Radio Free China: China News

Sun, 02 Jan 2005 23:02:55 GMT

China's New Prosperity Leaves Rural Women Behind [VOA]

Beyond city limits women still face daunting environment full of abuse and grinding poverty [more]

Thu, 30 Dec 2004 19:51:38 GMT

China Arrests 11 Falun Gong Members for Posting Torture Photos on Internet [VOA]
Reporters without Borders says at least 20 other Falun Gong members are in custody for posting photos to Internet [more]

Tue, 28 Dec 2004 21:35:34 GMT

Chinese aid joins world rescue. CHINAdaily Dec 28 2004 6:28PM GMT [Moreover - China news]

Tue, 28 Dec 2004 21:32:34 GMT

HK people warmly participate in relief of tidal waves disaster. Xinhua News Agency Dec 28 2004 6:21PM GMT [Moreover - China news]

Wed, 22 Dec 2004 19:45:15 GMT

Chinese Activist Wins Press Freedom Award [VOA]

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) official unveils the 3 winners of the RSF - Fondation de France Prize 2004
Liu Xiaobo, a prominent Chinese dissident, has won an international award as a defender of press freedoms. The announcement comes as a number of prominent activists in China are being arrested or detained.

Despite repeated government efforts to silence him, Liu Xiaobo refuses to back down. The former Beijing University teacher has been in and out of prison since 1989, when he spoke out in support of the students involved in the pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square.

Wednesday, the organization Reporters Without Borders honored his courage and his commitment to a free press, naming him the leading defender of press freedoms in 2004.

Vincent Brossel of Reporters without Borders says Mr. Liu has consistently championed an open society, and has called for the release of jailed reporters, at a risk to his personal freedom. "He's facing a real risk," said Vincent Brossel. "He has been fighting for freedom of expression for years. He can be arrested at any time."

Forty nine-year-old Mr. Liu is the director of the Chinese PEN Center, the country's only independent advocate for the rights of journalists. He spent two years in jail for participating in the 1989 democracy movement. In 1996, the government sentenced him to another three years in a labor camp for criticizing the Communist Party. Earlier this year he published an online essay that criticized government use of subversion charges against some journalists.

Authorities cut off his telephone and Internet service in May, and repeatedly denied his requests for a passport. He and two other prominent intellectuals were briefly detained earlier this month, accused of revealing state secrets to foreigners.

Mr. Brossel says Beijing once again trying to tighten its control over its social critics, and cited a number of recent actions. "Officials are targeting respected intellectuals, journalists, freedom activists in the past three days one journalist has been arrested and one farmers' rights activist was under detention," he said.

Other press freedom awards went to an Algerian journalist who was jailed for libel after exposing corruption, and a Mexican weekly newspaper that saw three of its reporters killed after a series of investigative reports.

Wed, 22 Dec 2004 19:39:10 GMT

Chinese workers blog in protest. From Poynter E-Media Tidbits, Fons Tuinstra reports from Shanghai that "Chinese strikers use weblogs for their struggle. " The worker's blog is here. The first article on the blog is the New York Times report on their strike. This is... [China Digital News]

Wed, 22 Dec 2004 19:37:21 GMT

China breifly detained 'outspoken' editorial writer. From Reuters, via the New Zealand Herald: "China has arrested the chief editorial writer at China Reform magazine, continuing a Communist Party campaign to silence outspoken liberal intellectuals, sources familiar with the case said on Tuesday. Journalist Chen Min, who... [China Digital News]

Wed, 22 Dec 2004 19:33:35 GMT

China turns on intellectuals. Chinese police arrest one of the country's most influential journalists in campaign to stifle critical discussion. [Guardian Unlimited World Latest]

Wed, 22 Dec 2004 19:31:41 GMT

Unseasonal strife in Santa's little sweatshops. Chinese workers in the sweatshops of Guangdong have been demonstrating their discontent by striking, smashing their factories, and not turning up for work. [Telegraph News | International News]

Tue, 21 Dec 2004 16:46:52 GMT

Chinese President Praises Macau, Criticizes Hong Kong [VOA]

Chinese President Hu Jintao hailed the success of the "one-country, two systems" policy in Macau Monday, as he led 5th anniversary celebrations of the former Portuguese enclave's return to China. But the Chinese leader expressed dissatisfaction with the leadership of Hong Kong.

