Day: July 18, 2021

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A Question of Religious Freedom: Tai Ji Men Case in Taiwan

Tai Ji Men’s Protest in the US

Tai Ji Men members from various cities of the United States protest against the 24-year persecution of Tai Ji Men by a few rogue bureaucrats in Taiwan in front of the White House on July 16, 2021.

Lack of Accountability for Rogue Bureaucrats’ Persecution of Tai Ji Men Perpetuates the Unjust Case for 24 Years

Action Alliance to Redress 1219 is a partner of International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit 2021, the largest and most important religious freedom event of the year, took place in the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington D.C. on July 13–15, with over 1,000 people in attendance. As a Summit partner, the Action Alliance to Redress 1219 hosted its second workshop titled “A Question of Justice: The Tai Ji Men Case” on July 15, with over 4,300 advocates for religious liberty participating in the event either in person or online.

As the workshop started, former U.S. Ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback, co-chair of the IRF Summit 2021, greeted the audience and thanked Bitter Winter, an online magazine, for being a co-sponsor for the Summit. Ambassador Brownback praised Prof. Massimo Introvigne, editor-in-chief of Bitter Winter, for being a great investigator, who wrote about what happened to Tai Ji Men in Taiwan. Ambassador Brownback stated that freedom of religion is a fundamental human right, without which humanity cannot flourish. He emphasized that this right should be safeguarded for everyone, everywhere, all the time. This sentiment also aligns with this Summit’s Charter of Religious Freedom, which highlights the “freedom of religion and conscience.” While different religious groups may practice their values in various ways, “we believe governments’ role is to protect that innate right of a person to select their own course of future for their soul,” stated Ambassador Brownback.

During the Summit, Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, president of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice and co-chair of the IRF Summit 2021, emphasized the importance of conscience, saying that if people can always keep themselves attuned to hear their conscience, it will whisper to them the difference between right and wrong despite the temptations and ugliness in the world. The concept of conscience mentioned by Dr. Swett is very relevant to the Tai Ji Men case.

Pamela Chen, on behalf of tens of thousands of Tai Ji Men dizi (disciples), pointed out that their religious freedom has been violated in Taiwan for 24 years. She lamented that “Taiwan’s taxation bureau issued unlawful tax bills to Tai Ji Men simply based on a fabricated indictment, without conducting any substantive investigation. That was against conscience. In 2007, Taiwan’s Supreme Court found Tai Ji Men not guilty of tax evasion or any other charges, confirming that Tai Ji Men did not owe any tax, but Taiwan’s taxation bureau continued to impose unjustified taxes on Tai Ji Men. That was against conscience. The leader of Tai Ji Men did not owe any tax, but his land intended for a spiritual center was confiscated. That was theft of his property and was against conscience. We are Tai Ji Men dizi in the U.S. We are now speaking out to the international community, seeking support to urge the Taiwanese government to correct its mistakes and implement true democracy and human rights.”

“Tai Ji Men is a spiritual organization that practices qigong and martial arts, with 15 academies in the United States and Taiwan. It has been dedicated to promoting a culture of love, peace, and conscience. To date, it has traveled to 101 countries, influencing heads of state and leaders of all countries to do the right thing,” added Chen.

Kenneth Jacobsen, professor of law at Temple University, Philadelphia, the U.S. and former advisor to U.S. President Bill Clinton, has studied the Tai Ji Men case for years and written a paper on this case. He shared that he was offended by the major violations of law by the few rogue bureaucrats throughout the Tai Ji Men case. Like Tai Ji Men dizi (disciples), Prof. Jacobsen loves Taiwan and the people of Taiwan, and that is exactly the reason why these officials should be held accountable so that no one else will suffer. Prof. Jacobsen ended by calling upon President Tsai Ing-wen and other leaders of Taiwan to “fix the mistakes of the past. “To allow errors to continue, to perpetuate mistakes that were made in the past is as bad, if not worse, than committing those mistakes in the first place.” Prof. Jacobsen stated, “What I would like to say to the Taiwan government is: ‘Do the right thing!’”

