Investigative Report on the Persecution of Falun Gong by Ye Xiaowen
Ye Xiaowen, male, was born in 1950 of Han Ethnics group. His family was originally from Ningxiang, Hunan Province. He was the Director of Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau, United Front Work Department of CCP Central Committee from 1991 to 1995. He was appointed to the position of Chief, Administration for religious Affairs of the State Council (later renamed to State Administration for Religious Affairs of P.R.C.) since 1995. He had held various positions as Member, Social Science Branch of the National Planning Office of Philosophy and Social Science; Adviser, Chinese Institute of Religion; Council Member, Standing Committee of the Chinese Institute of Social Science and Chinese Research Institute of Human Rights; Council Member of the China Development Institute; Adjunct Professor at the Central Socialism Academy and Chinese People Public Security University. He is also the alternate Central Committee Member of the Chinese Communist Party 16th Congress, and Standing Committee Member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. As a special envoy of the State Council, he visited Tibet, participated and presided over the Golden Urn Lottery and the Sitting-in-Bed Enthrone Ceremony. [1]
Brief Introduction of the State Administration for Religious Affairs
There were two Administration Offices: Ethnics and Religions Works (2nd Administration Office) within the Ministry of Unified Front of the Central Committee of CCP. These two Administration Offices were specifically established to manage religious affairs. The Ministry of United Front were tasked for the research of theory and policy; drafting of important documents and articles, as well as propaganda works along the unified front. Specific operations, on the other hand, were under the authorities of the “State Administration for Religious Affairs”. Within the Administration, Business Office #1 covers Buddhism and Taoism; Business Office #2 covers Catholic and Christian; Business Office #3 covers Islam; Business Office #4 covers religions and popular beliefs outside the five major religions. Basic management policies of the State Administration for Religious Affairs were, “Investigate, research and propose policy oriented recommendations; drafting of related articles and departmental policies; providing assistance in the self-improvement and expansion of national level religious organizations.” “Provide training, education of religious staff members; maintain contacts with senior level religious officials.” “Review and approve the printing of internal publications of religious organizations.” Since the CCP never recognized any religion and faith outside the five major branches of religions under its control, the Business Unit #4 that covers such religions and popular beliefs was in fact monitoring and persecute those religions that were not being controlled by the CCP. Its official missions were, “Provide a leading role on the investigation and coordination on the defense against the penetration of overseas religious influence; provide guidance to domestic religious society on the defense against such penetration; direct, promote anti-cult effort for the religious society, coordinate with appropriate government branches in the attack and eradicate of cult religious groups.”
Furthermore, Center for Religious Training, a direct subsidiary of the “State Administration for Religious Affairs,” was responsible for training of senior officials of various religious groups in addition of training of various level of CCP and government deputies who oversaw religious administrative functions.
Evidence of persecution of Falun Gong by Ye Xiaowen
Hate propaganda among domestic populace
On July 20 1999, ex leader of the CCP, Jiang Zemin, started mobilizing the resource and propaganda tools of the entire nation to persecute Falun Gong. Two weeks later, Ye Xiaowen gave a four hour long report titled “Thoroughly, faithfully carry out the religious policy of the Party, unequivocally criticize and condemn Falun Gong” for the CCP Central Direct Subordinate Office Working Committee, the CCP Central State Office Working Committee, and the CCP Central Finance Working Committee. [2] The video taped version of this report was used as an internal study material by the Beijing CCP and governmental offices at the least. He Lizhi, a Falun Gong practitioner and an engineer at the Ministry of Construction was forced to watch this video taped report at his office unit. [3] Even the Research Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Science in the far away city of Hefei City, Anhui Province organized studies that identified this report as the article for the entire Party to study. [4] The CCP Central Direct Subordinate Office, the CCP Central Government Subordinate Office all established brainwashing classes in labor re-education camps in Beijing, specifically established to detain Falun Gong practitioners from their own offices. [5]
