 100 million
people world wide. China refutes US charges on religious affairs CHina Daily News (10.12.1999) / HRWF
(15.12.1999) Website http://www.hrwf.net - Email info@hrwf.net
China's religious study institute released a long article Wednesday to refute
the United States goVernment's unfair charges against the country's religious
affairs. The China section of the US State
Department's "Annual Report on International Religious Freedom for
1999" distorts facts and harbors ulterior motives, said the article from
the Chinese Religious Studies Center. The report, issued by the US State
Department in September, irresponsibly commented on religious affairs in many
countries. A month later, the US Congress held
hearings on the subject and listed China and several other countries as
countries for " special concern" and impose sanctions against these
countries. "Leaving aside the question of
whether the United States has the right to interfere with the domestic affairs
of other countries according to its domestic laws, let's first have an analysis
of what a trash the report is", the article said. The report has presented its
arguments from a biased viewpoint and never broken free of its traditional
thinking of the Cold War. With pre-conceived prejudice, the
report held that there exists no religious freedom in China. It reasoned that since China is a
country ruled by the Communists, China could not possibly allow religious freedom
since Communists are atheists, and that the Chinese government could only
confine and control the development of religions. Proceeding from this, the report
tried all it could, even went so far as to resort to fact-distorting and
fabrication, to attain the so-called "facts" for its wrong arguments,
the article said. At present, China has over 100
million religious believers, 85, 000 places for religious activities, 300,000
religious workers, and 3,000 religious groups. Religious groups have also established
74 religious schools and universities, the article added. China's religious groups handle
their own affairs, manage their own educational institutes, publish their own
religious books and magazines, and sponsor their own social welfare activities. The rights of religious workers and
religious believers are fully protected by law and no interference in their
affairs is tolerated, it said. It is fair to say that at the
present time the implementation of China's policy of religious freedom is being
enforced stronger than ever before, the article noted. As a government document from a
world power, the US State Department report is full of contradictions and
logical fallacies. The US report cites bits of
sentences and words from short reports and even rumors, chasing the wind and
clutching at shadows to make groundless accusations and present a one-sided
picture of conditions in China. The report reflects not only a
bureaucratic work style and irresponsible attitude on the part of the US
administration and Congress, but also demonstrates hegemonism on the part of a
world power, the article noted. This irresponsible report will
ultimately harm the existing good relations between China and the US, and
eventually endanger the long-term interests of the US itself, it added. China Arrests 103 Underground Religious Leaders Agence France Presse (09.12.1999) -
China has arrested 103 underground religious leaders in the past three weeks,
as it extends its crack down on the outlawed Falungong group into other groups
suspected of being cults, a human rights group said Thursday. The people arrested are from groups
which combine teachings of Christianity with local culture, the Hong Kong-based
Information Centre of Human Rights and Democratic Movement in China said in a
statement. In one case in Xiangtan city in
Hunan province, police arrested 75 members of the All Scope Sect on November
19. The sect, also known as Born Again
Sect or Callout Sect, was set up in Hunan in 1985 by overseas and local home
church groups. The sect leader Xu Yongze was
sentenced to three years in prison in 1997, which ignited international
condemnation at the time. In another case which happened on
November 23, at least 15 people from the Orient Lightning Sect were arrested in
Henan province's Tanghe county. In Guangdong province's Nanxiong
city, authorities arrested 13 members of the Zhu Shen Sect on November 22. Since the National People's Congress
in October declared a crack down on cults, especially Falungong, authorities
have begun treating the groups and seven other relatively large, rural-based
Christian groups as evil religions. These groups are believed to have
three million followers in China. Their teachings are based on a combination of
Christianity and Chinese local culture. The information centre said China is
unfairly labelling these groups as cults eventhough some of them, including the
All Scope Sect and Callout Sect, are considered proper home churches by
overseas religious organizations. But because these two groups refused
to submit themselves under the control of the state, so they are labeled evil
religions, the information centre said. China in the past few months has
arrested thousands practitioners of Falungong, which authorities consider the
biggest threat to political and social stability since the 1989 Tiananmen
Square pro-democracy movement. The group rattled authorities in