Prof. Massimo Introvigne, sociologist, managing director of Center for Studies on New Religions, and co-author of a white paper on the Tai Ji Men case, joined the workshop remotely, emphasizing that Taiwan is a democratic country. “Wrong bureaucrats of course exist everywhere, including in my own country of Italy, but the democratic test is whether other powers in a democratic state are able to keep rogue bureaucrats in check.” He said that Tai Ji Men is really a vibrant, flourishing religious culture and that “I believe friends of Taiwan precisely should be in the first row calling for a solution of the Tai Ji Men case.” He emphasized that the Tai Ji Men case “is not a tax case, if it was, it would have been settled long ago. It is a matter of principle and a test for freedom of religion or belief.”

Marco Respinti, director in charge of Bitter Winter, also attended the forum online. He said that Bitter Winter has closely and regularly followed the Tai Ji Men case. The case is a tragedy because it is a story of the prosecution of the innocent at the beginning and then goes on for almost a quarter of a century. Respinti said that it is a journalist’s responsibility to focus on cases like the Tai Ji Men case and confront a prosecutor’s untrue accusations, such as raising goblins. Taiwan stands for democracy, and he urges the Taiwanese government to clear the names of Tai Ji Men Shifu (master) and dizi (disciples) and re-establish justice. Respinti calls for all media’s to report typical human rights violation cases like the Tai Ji Men case and to ultimately rectify the case.

About Action Alliance to Redress 1219: Action Alliance to Redress 1219 is a group of international and Taiwanese legal, religious, and human rights specialists working to restore the truth about the ongoing persecution of Tai Ji Men in Taiwan by a small group of bureaucrats that has lasted for 24 years, as well as their misuse of authority and violations of the law. In addition to rectifying the Tai Ji Men case and revealing the truth, it is also committed to defending religious freedom, speaking out for related injustices in Taiwan. The Alliance calls on those in power not to ignore people’s fundamental human rights and demands that perpetrators be held accountable to protect democracy, the rule of law, and justice.

Media Contact:
Lily Chen
Representative
admin@act1219.org
626-202-5268
https://act1219.org/eng/

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/64aeaf34-80a7-489a-aef0-1553fe693ebc

The photo is also available at Newscom, www.newscom.com, and via AP PhotoExpress.

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West Papua residents urged to maintain peace ahead of Idul Adha

Manokwari, W Papua (ANTARA) – West Papua Governor Dominggus Mandacan has urged all residents to maintain peace and harmony as their Muslim brothers and sisters across the province will celebrate Idul Adha (Day of Sacrifice), which is set to fall on July 20.

The celebrations are taking place in the COVID-19 pandemic that has forced the West Papua Provincial Government to impose the emergency public activity restrictions in Manokwari District and Sorong City, he said.

“I urge all religious communities in West Papua to keep practicing tolerance ahead of the Idul Adha festivity that our Muslim brothers and sisters will celebrate on July 20,” he said.

During the enforcement of the partial lockdown amid growing threats of Delta variant, the Ministry for Religious Affairs has called on Muslim communities in Indonesia to perform the Idul Adha prayers at home.

In his capacity as the chairman of the West Papua chapter of National Democratic Party (Nasdem), Dominggus Mandacan said he has donated 80 cattle to be distributed to 11 districts and cities across the province.

On Saturday, Mandacan symbolically handed over one of the donated cows to the Al Hijrah Borobudur Mosque manager, La Hada, in Manokwari City.

The Nasdem party’s executive board members, legislators, and cadres in West Papua participated in buying the cattle to be donated so as to show their solidarity and care for Muslim communities, he added.