On his first visit to Macau as China's president, Hu Jintao praised the territory's record in the five years since its return to Chinese sovereignty.

The territory, administered by Portugal for more than 400 years, is enjoying an unprecedented economic boom, fueled by foreign investments in its recently liberalized gambling industry.

Mr. Hu says time has proven that the "one country, two systems" formula is, in his words, "entirely correct".

China's late leader, Deng Xiaoping, crafted the concept of "one country, two systems" to deal with the then impending return of Macau and the British colony of Hong Kong in the late 1990s. The policy provided for a high degree of political autonomy for the two territories and preserved their capitalist systems, despite China's communist system.

The model was also meant to entice Taiwan, which has been self-governed since 1949, to return to Beijing's rule.

But while Macau has experienced stability and growth, Hong Kong has been beset by economic and political troubles since Britain handed it back to China in 1997. The outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome last year and demands for greater democracy have been among the many challenges the local administration has faced.

Beijing has refused to allow universal suffrage in Hong Kong in 2007 and 2008, when the next elections for the territory's legislature and chief executive are scheduled - prompting mass protests earlier this year.

On Sunday, Hong Kong's government suffered another embarrassment, when a court challenge forced it to scrap a $3 billion privatization of the commercial assets of its public housing estates.

At the Macau celebrations Monday, President Hu publicly berated Hong Kong's leaders, including Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, who stood by looking uncomfortable as Mr. Hu spoke.

Mr. Hu told officials to reflect on what Hong Kong has gone through since returning to China, examine its shortcomings, and improve its capabilities.

President Hu has not visited Hong Kong since becoming China's president and Communist party leader last year.

Tue, 21 Dec 2004 16:33:43 GMT

TORTURED FOR THE LORD

By Jeremy Reynalds
Special Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

CHINA (ANS) -- While Americans gear up to celebrate Christmas and enjoy God’s blessings, numerous Christians in China are carrying their cross for Lord. In His Name they are tortured, jailed, detained, tortured, fined or separated from their families.

The Committee for Investigation on Persecution of Religion in China’s (CIPRC) Chief Secretary John Lee sent this compelling and yet tragic story of the torture that four Christian evangelists suffered because of preaching the gospel.

Lee explained by e-mail how his organization obtained the account. He wrote, “God has moved many brave Christians in China in interviewing and collecting the persecution cases. Then they smuggle these reports to us in the United States. In the past several years, we have received thousands and thousands of the bloody cases. (But) we have lost many people because of this.”

Lee added, “Due to the nature of our ministry, our organization has become the target of the Chinese Communist Party’s ‘secret force’ in the U.S. They tried various means to stop us, such as stalking, intimidating, etc. But ‘The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’”

With that in mind, Lee wrote, “What should we do when knowing what have happened to our brothers and sisters? Where is our own cross? ‘Jesus said, ‘And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.’” (Luke 14:27)

A Tragic Story

According to the account from CIPRC, on Feb. 23 2003 four Christians were arrested and brutally tortured by police from Boli County, in China’s Heilongjiang Province.

Four policemen led by Weidong Sun from Chenxi Police Station drove two cars to Xiuying Chen’s home, and arrested Dan Deng, 38, an evangelist who rented a room there. There the police waited for three other Christians coming to meet Deng. They were Qingshan Qi, 29, Shengbin Man, 23, and Jiyan Cheng, 49.