April when 10,000 members staged a protest in Beijing against arrest of its
members. The Associated Press (09.12.1999) -
Chinese authorities have detained 103 people who belong to non-mainstream
Christian sects, expanding the state crackdown on groups it regards as cults, a
human rights group said Thursday. Authorities targeted sects that
mixed Western Christian doctrines with elements taken from Chinese culture, the
Hong Kong-based Information Center of Human Rights and Democratic Movement in
China said. Some of the groups held mainstream beliefs, while others were more
unorthodox. Officially, China is atheist, but
allows state-registered churches on the mainland. Communist authorities have
long harassed and suppressed Christians who worship outside the registered
churches. Officials are especially suspicious
of fringe groups in China's vast countryside, which they think could see an
upsurge in apocalyptic and superstitious belief with the millennium. In July, the government banned the
multimillion-member Falun Gong spiritual movement and labeled it a cult. In
October, the legislature tightened a law against cults to make it easier to
punish Falun Gong leaders. Authorities also designated 10
non-mainstream Christian sects as cults, saying the groups developed rurally
and had about 3 million followers, the Information Center said. From one of the 10 groups "the
All Scope sect " 75 members were detained Nov. 19 in southern Hunan
province, the center said. In central Henan province, 15
members of the Orient Lightning sect were taken in on Nov. 23, and another 13
members of the Zhu Shen sect were detained Nov. 22 in southern Guangdong
province, the center said. It did not say if they were still in
detention. Though China allows some Christian
churches on the mainland, its relations with the Vatican remain tense. Among
other things, China has demanded that the Vatican break ties with Taiwan as a
condition for establishing diplomatic relations. China Against US Double Standard on Falun Gong Cult People's daily (08.12.1999) - China
is indignant over the US government's double standard on the Falun Gong Sect.
The US appears to be totally oblivious to the pernicious influence of the sect
in China and continues to meddle in China's internal affairs, Chinese Foreign
Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said on December 7. In reply to a question that US
President Bill Clinton expressed concern over China's stance on dealing with
the Falun Gong cult yesterday, Zhang Qiyue said China urges the US government
to take back comments made on the sect that might place new obstacles to
Sino-US relations. According to incomplete statistics,
more than 1,400 people have died practising Falun Gong. Many practitioners have
lost their mind and families have broken up, causing untoll social problems,
she said. "Numerous undisputed facts have
shown that the Falun Gong cult undermines Chinese society and harms the Chinese
people," said Zhang, adding that the vast majority of Falun Gong
practitioners have come to realize the destructive nature of the cult and that
the Chinese government banned the cult according to law, protecting basic human
rights and freedom of all Chinese citizens. The government's action against the
cult has won unanimous support from the Chinese people including the religious
personnel, said Zhang, adding that the international community, including an
increasing number of the Americans are now realizing the deleterious influence
of the Falun Gong cult. Li Dexian Released this Morning CHRISTIAN SOLIDARITY WORLDWIDE
(08.12.1999)/HRWF International Secretariat (09.12.1999) - Website:
http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - Li Dexian, the Chinese House
Church leader, was released during the early hours of this morning. Li was
arrested at 10.00 a.m. yesterday as he sought to commence his popular Tuesday morning
meeting in Huadu. He was released unharmed and in good health. The officers accused Li of fighting
and struggling against the communist party. Li responded that, he as one
person, could not of course fight against such a power, but that it was rather
a case that they are struggling against God, a fight that it is not possible to
win. The officers were silenced by this response and then turned to another
form of attack, accusing Li of disturbing society. Li respectfully pointed out
that it was the police who had destroyed the shelter where the meetings are
held, and who have been harassing the church members for the last two months. Li has been the subject of an
ongoing campaign of intimidation and persecution during the last two months,
during which the shelter for his meetings has been destroyed and he has been
arrested five times and held for a period of fifteen days. Three other believers are still in
detention, following arrest on 28th November. Mr Kong, his sister and Mr Leong
are being held for fifteen days for their religious activities, and are due to
be released on December 13th. CSW's Advocacy Consultant stated:
"The accusations by the police that Li is struggling against the party and
is disturbing society are obviously a cause for concern regarding religious
freedom. Li has simply been carrying out peaceful religious activities, yet the
authorities persistently refuse to allow him to carry these out in peace.