On August 18, 1999, Ye Xiaowen demonized Falun Gong on the Focal Point Interview by CCTV through slanders and lies. [6] On November 4, 1999, Ye Xiaowen said during an international press conference held at the State Council Information Office that the Chinese government cannot ignore “Falun Gong.” Ye Xiaowen also repeated CCP’s lies regarding Falun Gong in his answers to reporters’ questions. [7] On November 12, 1999, the Life Times newspaper under the Guangming Daily newspaper, a CCP Central Committee’s mouthpiece, published a report on an interview with Ye Xiaowen. Ye Xiaowen imposed on Falun Gong with what were not from Falun Gong, and then he attacked Falun Gong. [8] On September 16, 2002, Ye Xiaowen attacked Falun Gong at the 7th national representatives’ meeting of the China Buddhism Association. [9]
Export Anti-Falun Gong Propaganda Abroad
In August 2000, Ye Xiaowen led a delegation of Chinese religious leaders to attend the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders. Before the event, Ye Xiaowen advocated the necessity of the persecution against Falun Gong in various parts of the US. [10]
On February 19, 2001, as the Director of State Administration of Religious Affairs, Ye Xiaowen responded to an invitation from the Chung Chi College of the Chinese University of Hong Kong by giving a speech entitled “100-Year Reflection and Future of Religion in China” as part of the Academic Lecture Series on Religion sponsored by the college. During his speech, Ye Xiaowen thoroughly slandered and demonized Falun Gong when answering Hong Kong reporters’ questions about Falun Gong. On February 20, 2001, the Hong Kong Ta Kung Pao newspaper published the complete question and answer session. [11]
On March 2, 2001, Ye Xiaowen slandered Falun Gong as “anti-science, anti-society, anti-government, anti-humanity” when answering questions from a reporter of US Time magazine. He defended the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong and “advised” the US government to “take necessary measures” against Falun Gong. He divulged, however, that the persecution of Falun Gong is a persecution of belief when he talked about the CCP taking measures to “help deceived ordinary practitioners free themselves as soon as possible.” [12]
In his article “Study the Thoughts of ‘Three Represents’, Improve the Level of Religious Work”, published on “China Religion” Issue 4, 2001, Ye Xiaowen vigorously attacks the United States government’s Human Rights reports on the part about the persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese communist party. [13]
On February 21, 2003, the visiting delegation from China’s national high rank leaders on religious work to Canada held a press conference in the General Consulate of China in Toronto. Main members from the delegation, including Ye Xiaowen, the head of the delegation, Fu Tieshan, chair of the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, and Cao Shengjie, chair of the Chinese Christian Association, slandered Falun Gong during the press conference. [14]
On April 3, 2003, Ye Xiaowen met with the United States Ambassador to China Clark Randt, and discussed the the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices published by the Department of States of the U.S., the Iraq war, and situation of China’s religions which concerns the United States. Ye Xiaowen again attacked Falun Gong after criticizing the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. [15]
On May 21, 2006, on a trip with the Bible Ministry Exhibition of the Church in China to Atlanta, USA, Ye Xiaowen went to Huston, Texas and met with local church people, where he spent a long time attacking Falun Gong. [16, 17]
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Reference
1. Brief Autobiography of Ye Xiaowen http://www.sara.gov.cn/GB/jqgy/jld/yexiaowen/index.html,
2. People’s Daily (August 5, 1999, Section 4) On August 4 (1999), the CCP Central Direct Subordinate Office Working Committee, the Central State Office Working Committee, and the CCP Central Finance Working Committee jointly organized the second lecture of their “Marxism Materialism and Atheism Educational Series Forum.” Ye Xiaowen, Chief of the “State Administration for Religious Affairs” gave a report titled “Thoroughly, faithfully carry out the religious policy of the Party, unequivocally criticize and condemn Falun Gong”
…
Central State Office Working Committee Deputy Secretary Zhang Delin hosted the lecture. He requests all levels of party organizations must fully realize the great significance of carrying out the study and education campaign aimed at "Falun Gong" issue. (The party organizations) must combine this study and education campaign with the ongoing "three lectures" education, link to own thoughts, especially the issues of ideology, faith, as well as the world outlook, carry on the deep thinking. Through the study and education, the general party members will receive an education on Marxism materialism and atheism.
800 party members cadre from the CCP Central Offices and the Central State Offices as well as the Central Financial System attended the forum.