At the police station, Sun and other officers surrounded Qi. Without any warning, Sun grabbed Qi’s hair and pushed his head between Sun’s thighs. The other two officers then kicked him in the back with leather shoes before slapping him on the face and kicking him on the ground for more than a half hour. Then they searched Qi, seizing 400 RMB ($50) and a variety of possessions. The police then demanded that Qi tell them the names of other Christians and where they met.

When Qi kept silent, the officers forced him into an excruciatingly painful posture known as “motorcycle-riding” – where the upper body is bent forward and one’s legs are stretched out. Officers then kicked Qi in the back between 50 and 60 times.

After about an hour, Sun took a chair and sat in front of Qi, saying, “I will see how long you can bear. I swear to make you confess!” Then with one hand holding Qi’s right arm, he used his other hand to hold a cigarette lighter and repeatedly burn Qi’s palm.

Later that day, Cheng was dragged into a room and put onto a “tiger” chair. There her legs were tightened, her left hand was tied to the chair’s low back while her right hand was attached to the upper back portion of the chair. Then the police officer forced her right arm down, making her scream in pain. When another officer saw that this wasn’t having the desired effect, he started slapping her face for a while.

Then another policeman came and continued the torture. Lifting Cheng’s clothes and starting from her breast and working on down, he pressed his fingers between her ribs. This caused such extreme pain she felt her heart was going to come out of her body.

The torture continued with a different officer – this one using a needle. He stuck the needle into Cheng’s knee between her bones a number of times and twisted it brutally. Then he started to poke her arms with the needle. Cheng’s legs were covered with bruises. Finally, the officer poked the needle through her upper lip.

Man was also beaten up. One policeman bashed his nose and followed that by grabbing his hair and smashing his head onto the wall. Sun pushed Man’s head against the corner of a steel cabinet, and then forced him to assume a posture known as “airplane-driving.” Another officer kicked Man on the back between 30 and 40 times for about an hour. The police confiscated his money and possessions. He was beaten again twice before being sent to the detention center.

Deng was interrogated for eight hours the next morning. He was brutalized so badly that his face was deformed.

Around 6:00pm the same day the police sent all the evangelists to the county North Jail. On March 10 they were transferred to the county detention center.

Qi was bailed out by his family at 4000 RMB ($500). He was released at about midnight on March 10.

Cheng was half dead from the torture before being released at midnight the same day.

Man was detained for 48 days. On April 12 his family bailed him out for 800 RMB ($100).

Deng was assigned to cook at the detention center but escaped and nobody knows where she is now.

According to CIPRC, the group was founded in 2000 in New York. Its objectives are to reveal the plight that the Chinese house church Christians have suffered, and to call on believers in the free world to help their brothers and sisters in the persecuted church.

For additional information about CIPRC go to www.china21.org

House Church Leader Arrested in China

Sat, 11 Dec 2004 15:05:01 GMT

URGENT CONCERN FOR ARRESTED PROMINENT CHRISTIAN LEADER IN CHINA

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

HENAN PROVINCE, CHINA (ANS) -- One of the most prominent Protestant house church leaders in China, Pastor Zhang Rongliang, was arrested on Wednesday, December 1.

According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) in the UK, Pastor Zhang, aged 53, was arrested in Xuzhai village in Zhengzhou, Henan Province. He is believed to be being held incommunicado in the Jinshui area in Zhengzhou.

“There is particular concern for Pastor Zhang's welfare and safety, especially as he suffers from serious diabetes, which would affect his ability to withstand the cruelty that can be expected in detention,” said a CSW spokesperson.

“Pastor Zhang is the leader of the China for Christ Church, which is estimated to have about 10 million members, and is also the leader of the Fangcheng Mother Church.

“He has been wanted for many years and has already spent twelve years in prison for his faith, during five separate detentions. There is concern that he may be less able to withstand such conditions in his current state of health.”

Around lunchtime on December 1, a white Volkswagen car, with a Zhengzhou registration plate with the number 0191, was seen parked by Pastor Zhang's flat (apartment). Shortly afterwards, Pastor Zhang was arrested and there has been no communication with him since that time.