Although we are pleased Li has been released, these repeated arrests show that it
is important to continue to monitor and raise this situation, in order to
protect both Li and the principle of religious freedom." For further information and
photographs, please contact Stuart Windsor at the CSW Office in London on + 44
181 942 8810. China Wiping Out Negative Influence of Falun Gong People's daily (07.12.1999) China is
still in a campaign to wipe out the negative influence of the Falun Gong cult
headed by Li Hongzhi, which was outlawed in July. In Jiangsu Province, east China,
colleges and universities are trying to help Falun Gong practitioners,
especially teachers and other senior intellectuals, to get aware of the
heresies of the cult. The Nanjing University of
Aeronautics and Astronautics in the province's capital sent educational
materials to the homes of student practitioners, and asked their parents to
help students understand the evil nature of the Falun Gong cult. Teachers and students at the Hebei
Normal University, in north China, held a forum recently to expose and criticize
the fallacies spread by the cult. A neighborhood committee in
Dongsheng Street in Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province,
helped 104 Falun Gong followers alter their erroneous opinions and adopt a
healthy lifestyle by solving real problems in their life. In another development, the public
security department in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning Province in northeast
China, seized a number of illegal Falun Gong propaganda sheets from some
practitioners. Christian Solidarity Worldwide
(07.12.1999)/ HRWF International Secretariat (08.12.1999) - Website:
http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - Li Dexian, the Chinese House
Church preacher, was arrested this morning at ten o'clock at his meeting place
in Huadu. Unusually, there is no news as to where he has been taken or what the
intention of the police is on this occasion. Further news is hoped for later
today. Li had been released only two weeks
ago, on 24th November, after being held for fifteen days. The arrest that led
to this detention was the fourth in as many weeks. The current campaign against
Li started on Monday October 11th when around 200 police officers arrived at
his meeting place and destroyed the shelter attached to the building. Li was
arrested the following day and then on the three subsequent Tuesdays. Just over a week ago, on 28th
November, police arrested four Christians at an unregistered church service in
the village of XinHe. Three of those arrested are currently serving 15 days
detention. The police told the detainees that they were very foolish as
"your head has been dealt with, yet you still open the church
meetings". This was a clear reference to the measures and intimidation
used against Li. The comment shows the significance attached by the authorities
to their crackdown on Li. CSW's Advocacy Consultant stated:
"It is deeply disturbing that Li has been arrested yet again and the
persistence of the intimidation and persecution gives grave cause for concern.
We are therefore anxious that this situation should receive continual attention
until Pastor Li's right to carry out his religious activities is fully
respected." CSW is asking for those concerned to
contact the Chinese authorities to raise concern about the persistent
persecution of Li. (Those in the United Kingdom can contact the Embassy of the
People's Republic of China to the United Kingdom, 49-51 Portland Place, London
W1N 4JL, fax 0171- 636 2981, phone 0171-636 5726, Ambassador: His Excellency
Mr. Ma Zhengang.) For further information and
photographs, please contact Tina Lambert at the CSW Office in London on + 44
181 942 8810. China police target another spiritual movement Reuters(04.12.1999) / HRWF
(10.12.1999) Website http://www.hrwf.net - Email info@hrwf.net - Police in
China's central Shaanxi province have shut down the largest base of Zhong Gong,
a spiritual movement similar to the outlawed Falun Gong and dispersed around
2,000 practitioners, a rights group said. The Hong Kong-based Information
Centre of Human Rights and Democratic Movement in China said on Saturday this
could mean the government had branded Zhong Gong an ``evil cult.'' China has declared Falun Gong ``an
evil cult'' and has vowed to wipe out what it sees as a threat to communist
rule. Some of the movement's leaders have been jailed. Zhong Gong, which claims about 20
million followers in China and overseas, was founded in the early 1990s by Qi
Gong master Zhang Hongbao, now 40. He is under close watch in Xian city, Frank
Lu, founder of the rights group said. The Zhong Gong centre in Shaanxi is
called the China Traditional Culture Training Institute. The movement combines classical Qi
Gong with elements of traditional Chinese culture. It has eight levels of
development, stressing the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Those who reach
the fourth level are said to acquire powers such as greatly enhanced vision and
hearing. Falun Gong, banned in July, mixes
Buddhist and Taoist beliefs with meditation and breathing exercises. The group
stunned the central government in April when more than 10,000 members protested
outside Beijing's Zhongnanhai leadership compound. China last week denied reports it
had detained more than 35,000 members of Falun Gong, saying the figure
represented those followers prevented by police from holding gatherings in
Beijing. More Falun Gong Detained in Beijing AP(03.12.1999)/ HRWF (03.12.1999)/
Website http://www.hrwf.net - Email info@hrwf.net -- Chinese police detained at
least nine people Friday in Tiananmen Square, including two women who had
struck a pose used by the banned Falun Gong meditation group. The government has been cracking
down on suspected members of the Falun Gong for several months, saying the
popular group is a threat to the Communist Party's monopoly on power and social
order. The two women detained had posed in
a meditation stance briefly in front of someone taking a picture of a group of
Japanese boys on a school trip. Police, who were patrolling the
square in large numbers, put the women into one of half a dozen police vans,
and drove them away. Police also confiscated and broke
the disposable camera one of the boys had used to take a picture of the women.