http://www.people.com.cn/item/flg/news/080506.html
3. The Epochtimes, December 3, 2003. He Lizhi, “Persecution of Falun Gong is a predicable manifestation of the evil nature of the CCP.” It was on or about the afternoon of March 20 or 21, 2000 when I watched this video with my colleague Ouyang Wen in a office at our organization. The video lasted for 3-4 hours. Based on the content of the video the lecture took place around August or September 1999, right after the large scale suppression of Falun Gong started in July of the same year. The lecture was given by Ye Xiaowen, Chief of the State Administration to the Religious Affairs, to the various levels Party Committee Secretaries of the CCP Central Offices and major Ministries within the State Council. The background during the lecture was that even though Jiang’s regime arbitrarily and unilaterally launched the suppression of Falun Gong, not only there were disagreeing opinions within the Politburo, those Party Committee secretaries who attended the lecture did not understand the rational behind the suppression. Therefore the whole report was revolving around the core theme of “theoretical reasoning” and “profound significance” of suppressing Falun Gong. The report attempted to explain in detail and to convince Party Committee Secretaries of various Ministries under the CCP Central Committee… Ye explained, “The appearance of Falun Gong on the scene totally changed the picture. Since it was introduced in 1992, Falun Gong expanded rapidly within the entire nation. Number of Falun Gong practitioners expanded exponentially in just a few years and reached a very large quantity (I could not remember exactly how large a number did he quote), During the April 25 Zhongnanhai Incident, Falun Gong could summon 18,000 people overnight and it is a serious problem.” Ye also said, “Falun Gong is spreading superstition under the guise of Qigong, even though the contents being taught by Falun Gong appeared to be religiously oriented, including Taoism, Buddhism, but we do not recognize Falun Gong as religion, and some people from Buddhism also pointed out that Falun Gong is cult. If we recognize Falun Gong, then all the effort the Country has expended in religion for the past several decades would be totally wasted.” Ye said, “Even though there were a lot of Falun Gong practitioners, they were just a disorderly band. (Ye vilified and slandered Falun Gong and the founder of Falun Gong that I will not repeat here), they had no culture and could not discern the sham science. This illustrated that our political ideology education, scientific education on our people had large gaps. Many high level intellectuals, whose study were either in the field of science or scientific research, also believe in Falun Gong out of the blue. Even more seriously, there were quite a few CCP members among Falun Gong practitioners. What is being promoted by Falun Gong is completely against what our Party advocates. All this indicated that Falun Gong was trying to “win the people over” in the ideology arena from our Party. If we allow this to continue, then our Party’s own undertaking would be wiped out. Therefore, the struggle against Falun Gong is a serious political battle, a life and death struggle in the ideology arena, a life and death issue concerning the future of our country and the Party. http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/4/12/3/n735798.htm
4. Xidao (West Island) November 25 1999 (Issue #78) (from our own report) Based on the spirit of the decree from the Provincial Direct Subordinate Working Committee, the department office held a Party Branch Committee Secretary meeting on November 5, revealed the latest direction and situation of current “Falun Gong” organization, and made appropriate arrangement to counter potential rebound of “Falun Gong.”… A few days earlier, Department office organized a Party lesson study, broadcasted the video taped report by Ye Xiaowen, Chief of State Administration for Religious Affairs, titled “Thoroughly, faithfully carry out the religious policy of the Party, unequivocally criticize and condemn Falun Gong”, allowing more than 130 Party members or active applicants to the Party to understand related religious policy of our country. It allowed them to gain clear perspective of the reactive nature of “Falun Gong” cult organization from different angles on the “organization and personnel structure” and “Differentiation between religion.” http://202.127.204.25/publish/xdb/p9911.htm#6
5. (Please use Charles Lee’s full translation of Li Baoqing’s article.)
Also WOIPFG report:
Up to July 2001, the Central National Government Office Working Committee had continuously organized more than ten “Judicial Education and Study Classes.” [16] Since June 2001, capital investment has gone toward establishing the “Central National Government Office Working Committee Beijing Changping Transformation Base.” [17]
On the morning of July 13, 2001, leaders from some offices directly under the Hebei Provincial Government deceived Falun Gong workers into going to off-site “Meetings” or “Tours” and then forcefully abducted these practitioners to the Changping Brainwashing Center for persecution. The practitioners did not even have a chance to bring a change of clothes. This brainwashing center charged each practitioner 100 Yuan per day, and each work unit would send three co-workers to accompany each abducted Falun Gong practitioner, totaling four people. Up to July 24, each work unit was forced to come up with around 20,000 Yuan in class fees. [19]
http://www.zhuichaguoji.org/en/index2.php?option=content&task=view&id=60&pop=1&page=0
6. People's Daily, August 19, 1999 (CCTV Focus, August 18, 1999)
Fang Hongjin (program host): Is every cult characterized by being anti-social?
Ye Xiaowen: A cult is characterized by its secret organization, deification of the master, spiritual control and warning of the imminent arrival of doomsday. This determines that no matter how it disguises itself it will inevitably move from being anti-religion, anti-culture and anti-science to being anti-government, anti-humanity and anti-social.
There are two extreme ways of being anti-social: one ranges from passive escape from the world to worldweariness and suicide; the other ranges from hostility toward society to being rabidly anti-social. "Falun Gong" also irresistibly moves toward being anti-social, stirring up mobs to indulge in the harassment of others. Considering that the time was ripe, its practitioners mounted a siege of Zhongnanhai, seat of the Central Government in Beijing, which was actually a demonstration of its strength or a drill, preparatory to further disturbances. While passing on Li Hongzhi's "scripture" to followers a core member of "Falun Gong" said, "It would be better to shed some blood." Li Hongzhi did not balk at making rank-and-filers shed their blood for him so that he could find himself a position from which he could rule not only by means of theocracy and religion in his "secret kingdom," but by tentacles of political power throughout China.