Pastor Zhang's wife and immediate family are all in hiding following the arrest. On December 1 and 2 the authorities raided every home in Xuzhai, where the arrest took place, apparently searching for the Zhang family.

“There is also concern for Gao Shunping, who had helped in the provision of ID for Pastor Zhang, who has been missing since 2nd December,” said the CSW spokesperson.

“The police have conducted a number of follow up raids in Zhengzhou and elsewhere, including raiding at least three house churches in Fangcheng city.

“Pastor Zhang's arrest comes in the midst of a serious crackdown on the house churches and an increase in the number of arrests and other incidents this year.

“The case is now being made public and is expected to attract significant attention as Pastor Zhang has a notable international profile. Due to his position, he is well known to many international organizations and individuals. His story has been featured in a number of international articles and books, including 'Jesus in Beijing', published in 2003 by former TIME journalist, David Aikman… He has been interviewed by major news outlets, including Newsweek and TIME magazine, as well as key Christian media. It is feared that he may face more intense persecution as a result of his high profile and his international connections.

“Even more seriously, as the leader of a large house church network, there is the danger that he could be falsely accused of being the leader of a cult. The Chinese authorities are afraid of large networks and adopt arbitrary classification of groups as cults based upon political objectives rather than doctrinal orthodoxy.”

CSW is calling for international attention to be drawn to Pastor Zhang's case and for the Chinese authorities to disclose Pastor Zhang's precise whereabouts, provide medical care and release him as a matter of urgency.

Stuart Windsor, National Director of Christian Solidarity Worldwide stated: “We are gravely concerned for Pastor Zhang, especially for his health. In previous detentions the police have shown themselves ruthless in their torture of Pastor Zhang and we fear for his welfare if he is subjected to similar treatment in his current medical condition.

"We call upon the international community to raise a strong cry for his protection and immediate release. Pastor Zhang is being targeted solely for his religious activities and his arrest is part of the pattern of serious abuse of religious freedom by the governing authorities of the country. We call upon China to make good her assertions of religious freedom and release Pastor Zhang without delay - both on grounds of justice and in light of his medical condition.”

For further information and photos, please call + 44 7770 755660.

Tue, 07 Dec 2004 19:12:49 GMT

China Fears a Baby Bust. From the LA Times: "After 25 years of the one-child policy, the nation risks producing too few children. But many parents have decided one is enough. " This raises a new problem in China's population structure. "In Shanghai, 2.6... [China Digital News]

Google News in China

Tue, 07 Dec 2004 19:02:31 GMT

Google English News Disappears in China [The Epoch Times]
The popular online search engine company Google launched its Chinese news service. A few weeks later, China began a massive firewall blockade of English language news, according to Paris-based Reporters without Borders. [more]

Sun, 28 Nov 2004 00:21:53 GMT

Shanghai Labor Camp Mother in Court with Bruises. Shanghai mother Mao Hengfeng has battled forced abortion, loss of livelihood, and torture in a Chinese labor camp after falling foul of the country's one-child policy. [Radio Free Asia]

Chinese Uyghurs Speak Up

Sun, 28 Nov 2004 00:17:41 GMT

Uyghurs Count Cost of China's Quest for Stability. China's Muslim Uyghurs talk to RFA about the effect of Beijing's policies in the northwestern region of Xinjiang on their daily lives. [Radio Free Asia]

Sun, 28 Nov 2004 00:13:22 GMT

Stolen as a child in China. The BBC talks to a Chinese woman taken from her family as a baby about her experience. [BBC News | Asia-Pacific | World Edition]

Chinese Dissident Released

Sun, 28 Nov 2004 00:07:56 GMT

China releases leading dissident. Chinese dissident Liu Jingsheng is freed after a decade in jail but says his freedom of speech is limited. [BBC News | Asia-Pacific | World Edition]