They also held a foreign news photographer for an hour of questioning and confiscated
his film. Falun Gong members have been going
to the square to protest the government's ban, imposed in July. Some have
conducted low-key protests before being whisked away within moments by police. Because the square is so large and
usually filled with tourists, it is impossible to know how many Falun Gong
members have been detained there. Police have refused to reveal the number. The group has drawn millions of
followers nationwide since it was founded in 1992, and its teachings draw from
Buddhism, Taoism and China's traditional practice of slow-motion exercises and
meditation. Three to be
detained for 15 Days CSW (03.12.1999)/ HRWF (07.12.1999)
Website http://www.hrwf.net - Email info@hrwf.net - Four Christians were
arrested on Sunday 28th November at an unregistered church service in the
village of XinHe in China. One was released after interrogation, but the other
three were given immediate terms of 15 days in prison. The three still held are
Mr Kong, his sister and Mr Leong. Mr Kong has been arrested for
leading an unregistered church on several previous occasions. His daughter has
been denied a place in the local school and his electricity has been
arbitrarily cut off. The detainees were told that they were
very foolish for holding the meeting, and were told "your head has been
dealt with, yet you still open the church meetings." This was a reference
to Li Dexian, an important House Church leader who had been released four days
earlier after 15 days of detention. Li's most recent release followed four
arrests in as many weeks after the police destroyed a shelter attached to his
church meeting place in Huadu on 11th October. A source close to the churches
in the area stated today "it appears that all churches in the Huadu area
are being targeted". The arrests of Li and his church
members have been accompanied by incidents of violence and threats, including
the threat against Li that if he carried out his religious activities the
following week, he would be beaten until he collapsed. The inspiration for the attacks in
Huadu has been attributed to a speech made by President Jiang Zemin on October
1st , in which he stated that China would be pursing a policy of State control
of religion. It is feared that the drastic measures taken against Li may be
applied in other parts of China. CSW's Advocacy Consultant states:
"CSW is deeply concerned about this ongoing campaign of intimidation and
harassment of House Church Christians in China. The fact that these Christians
were told that their "head has been dealt with" shows how far the
authorities have intended their campaign to affect not only Li, but House
Churches more broadly." For further information, please
contact Tina Lambert at the CSW Office in London on + 44 181 942 8810. Australian Falungong members released World News from Radio Australia
(28.11.1999)/ HRWF (01.12.1999) - Website http://www.hrwf.net - Email
info@hrwf.net - Two Australian members of the meditation sect, Falungong, have
been released from jail in southern China. An American follower of the group
has also been released and deported. Jane Hutcheon reports from Beijing. The two Sydney women, Jiang Hui Jie
and Jiang Xi Li, were arrested with two other practitioners on the outskirts of
Guangzhou on Thursday. They'd arrived in China two weeks
ago to lend support to Falungong followers - the 100-million strong spiritual
movement which China banned in July, calling it an evil cult. An American
practitioner arrested with the Australian women was released and deported on
Friday. Jane Hutcheon, Beijing. Chinese Sect Protests Spying Charges Against
Leaders By Michael Laris Washington Post
Foreign Service (27.10.1999) - Members of the banned Falun Gong spiritual
movement gathered in Tiananmen Square for the second straight day today in
quiet civil disobedience meant to show Chinese leaders, and others around the
world, that they have no plans to bend under a renewed campaign of government
pressure. Police detained
dozens of followers as they sat in the center of the vast square that is the
main arena for political demonstrations by and against the Chinese government.