A cult is also characterized by "cheating, arrogance, heresy, secrecy and opposition". "Cheating" means playing deceitful tricks and practicing fraud. "Arrogance" implies presumptuousness and conceitedness, incitement to fanaticism, and blind worship and belief. "Heresy" indicates the preaching of fallacious and heretical ideas, the pursuit of crooked means, and the gathering of evil forces. Extreme heresy will inevitably lead to arrogance, secrecy and opposition. Deceitful tricks have ruined many innocent families, while heresy has driven lots of credulous people insane. "Secrecy" refers to the secret contacts and activities of clandestine organizations. "Opposition" means opposition to science, society, humanity and government. The aforesaid five characteristics of cults are typical also of "Falun Gong."
Fang Hongjin: How do governments of other countries handle cults? And how does the general public treat them?
Ye Xiaowen: It's a simple matter. If a cult opposes the government or humanity, the latter cannot but combat it; if it turns against society, society cannot but eliminate it.
http://www.mingjing.org.cn/e-falun/opinions/opinions95-1.htm
7. People’s Daily (page 3, November 5, 1999) November 4 report from Beijing: Today, Ye Xiaowen, the Director of State Administration of Religious Affairs pointed out at a press conference held a the State Council Information Office, that our government cannot sit there and do nothing about “Falun Gong,” an evil cult organization that has caused severe damage to society. Ye Xiaowen introduced related information about the evil cult “Falun Gong,” and he answered reporters’ questions.
Full text:
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning. I am very pleased to meet the press at the invitation of the Information Office of the State Council.
Three months ago, the Ministry of Civil Affairs of China declared illegal the Falun Dafa Research Society and the Falun Gong organization under it and outlawed them. Not long ago, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress adopted the Decision on Outlawing Cults and Preventing and Cracking Down on Cult Activities. The Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procurotarate publicly made judicial interpretation of punishment of illegal cult activities. The People’s Daily carried an article entitled Falun Gong Is a Cult, which systematically exposes the essential features and dangerous effects of Falun Gong as a cult. Today, I would like to take this opportunity to brief you on the cult.
1. Li Hongzhi has advocated the Doomsday theory on many occasions and created a panic atmosphere. This is an essential feature of a cult.
Shoko Asahara, founder of the Aum Doomsday Cult, Jones, founder of the People’s Temple, Koresh, founder of the Branch of Davidians, and Luc Jouret, founder of the Solar Temple, all advocated the Doomsday theory in different ways.
Like these cult founders, Li Hongzhi has also predicted the imminent end of the earth and that he alone can postpone the explosion of the earth and send people to the heaven. He has deceived Falun Gong practitioners into believing that he has many versions of self to protect them and he has installed a wheel of law in the belly of his followers in an attempt to control their mind.
2. Li has made up many anti-science and anti-human civilization absurdities in an attempt to deceive and control Falun Gong practitioners. He has claimed that the scientific common sense of this world is all wrong, his Falun Dafa alone is the right law and super science, and his followers would acquire supernatural capabilities as long as they persist in practicing Falun Dafa. He has negated Newton’s universal gravitation, and said that if Newton’s theory were right, the earth would have long been drawn to the sun. He is even so disrespectful of his parents as to say that he created them.
3. Li has advocated that Falun Gong practitioners must not take medicine and preached the so-called karma-eliminating fallacy. He has concocted a survey report of ten thousand practitioners and fabricated cases of illnesses cured by practicing Falun Gong. Li has said that medicine is a dirty thing and that a pious follower of Falun Gong never falls ill. He has claimed that the power achieved by practicing Falun Gong can automatically eliminate viruses and karma. If one takes medicine, he could push back karma, making it impossible to cleanse his body and hence to cure his diseases. If one gets over this, he will become a superman. After the relevant departments in China made public that the practice of Falun Gong had led to more than 1,400 deaths, Li, who is residing abroad, has repeatedly denied that he has instructed his followers not to take any medicine or medication. However, truth is undeniable. Numerous facts have shown that many practitioners have lost their lives only because they believed in Li’s fallacies.
4. Li Hongzhi and his Falun Gong organization have been involved in a host of illegal activities. Should anyone disapprove of, or just utter some negative remarks about Falun Gong, Li Hongzhi and his Falun Gong organization would, under the pretext of "seeking a clarification" or "safeguarding Falun Dafa", mastermind and instigate large-scale illegal gatherings to besiege and harass government institutions, media and schools, taking revenge on and staging demonstrations against the society. These activities have seriously disrupted the public order, disturbed the normal life of the people and infringed upon their freedom of speech and personal safety. As is known to all, since the besiege in August 1996 of the office of Guangming Daily by Falun Gong organization directed by Li Hongzhi, there have been 78 illegal demonstrations, each of over 300 participants. On 25 April 1999, he masterminded and organized the unlawful gathering of more than 10,000 people around Zhongnanhai, the seat of the Central Government. Moreover, Li Hongzhi has made a fortune out of Falun Gong illegally. Most of his ill-gotten wealth has evaded tax.