The cattle are donated to several mosques in the districts of Manokwari, Manokwari Selatan, Teluk Wondama, Teluk Bintuni, Kaimana, Fakfak, Sorong, Sorong Selatan, Tambrauw, and Raja Ampat, as well as Sorong City. Early this week, Dominggus Mandacan had announced the commencement of the partial lockdown to help the provincial government cope with a resurgence of infections.

The decision to impose the partial lockdown from July 12 to July 20 was made after considering the recent surge in infections, the conditions in hospitals, and the vaccination rates in Manokwari and Sorong, he said.

The imposition of the partial lockdown is supported by assessment level 4 criteria such as hospital bed occupancy, which has exceeded 65 percent, and a significant spike in COVID-19 cases, he informed.

Vaccination rates in the two areas, which have remained below 50 percent, are also among the parameters considered for the lockdown, Mandacan said, adding that West Papua remains categorized as a red zone, or an area with a very high risk of infection.

People are prohibited from outdoor activities. Essential sectors such as banking, healthcare services, energy and staple food supplies, and export-oriented industries are exempt from the partial lockdown.

Those involved in logistics, food industries, transportation, construction, disaster mitigation, nation’s strategic projects, and provision of basic necessities will be allowed to operate, but in compliance with health protocols, the governor said.

Source: Antara News

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Search continues for 42 West Kalimantan fishermen after 17 boats sink

Pontianak, West Kalimantan (ANTARA) – Search efforts continued for 42 fishermen who went missing on Tuesday evening (13/7/2021) after 17 fishing boats sank in West Kalimantan waters owing to bad weather, according to an official.

A total of 17 fishing boats with 134 fishermen aboard sank after being hit by huge waves, Yopi Hariyadi, Head of the Pontianak Search and Rescue (SAR) Office, said here on Sunday.

“Of the total, eight boats have been found, and nine others remain missing,” he noted.

He reported that 77 fishermen survived, 42 remained missing and 15 died, including five victims who have not been identified.

The latest missing boat was MV CSSK with three crew members aboard, which left to fish on July 11, and was last seen on July 13, off Lemukutan Island, Bengkayang District. The boat was missing and the crew could not be contacted, he said,

The search efforts on Sunday was conducted with the support of the Indonesian Army’s personnel to look for the 42 missing fishermen, he added.

The search was focused on coastal areas as the victims were most likely stranded on the coast, the official said.

“Today (Sunday) we are being assisted by 20 search boats from various agencies.The search is divided into four sectors, and is supported by the Pontianak Supadio Air Base which deploys one Super Puma Helicopter and one Maritime aircraft belonging to the Indonesian Navy,” Haryadi said.

He assured that the search for victims was carried out maximally by sea, air, and the coastal land.

Source: Antara News

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Vice President urges Muslims to perform Idul Adha prayer at home

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Vice President Ma’ruf Amin has appealed to Indonesia’s Muslims to perform Idul Adha prayer at home with their families, as there should be no congregational prayer either in the mosques or in the fields.

“Performing a mass prayer is voluntary, but protecting ourselves from the COVID-19 pandemic is obligatory, so obligatory things should be preceded over the voluntary one,” Amin stated in a press release here on Sunday.

The provision on performing Idul Adha prayer at home aims at slashing the COVID-19 transmission case rate during the enforcement of emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM), he expounded.

Amin emphasized that the policy was not meant to restrain the Muslims from praying in mosques, but to protect the public from the COVID-19 threats. “The enforcement aims to help handle the COVID-19 pandemic by protecting and preventing the public from being infected and becoming victims,” he said.

The provision on Muslims’ worships during Idul Adha is regulated on Religius Affairs Circular No.17 of 2021 pertaining to temporary suspension on mass prayers at places of worship, takbiran (eve of Idul Adha celebrations) night, Idul Adha prayers, and technical guidance on qurban implementation in 1442 Islamic year in the emergency PPKM areas.

The Vice President earlier called on ulemas to call on all people to obey the government’s policy by not causing a crowd during Idul Adha.