Officers asked a number of others milling around nearby if they were members of
Falun Gong, and when they said yes, police put them into blue and white
minibuses and drove them away as well. The protest came in
response to a government announcement that jailed leaders of the exercise and
meditation group will be prosecuted for the capital crime of stealing state
secrets. Dozens of followers were detained on the square Monday while holding a
separate sit-in against a proposed law that would ban "heretic
cults." "I am absolutely
not scared," said one practitioner who gave up her job as an office clerk
in a southern Chinese city to come to Beijing to protest. "We believe that
danger doesn't exist. If they arrest me, it's only on the surface. Even
prisoners have freedom." She suggested that
arrests can help spread the word about her group, adding: "We want many
more people to know . . . about Falun Gong." "We don't oppose
the government. We just want to kindly tell them that we are good," added
the woman's husband, who said he cured his hepatitis by practicing Falun Gong.
"If they criticize us, or beat us, we'll face them with kindness." The continued refusal
of Falun Gong followers to submit to the government's July 22 ban on the
group--despite widespread detentions, a relentless propaganda campaign and
signals that leaders will be harshly punished--has presented an unusual
challenge to the Chinese government. China's leaders have
appeared baffled by the depth of loyalty and belief shown by members of the
group and surprised that their tools for stifling dissent have not been
effective. State media reported that the followers have held more than 300
protests in the past three months. President Jiang Zemin
has voiced bewilderment at foreign critics who say the Chinese crackdown
violates religious freedom. On overseas trips, Jiang has offered foreign
leaders the explanation that any responsible government would behave in a
similar fashion to save their societies from such a dangerous group. He has
argued that Falun Gong has claimed the
lives of more than 1,400 followers. But Falun Gong has, for a variety of reasons, filled a deep void for many inside China. Wang Shan, an
independent political analyst in Beijing, said the Falun Gong movement marked
the first time since 1949 that China's workers have been centrally involved in
a movement that, at least indirectly, challenged the authority of the Communist
Party. He said the movement reflected the deep alienation of many workers with
China's reforms. Workers' wages have been flat nationwide for several years,
and in the countryside they have been falling. China Arrests Catholic Bishop and Priests Zenit (14.09.1999)/HRWF International Secretariat (15.09.1999) - In
central-eastern China, the police arrested four representatives of the
"clandestine" Catholic Church, which is faithful to the Pope but not
officially recognized by the Chinese government. The information was given by
the Cardinal Kung Foundation, from its headquarters in the United States. Bishop Lin Xili, who is 81 years-old and had spent 20 years in jail for
his fidelity to Rome; and Fathers Wang Chenzhi and Shao Zhumin, were arrested
in early September in Wenzhou, in the Zhejiang region. Fr. Chu Guangyao, of the
Shanghai diocese, was arrested on August 16, the Kung Foundation stated. There are over 10 million Catholics in China, divided between the
Patriotic Catholic Church, controlled by the government; and the clandestine
Church, persecuted for its ties with the Holy See. China
Cops Arrest 40 Christians AP/HRWF International Secretariat (30.08.1999) - Website:
http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - Police have arrested 40 leading
members of Protestant groups in the latest detentions aimed at crushing
underground churches in central China, a rights group reported Thursday. Police arrested the activists as they gathered in the home of Niu
Jianhua in Henan province's Tanghe county Tuesday night, according to the Hong
Kong-based Information Center of Human Rights and Democratic Movement in China.