Sun, 28 Nov 2004 00:04:58 GMT

Chinese pro-democracy activist freed. Japan Today Nov 27 2004 9:14AM GMT [Moreover - Human rights news]

Sun, 28 Nov 2004 00:03:02 GMT

Shanghai Mother of Two Tortured in Labour Camp for Petitioning against China's One-Child Policy

SHANGHAI, November 26, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The human rights group, Human Rights in China (HRIC) has reported that a Chinese mother of two is being tortured in a prison camp for defying China's one-child policy. Mao Hengfeng, a resident of Shanghai was arrested for her activism against the government policy. Fifteen years ago, Mao was dismissed from her job at a soap factory for the offense of having a second child. In April the Shanghai Public Security Bureau ordered that Mao serve 18 months in a Reeducation Through Labour (RTL) camp because of her activism.

In October, HRIC reported that Mao was being tortured, including being bound hand and foot and suspended in mid-air, and being subjected to severe beatings. Now HRIC has had further reports of torture. HRIC's sources say RTL camp police bound Mao's wrists and ankles with leather straps, and then proceeded to pull her limbs in separate directions, while demanding that she acknowledge wrongdoing.

Despite government restrictions on unofficial information being disseminated, the news of Mao's treatment has sparked public protests. "Mao's brutal treatment by camp officials clearly contravenes the United Nations Convention Against Torture, which China has ratified," said HRIC president Liu Qing. The protests have led to the adjournment of a hearing scheduled on October 28 in Yangpu District to consider further administrative action against Mao.

hw

Sun, 28 Nov 2004 00:00:49 GMT

CHINA: "RELIGIOUS DISTORTION" AND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

By Magda Hornemann, Forum 18 News Service
Special to ASSIST News Service

CHINA (ANS) -- Recently, a Tibetan Buddhist visited Beijing's Yong He Gong Lamasery, which is reportedly the largest and most well preserved Buddhist lamasery in China today, and a major tourist attraction. The visitor later made some observations to Forum 18 News Service about the ostensibly functioning lamasery.

The visiting Buddhist remarked that the lamasery was "like a museum", with a monk sitting curator-like in each hall. It was notable that there were toilets on the territory of the lamasery, even though "this is considered defilement". On one side of the lamasery, there were six bowls filled with water in front of an image of Tsonkapa, the founder of the Buddhist school to which the monastery belongs, when there "should be seven at the very least - it shows spiritual indifference to ritual".

The visitor also observed that a mandala, an image created over many hours with colored sand, lay carefully preserved in a glass case, while it would normally be destroyed as a symbol of impermanence: "That's the point." Curiously, tantric deities depicted in sexual union - "they symbolize the union of wisdom and practice" - were covered up with cloths, while, unlike similar monasteries, rows of low benches used by monks during rituals in the main temple had individual electric lamps, and no sign of sacred texts or instruments in constant use.

Furthermore, two thrones also stood in the main temple of the lamasery, one described as belonging to the Panchen Lama, containing a large portrait of the late tenth Panchen Lama alongside a smaller portrait of Gyaltsen Norbu, the boy claimed by the Chinese government - but disputed by the Dalai Lama - to be the eleventh incarnation. The second throne, described as belonging to the Dalai Lama, was empty.

These observations are important because they concern the degree to which "religious distortion" - defined here as religious teachings and other activities that differ from mainstream doctrines and practices - is an everyday event in China. Even more importantly, these observations raise the question of the extent to which the communist state is responsible for these distortions.

These distortions are found at all levels of Chinese society. At one level, religious distortions include the appointment, and recognition, of religious leaders that bypasses normal religious customs and practices. The case of the Tibetan Panchen Lama best illustrates this distortion. The ultimate decision to recognize the Panchen Lama, the second-ranking Tibetan Buddhist leader, is traditionally one of the powers held by the Dalai Lama, the religious and political leader of Tibet. However, as a result of state intervention, the Panchen Lama who was recognized by the Dalai Lama has been effectively under house arrest since 1995, while another boy has been appointed by the communist regime to that position.