“I ask all activities to be aligned with the provision, do not throng, including doing all activities pertaining to Idul Adha at mosque or outside the mosque,” he said.

Millions of Muslims across the globe — including in countries like Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, India, Turkey, Russia and Pakistan — are celebrating Idul Adha or Eid al-Adha, Islam’s most revered observance, which falls on July 20 this year in Indonesia.

Known as the Feast of Sacrifice or “big Eid,” it is one of the two major religious festivals of Islam. The other, Eid al-Fitr, occurs at the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting.

Source: Antara News

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Social Ministry distributes 200 million kg of rice to needy families

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Ministry of Social Affairs with the cooperation of the National Logistic Agency (Bulog) were distributing a total of 200 million kilograms of rice to 10 million beneficiary families (KPM) under the Family Hope Program (PKH), and another 10 million beneficiaries under the Cash Social Assistance (BST) program.

Each beneficiary received 10 kg of rice to help them cope with the impact of emergency restriction of movement being imposed to curb the COVID-19 spread, Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini said in a statement here on Sunday.

The ministry also distributed five kilograms of rice to each individual informal sector worker unable to work due to the impact of the emergency restriction. they included street vendors, small shop owners, motorcycle taxi drivers, and freelancers in Java and Bali.

“The data on the recipients of the five kilograms of rice aid are obtained from the local governments. Recipients are those who do not receive or are not recipients of the three types of regular social assistance, namely PKH, Non-Cash Food Assistance (BPNT) / Basic Food Cards and BST,” she said.

The rice assistance has been distributed in districts and cities on the islands of Java and Bali since early July 2021. The ministry provided 3,000 packages of five kilograms each for 122 districts and cities, and 6,000 packages of five kilograms each for six provincial capitals on the two islands affected by the restriction.

The Ministry of Social Affairs also disbursed BST assistance for 10 million beneficiary households during May-June, while 18.8 million families under the BPNT/Basic Food Card programs received additional aid for July and August.

The ministry has allocated budges for PKH amounted to Rp28.3 trillion and for BPNT/Basic Food Card at Rp42.3 trillion being channeled through state-owned banks.

For BST, a budget of Rp. 15.1 trillion was distributed by PT Pos Indonesia.

“With this social assistance, it is hoped that it will increase people’s purchasing power,” Rismaharini said.

Source: Antara News

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Bogor mayor urges central government to deal with oxygen scarcity

Bogor, W Java (ANTARA) – Bogor Mayor Bima Arya has urged the central government to take a swift action to deal with medical oxygen scarcity in the city.

“Oxygen supplies from oxygen refilling stations have increasingly become limited. In fact, a hospital in Bogor City has temporarily suspended its emergency installation service as it ran short of medical oxygen,” he said here on Saturday.

The oxygen refilling stations are operated by PT Sandara Baswana Gas in Citeureup Sub-district, PT Rezki Gasindo Jaya in Gunung Putri Sub-district, and PT Aneka Gas Industri (Samator) in Cileungsi Sub-district.

The three oxygen refilling stations have complained about declining oxygen supplies from a wholesaler in Jakarta. In fact, the wholesaler does not sometimes supply oxygen to the refilling stations, he said.

“They all have complained about supplies from the (medical oxygen) manufacturers which can no longer meet their needs. So, if the quantity of oxygen supplied is small, then the oxygen will be distributed among hospitals which are in dire need of it,” he said.

Bima said the city government has bought 150 units of 6-m3 oxygen cylinders to be distributed among hospitals.

By buying 150 oxygen cylinders, the city government can rely on several sources for oxygen supplies, including PT Krakatau Steel, Indonesian Children and Standby Volunteers Movement and the West Java Provincial Oxygen Command Post.

He said the medical oxygen scarcity has many impacts including on the mortality rate among COVID-19 patients receiving treatment at hospitals and conducting self isolation at their homes.