Li Hongzhi has spread many fallacies and absurdities and produced huge amount of audio-visual products. Today, I am showing you only a few of them.
The Chinese Government cannot sit back and do nothing about Falun Gong, a cult organization that has seriously endangered the society. To indulge such a cult is tantamount to reaction to science, blasphemy against civilization and trampling on human rights.
Amnesty International report has one more sentence which is not included in Chinese official release: http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/engASA170112000
The government banned Falun Gong on 22 July 1999 and launched a massive propaganda campaign to denounce its practice and the motivation of its leaders, in particular Li Hongzhi.(6) Since then, the government's accusations against the group have been repeatedly publicized by the state media and government officials. At a news conference on 4 November 1999, for example, Ye Xiaowen, Director of the Bureau of Religious Affairs of the State Council (government), said that "Falun Gong had brainwashed and bilked [double-crossed] followers, caused more than 1,400 deaths, and threatened both social and political stability". Further emphasizing that Falun Gong was a political threat, he added: "any threat to the people and to society is a threat to the Communist Party and the government".
http://www.people.com.cn/item/flg/news/110503.html, English report by AP: http://www.rickross.com/reference/fa_lun_gong/falun134.html, Official English: http://www.china.org.cn/e-fabuhui/download/news/English/PressConferences/991104/01e.htm
8. Life Times newspaper November 12, 1999. “See Through an Evil Cult: an Interview With Ye Xiaowen, Director of State Administration of Religious Affairs” (Reporter Pang Yonghou, Life Times newspaper)
9. Xinhua Net (2002) September 17th: On September 16, Ye Xiaowen, Director of State Administration of Religious Affairs spoke at the 7th national representatives’ meeting of the China Buddhism Association: Ye Xiaowen pointed out that “Falun Gong” is an evil cult in every way and causes tremendous damage to the country and society. The Buddhism circles led the way among religions in opposing the evil cult, which produced positive effects inside and outside China. From now on, we will continue to eradicate and oppose the evil, eliminate pseudo qigong and uphold the righteous ones. http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2002-09/16/content_563674.htm
10. Overseas version of People’s Daily (Page 2, August 25, 2000) Xinhua News Agency August 23 report from Los Angeles: “’Falun Gong’ is an evil cult and not a ‘qigong.’ Ye Xiaowen warns the American people against possible traps” (by reporters Wu Yuehui and Ni Xiyi) Ye Xiaowen, Director of State Administration of Religious Affairs said today that after more than one year of education and reform work, more than 98% of the “Falun Gong” practitioners in China have freed themselves from this evil cult organization and started to live normal lives. Ye Xiaowen is the counselor for a delegation of Chinese religious leaders who are currently visiting the US. He said at a press conference held by the delegation that the Chinese government is taking effective measures to firmly strike down on criminal activities by the evil cult organization “Falun Gong.” Up until now, more than 150 “Falun Gong” criminal elements have been prosecuted.
Original English report
China Convicts 151 Falun Gong-related Criminals (People’s Daily, August 24, 2000)
Chinese courts nationwide, by August 15, convicted and meted out criminal penalties to 151 hard-core Falun Gong practitioners who committed crimes, said Ye Xiaowen, director-general of China's State Administration of Religious Affairs, at a press conference Wednesday in Los Angels.
Of the convicted, 22 were given sentences up to five years in prison, according to Ye, who also serves as an advisor to the visiting Chinese delegation of religious leaders.
He stressed that "the convicted are those who either leaked state secrets, or making use of Falun Gong to create social chaos, or committed other crimes."
Of the 2.1 million people practicing the Falun Gong cult in China, those prosecuted are only a tiny fraction, and the majority, or more than 98 percent, have been converted to normal life after persuasion and education for over a year, according to the most senior official in charge of religious affairs in China.
In response to local reporters' question on the stance of China 's religious circles on the government crackdown upon the Falun Gong cult, Buddhist master Sheng Hui said that the Falun Gong cult is just as harmful as narcotics, who "has no difference from drug traffickers."
"Due to its strong capability to control the mind of practitioners, more than 1,600 have committed suicide or been killed as a result of indulging in practicing the Falun Gong cult, and 650 people have serious mental problems, of whom 14 perpetrated the felony of homicide," he said.
The Buddhist master, who is vice-president of the China Buddhist Association, said that Buddhists were the first who identified Falun Gong as an evil cult as early as 1996, three years ahead of government crackdown, because the cult "stole" many concepts of Buddhism and distorted them for evil purposes.