None have been released, it said. Among those arrested was Wang Jincai, a leader of a controversial group
known as the Shouters, according to the center. Wang, who began preaching in underground churches in the 1980s, had
finished serving three years in a labor camp only five days before his latest
arrest, the group added. In addition to Wang, leaders from at least four other Protestant groups
were among those detained, the center said. China's communist government forbids worship outside state-sanctioned
institutions. But over the past 20 years as free-market reforms have eclipsed
Marxist ideology and social controls have loosened, religious practice has
soared. Many have turned to underground, or ``house,'' churches, which are more
charismatic and evangelical than the official non-denominational Protestant
church. Henan police have staged repeated raids on gatherings over the past 10
months. Eight people were arrested a week before Tuesday's detentions. U.N.
Asked to Intervene to Protect Falun Gong's Rights Human Rights Watch (22.07.1999)/HRWF (27.07.1999) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - Human Rights Watch today strongly condemned the
Chinese government's nationwide ban on the practice of Falun Gong. It urged the
release of the organization's leaders and members arbitrarily detained in a
nationwide sweep aimed at suppressing the group. Human Rights Watch called on the international community to protest the
ban, and urged Mary Robinson, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights, to intervene with Chinese officials at the highest levels. Robinson
visited China and Tibet in September 1998. In 1994, the U.N. Special Rapporteur
on Religious Intolerance also visited China and made recommendations for
specific reforms, but none of them have yet been implemented. "This ban affects thousands of ordinary Chinese citizens,"
said Mike Jendrzejczyk, Washington Director of the Asia Division of Human
Rights Watch. "The Chinese people have a right to exercise their faiths
peacefully." Jendrzejczyk said the rights to freedom of belief and free
association and assembly were guaranteed by the Chinese constitution and
international law. On July 22, the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs denounced Falun Gong
as an "illegal organization", banned its practice in public or
private, and accused the group of "engaging in illegal activities,
advocating superstition and spreading fallacies" as well as
"jeopardizing social stability". Beginning on July 20, organizers of
the group were detained in several cities and provinces. There have also been
reports of many Falun Gong followers detained in cities around China as they
tried to mount protests against the detention of the organization's leaders. Falun Gong is a worldwide organization committed to the improvement of
its practitioners' physical and mental well-being through exercise and
meditation. It has a growing following in China, though exact numbers are
difficult to determine. For further information: Mike Jendrzejczyk (Washington) + 1 202 612-4341
(w) +1 301 585 5824 (h) Websites and Email
Addresses About China This issue is dedicated to providing a list of print and electronic
media resources about China. The list is by no means comprehensive. An effort
has been made to limit the list to English language sources. However, some of the
web sites listed contain links to Chinese language sites. Most of the resources
here fall in the category of secular media simply because there are far more
secular organizations providing news coverage of events in China. Many of the
resources listed here are also available in print, such as the newspapers and
magazines. Inclusion on the list does not mean that Human Rights Without
Frontiers endorses or agrees with the viewpoints expressed in any of these
media. This list of resources coming from " China News and Church Report
" (CNCR) is provided for CNCR readers to assist them in finding other
avenues for readily accessible reports on events in China. Amity News Service The official news service of the China Christian Counsel. http://www.hk.super.net/~amityhk/ ATLA Religion Database http://www.library.yale.edu/div/atla.htm Brigada A system of conferences and forums about missions. Compass Direct A very good source of information on the persecuted church worldwide
with many reports about the church in China. Available by print or email
version. For subscription information contact: Compass Direct Phone: 949-862-0314 P.O. Box 27250 Fax: 949-752-6536 Santa Ana, CA 92799 E-mail: compassdr@compuserve.com USA The Connection For a suggested donation of $10 per year, The Connection may be
requested from: China Source 501 College Ave. Wheaton, IL 60187 E-mail:china@xc.org or 630.752.7951 Hong Kong Christian Institute http://www.freeway.org.hk/hkci/english/index.html International Christian Concern A Christian human rights organization focusing on the persecution of
Christians. Taiwan Mission Quarterly http://members.aol.com/taimission/ Magazines Asiaweek Ching Feng An academic journal published by the Christian Study Centre On Chinese
Religion And Culture Tao fong Shan Shatin, N.T. Hong Kong Available online in the ATLA Religion Database through BRS Information
Technologies and DIALOG Information Services ATLA Religion Database http://www.library.yale.edu/div/atla.htm Dialog World's largest online information company The Economist Far Eastern Economic Review HarvardChinaReview |