“It also has an impact on the hospital bed occupancy rate. In the absence of oxygen the patients who need respiratory aid cannot be served. So all sides must act swiftly to del with the oxygen scarcity,” he said.

Source: Antara News

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MUI in collaboration with police, military, hold COVID-19 vaccination

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) in collaboration with the National Police (Polri) and the Indonesian Military (TNI) held a COVID-19 vaccination for residents of Kota Tua (Old Town) in Jakarta.

“MUI protects the people from the dangers of COVID-19. MUI must be at the forefront of helping the country in alleviating COVID-19 which has become a global pandemic. The people must be saved,” Deputy Secretary General of The Indonesian Ulema Council M. Azrul Tanjung said in a statement here on Sunday.

He said the vaccination was carried out on Saturday (17/7) with a target of 1,000 participants.

However, the number of people who were interested in joining the vaccinations exceeded the target, as more than 1,655 people turned out.

“Thank God, public awareness of the importance of this vaccine is so high,” he said. “We will continue to fight together with other organizations for the benefit of the people’s health, until this COVID-19 disappears from Indonesia,” he said.

The sharp spike in COVID-19 cases in Indonesia is most likely caused by the highly contagious Delta variant, Chairman of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences’ (LIPI’s) SARS-CoV-2 Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) Team, Sugiyono Saputra, earlier stated.

“Based on data from the GISAID, where the SARS-CoV-2 genome has been successfully sequenced and identified in the last three weeks, more than 95 percent were the Delta variant, whilst the rest comprised the Alpha variant and the Indonesian one,” Saputra noted in a statement on Saturday.

He explained that based on the research conducted at LIPI’s Bio Safety Level 3 laboratory, by taking samples for eight consecutive days between June 10 and June 18, almost 100 percent of the findings involved the Delta variant.

“It was proven by the data that the spike in the number of cases in Indonesia was caused by the Delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus,” he stated.

Source: Antara News

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Slaughter of qurban animals to be conducted at slaughterhouse: Amin

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Vice President Ma’ruf Amin urged people to slaughter sacrificial animals (Qurban) of Idul Adha at slaughterhouse (RPH) in attempts to shun the crowds during the enforcement of emergency restriction of movements (PPKM) amid the COVID-19 case spike.

Amin has also asked all ulemas, clerics, and religious figures in the regions to disseminate the information to public so they could implement the directives.

“This is our responsibilities as ulemas who certainly have the duty (of disseminating the information),” Amin noted in a press statement here on Sunday.

The Qurban beneficiaries should stay at home while waiting for the meat to be distributed to them, he said adding that Qurban should be distributed by personnel by observing to health protocols strictly.

the Vice President will conduct hybrid meetings with Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, representatives of the Indonesian Ulema council (MUI) and Islamic mass organizations to discuss about the provision on sacrificial animal slaughtering and meat distribution to the needy people on Sunday night. Amin earlier urged ulemas and regional administration heads to discuss about the adjustment on Muslims’ mass prayers during the emergency restrictions.

“Ulemas in the regions can discuss about it with regional administration heads, Regional Leadership Communication Forum (Forkopimda), along with MUI on how it should be adjusted in the field,” he outlined.

He called on the ulemas and Islamic figures not to force mass prayer pertaining to Idul Adha at mosques or public spaces during the restriction implementation.

“I ask (you) to not perform mass prayer since some residents in some regions are emotionally insisting on performing Idul Adha mass prayer in open space, despite the danger,” he said.

Takbiran (chanting Allahuakbar on Eid eve), Idul Adha prayer, and qurban slaughter are suspended in a bid to curb the COVID-19 transmission rate across the regions. The slaughtering is suggested to be conducted at slaughterhouse (RPH) or in the large field, for non-RPH areas, by adhering to stringent health protocols and without the presence of qurban givers or beneficiries.

Source: Antara News

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