Both Ye and the Buddhist master warned the public that Falun Gong is so cunning that it usually takes on different cloaks to cheat people, which is why it fooled so many people both in China and the world at large.
"When the Chinese Qigong was popular, the master of Falun Gong Li Hongzhi said he was practicing Qigong for the good of health, and seeing that religions were respected in China, he said he was a religious leader," said master Sheng Hui.
"He is a wildcatter," he said.
Commenting on the big advertisements run by the Falun Gong group in major U.S. newspapers, including the New York Times, saying that Falun Gong is Qigong again, Ye said that Li Hongzhi is just playing another trick to fool the public, Ye said.
http://people.com.cn/GB/paper39/1302/201525.html, http://www.chinataoism.org/showtopic.php?id=816&cate_id=270, English version: http://english.people.com.cn/english/200008/24/eng20000824_48878.html, BBC report: http://www.phil-fak.uni-duesseldorf.de/oasien/china/service/bbc/010221.txt
11. Website for State Administration of Religious Affairs On February 19, 2001: as the Director of State Administration of Religious Affairs, Ye Xiaowen responded to an invitation from the Chung Chi College of the Chinese University of Hong Kong by giving a speech edtitled “100-Year Reflection and the Future of Religion in China” as part of the Academic Lecture Series on Religion sponsored by the college. During his speech, Ye Xiaowen answered Hong Kong reporters’ questions regarding “Falun Gong.” On February 20, the Hong Kong Ta Kung Pao newspaper published the complete question and answer session. http://www.sara.gov.cn/GB/jqgy/jld/ldjh/yexiaowen/26d12589-4a79-11da-a1dd-93180af1bb1a.html, English: http://english.people.com.cn/200102/20/eng20010220_62831.html
BBC report on this issue (more accurate translation)
Von: "BBC Monitoring" <topic@mon.bbc.co.uk>
An: <sekoai@mail.phil-fak.uni-duesseldorf.de>
Betreff: BBC Monitoring (UK Tel: 0118 946 9289)
Datum: Mittwoch, 21. Februar 2001 00:00
AS1-CHINA-HONGKONG-FALUN
Chinese official warns Falun Gong a threat to Hong Kong autonomy
The director of the Bureau of Religious Affairs, Ye Xiaowen, speaking at a Hong Kong university, defended China's record on protecting religious freedom. When asked whether banning Falun Gong would jeopardize Hong Kong's autonomy, Ye said Falun Gong's increasingly politicized activities were a threat to both Beijing and Hong Kong. Ye repeated Beijing's warning that it would not tolerate anyone using Hong Kong as a base for Falun Gong or anti-China activities, or for sabotaging "one country, two systems" and social stability.
Text of report by Xinhua reporters Yang Liping and Peng Zhenxin entitled: "Ye Xiaowen emphasizes in Hong Kong: China respects freedom of religious belief and persists in acting independently and keeping the initiative in its own hands in religious affairs". Carried by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency)
Hong Kong, 19 February: As invited by the Chung Chi College of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, State Council Bureau of Religious Affairs Director Ye Xiaowen delivered a lecture here today entitled: "Reviewing one hundred years of religion in China and looking to the future," in which he emphasized that China respects freedom of religious belief and persists in acting independently and keeping the initiative in its own hands in religious affairs.
During his lecture Ye Xiaowen recalled the past hundred years of religion in China during the historical process of the nation's transformation from poverty and weakness and being bullied to waging a war of resistance and proceeding to liberation, reform, and development, and to striving for rejuvenation, and how religion has carried out its own changes in the new historical conditions.
Ye Xiaowen pointed out that China sank into a semifeudal and semicolonial society for a time; "semifeudal" meant that religion in China was characterized by its "feudal patriarchal nature," and "semicolonial" meant that it was markedly characterized by "foreign religion." He recalled the challenges and reform attempts to these two characteristics by intellectuals and religious circles in China before the establishment of new China, and the self-renovation of religion in China after the establishment of new China.
Ye Xiaowen said, after more than 50 years of reflection and practice, and after going through both positive and negative experiences and lessons, the Chinese government has a firmer and clearer understanding of policy concepts regarding religion. He emphasized that respecting freedom of religious belief means respecting objective presence, process, and laws [Chinese: ke guan cun zai, ke guan guo cheng, ke guan gui lu de zun zhong], and in this sense, there is no conflict between advocating materialism and respecting freedom of religious belief; by respecting freedom of religious belief, more people can be united to work together for the great goal of national rejuvenation and building a real fine world, and so respecting freedom of religious belief is completely identical with observing our basic purpose; respecting freedom of religious belief has a profound historical and cultural traditional basis in China; and respecting freedom of religious belief is also guaranteed by the constitution and the law.
Looking to developments in the new century, Ye Xiaowen pointed out that there are two most fundamental things in China's policy in religion: First, respect for freedom of religious belief is based on genuine respect for believers' choice of religious belief and on the objective laws of the existence and development of religion; second, we persist in acting independently and keeping the initiative in our own hands in religious affairs, based on genuine respect for the wishes of the Chinese people and on the objective laws of the existence and development of religion.
Ye Xiaowen gave full answers to questions raised by journalists about the "Falun Gong" problem. He stated that the Chinese government's determination according to law that "Falun Gong" is a cult is based not simply on "Falun Gong's" so-called beliefs and concepts but mainly on its activities and their consequences in doing serious harm to society. The whole series of violations of law and crimes committed by "Falun Gong" have fully exposed its antiscientific, antisocial, and antihuman cult essence. The National
People's Congress Standing Committee has laid down specific legal definitions regarding cults, and the Chinese government's handling of the "Falun Gong" cult problem is in strict and full accord with the law.
When a journalists asked whether Hong Kong's "Falun Gong" is a cult, Ye Xiaowen replied that the "Falun Gong" cult does harm to society, cripples people's lives, destroys family affections, and goes against human nature; it is a social tumour. In the interior Falun Gong has already taken over 1,600 lives, and there have been incidents too horrible to look at, of suicide, self-immolation, jumping out of buildings, self-mutilation, murder, and even murder of parents; the damage it does to society is incalculable; a responsible government cannot but take steps and adopt all means to save people's lives and prevent more innocent injury. Hong Kong's "Falun Gong" is no different, its beliefs are the same as Li Hongzhi's stuff, and the orders it obeys are the so-called scriptures of Li Hongzhi. He expressed belief that Hong Kong society is sufficiently wise and capable of dealing with Hong Kong's "Falun Gong" problem according to law.
A journalist asked, if Hong Kong follows the interior in determining that "Falun Gong" is a cult, would that be a challenge to "one country, two systems?" Ye Xiaowen said in this regard that the recent remarks of a responsible person [Jiang Enzhu] of the Central Government's Liaison Office in Hong Kong have already clarified this [on 5 February]. The recent activities of Hong Kong's "Falun Gong" organization have gradually moved towards becoming politicized and internationalized; it has torn up its camouflage of "not participating in politics, not opposing the government, and not throwing in its lot with any political force" and pointed the spearhead of attack directly at the central government. Social figures and public opinion have questioned whether its activities accord with its nature and purpose as defined in its initial registration. It is impermissible for any organization or person to attempt to turn Hong Kong into a centre of "Falun Gong" activities and to use Hong Kong as an anti-China base for penetrating into the interior, sabotaging "one country, two systems," and sabotaging the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong society, and no such attempt can succeed.
Yen Xiaowen's lecture meeting was one of a series of religious and academic activities marking the 50th anniversary of the founding of Chung Chi College. During these 40 days of activities, scholars from various places and different religions are engaging in exchanges and discussions on the two main questions of "the relationship between religion and Chinese culture or modern culture" and "the future development of religious studies in China and throughout the world."
Source: Xinhua news agency for Hong Kong, Beijing, in Chinese 1248 gmt 19 Feb 01
http://www.phil-fak.uni-duesseldorf.de/oasien/china/service/bbc/010221.txt
BBC Mon AS1 AsPol sl
12. China's News Service (CNS) March 2, 2001: Compare “Falun Gong” With Evil Cults: “Falun Gong” is an evil organization that is anti-science, anti-society, anti-government, and anti-humanity—Ye Xiaowen answers questions by a reporter from US Time magazine. http://www.xinlunet.com/2002-07-16/1/1720.html
13. China Religion Issue 4, 2001. Ye Xiaowen: “Study the Thoughts of ‘Three Represents’, Improve the Level of Religious Work”. About the importance of winning the mass, and fighting over the populace, we may get some hint from the reverse side if we look again at the anti-Chinese power in America which intentionally tries to destroy us. The recently published “Human Rights Report” by the United States deliberately makes some comments about the “Falun Gong” evil cult issue under the subject “Freedom of Religion”, equating China’s ban of “Falun Gong” to the “persecution of religion”. “Falun Gong” is an evil cult, not a religion. China’s religious circle abhors it, and regards that if the “Falun Gong” evil cult is not banned, there is no way to protect the freedom of belief and religion. As early as 1996, the chair of Chinese Buddhism Association Zhao Puchu warned that “Falun Gong is an evil cult”, and “it is not enough to just ban it, must also bring down its wrong theory with principles to be effective”. Internationally, many religious organizations also think of “Falun Gong” as an evil cult and strongly support the Chinese government’s ban of “Falun Gong”. Even the “Human Rights Report” by the United States government does not dare to call it a religion directly, but rather uses some evasive words like “even though the religious doctrines of Li Hongzhi has some mystic color, Falun Gong does not consider themselves as religion.” But the “Human Rights Report” uses the Chinese government’s ban of Falun Gong as an important base to attack Chinese government’s persecution of religion. The whole report is supportive of the “Falun Gong” evil cult, as if only by protecting “Falun Gong” evil cult can one safeguard human rights. They pretend not to see and evade from the Falun Gong’s violent behavior trespassing human rights. Why do they do this? It turns out that from their perspective, “Falun Gong’s resistance in China serves as enormous inspiration for the United States’ effort to establish opposition organizations in China”, “Falun Gong will become resistance strength in China’s society”. Such intention is dangerous and evil, and is also worth us thinking deeply. http://www.sara.gov.cn/GB/jqgy/jld/ldjh/yexiaowen/dc593960-5678-11da-9bfd-93180af1bb1a.html
14. People’s Net ( Translator’s note: online-site for China’s People Daily newspaper) February 20, 2003, reported by reporter Chen Te’an: This afternoon, the visiting delegation from China’s national high rank leaders on religious work to Canada held a refreshing press conference in the General Consulate of China in Toronto. When answering reporters’ questions, main members from the delegation, including Ye Xiaowen, the head of the delegation, Fu Tieshan, chair of the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, and Cao Shengjie, chair of the Chinese Christian Association, used facts and reasoning to deeply expose the evil cult nature of “Falun Gong”.
http://www.people.com.cn/GB/other6902/2832/20030221/928145.html
Original English report:
Senior Chinese Christian leaders blamed the cult Falungong on February 20, 2003 for the threat the religious delegation received during a visit to Canada.
Ye Xiaowen, head of the delegation, said this was a return visit to the 1997 China visit of Canadian Christian delegation. Ye said the exchange was carried out successfully during the 6-day tour, apart from the disturbance and threat the delegation received from the Chinese cult Falungong that was abandoned across the country in 2001.
Ye said this in an ad-lib press conference the delegation arranged to reveal the troubles they got during the delegation's Canada tour of February 15-21.
"Falungong practitioners believe in god, so what you have done could not escape the eyes of god. One would pay for the misdeeds one conducted." Ye said with anger, "For the sake of your future life and soul, will your conscience trouble your mind?"
Fu Tieshan, Chairman of Chinese Patriotic Catholic association, said Falungong was not a religion, compared with a real religion.
He said, a religion respects the truth and will usher its followers to the affection of life while Falungong was marked with the superstition and personality cult.
A real religion would accommodate the society and adopt a positive attitude towards it while Falungong antagonize the society and spoiled the normal life of its followers.
A real religion would deem those its own responsibility as to pure the minds of its practitioners and to depurate the society free from vice, while Falungong override the humanity and induce its practitioners to suicide and murder.
Head of China Christian Council Cao Shengjie said in the press that Falungong was an anti-human, anti-society and anti-science cult, which was totally inconsistent with the teachings of Christianity.
She also stressed the religious freedom of Chinese citizens by giving the concrete figures which shows Christians in China has developed from 700,000 in 1949 to 15 million now. She said the number grows at a speed faster than that of China's population.
(www.chinadaily.com.cn) http://www.china-un.ch/eng/zt/xjflg/t169679.htm
15. Human Rights Magazine (This is Chinese government magazine), 2003-04-03. Ye Xiaowen Discusses Issue of Religion with US Ambassador to China Randt (author: Zong Wen). Currently “Falun Gong” is the only evil cult clearly determined by China’s judicial department. “Falun Gong” has caused death of more than 1700 people. “Falun Gong” is a spiritual virus, just like the SARS virus, in the beginning people do not know about it and lack some prevention. But if no determined action is taken, it can spread and take people’s lives. Most “Falun Gong” members have also long been educated and transformed already.
http://www.humanrights-china.org/china/magezine/2003.3/p41-p42.htm
16. World Journal, 2006-05-23. During this forum which was limited to those invited, Ye Xiaowen also spent quite long time introduce the development of Buddhism and why the Chinese government bans Falun Gong. A group of Falun Gong practitioners stood by the street and held a banner which says “Ye Xiaowen Stop Slandering Falun Gong”. About this, Ye Xiaowen on one hand thanked the security personnel for keeping the Falun Gong practitioners outside, and on the other hand said he very much welcome the Falun Gong practitioners to come in and sit down for a talk, saying he has “a lot of materials” to refute Falun Gong.
http://www.worldjournal.com/wj-te-news.php?nt_seq_id=1360212
17. “Epoch Times”, 2006-05-24, http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/6/5/24/n1328659.htm