This is no surprise, given the fact that the state has maintained an active campaign to denounce the Dalai Lama for his "betrayal" of the Chinese "motherland". The Chinese state has portrayed the Dalai Lama as a "political leader engaged in separatist activities," which, according to the state, is contrary to his claim as a religious leader. According to the Chinese communist authorities, this invalidates the Dalai Lama's traditional prerogative of selecting the Panchen Lama.

Another example of religious distortions is the result of the state's insistence that the Roman Catholic Church at the Vatican cannot "interfere" in the affairs of the Chinese Catholic Church. The resulting distortions are that, firstly, the Vatican is not officially permitted by the state to recognize Chinese bishops - although in practice, most Chinese bishops have actively sought and received "unofficial" sanction by the Vatican - and, secondly, that public references to the Pope as the supreme Catholic church authority are discouraged. The regime has justified this policy by stating repeatedly that the Vatican is a foreign state and that the "Chinese people" will never permit foreign interference in their internal affairs, including religious matters. Yet, it is ironic that while the state implores the Chinese Catholics to engage in "self governance, self support, and self propagation," it has nevertheless felt necessary to interfere in the affairs of the Catholic community, including the power to appoint senior clerics and lay leaders.

Of course, religious distortions are not simply limited to issues involving the selection of religious leaders. They also concern questions over the interpretation of doctrines that are fundamental to the life of a religious community.

For example, in recent years, Bishop Ding Guangxun, the former head of the state-sanctioned Protestant Chinese Christian Council (CCC) and the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM), has been actively promoting a campaign for what he describes as "theological construction," that will, in Bishop Ding's words, "weaken those aspects within Christian faith that do not conform with the socialist society." Pastors and seminary students have been "encouraged" to attend sessions that discuss his essays on this topic, which were first published in 1998. Academic theologians, such as Ji Tai, and students who challenged this agenda at the Nanjing Seminary Protestant theological college, were removed from the seminary (see the 2001 Forum 18 report at
http://www.forum18.org/Hearing20010305.html).

As Tony Lambert, an expert on the Protestant community in China, points out, the central principles of Ding's "theological reconstruction" aim to overturn many of Christianity's central tenets - such as justification by faith, which Bishop Ding described in the April 1999 issue of the Nanjing Theological Review, the only officially permitted theological journal, as "politically reactionary and theologically incorrect." Other Protestant doctrines overturned include the reliability and inerrancy of the Bible, and the necessity of having faith in Christ as the sole path to salvation.

The attempt on the part of the state to reinterpret religious doctrines is also seen among the Islamic communities in China. According to Kahar Barat, an expert on Uighur affairs, the state-sanctioned Islamic associations in China have recently begun to compile new interpretations of the Koran and other Islamic texts. He noted that, in September 2003, a conference on the new "interpretations" of the Koran was held in Urumqi [Urümqi] in Xinjiang in north-west China. The results of ongoing and completed doctrinal reinterpretations can be found in different
parts of China. For example, female imams are a unique phenomenon that is not seen in any Islamic community outside China.

These doctrinal issues are directly related to the contents of religious teachings and the curricula for religious education.

According to some Protestant observers, sermons delivered at Protestant churches permitted by the state are not allowed to include references to the second coming of Christ and the accompanying day of judgment, which Bishop Ding describes as "a deception of the masses [and] contains no love of socialist society." In religious education, many observers have noted the fact that political indoctrination and the contents of government regulations are regular components of the curricula in state-approved institutions of religious education, particularly those in politically volatile areas such as Xinjiang and Tibet. This practice continues today. A Christian pastor who recently visited China obtained a copy of the daily academic schedule for a relatively new seminary. According to this copy, government regulations on religious affairs are required to be taught to the students on a daily basis.

These examples illustrate the extent to which state repression has directly resulted in religious distortions.

There can be no denying of the fact that state-sponsored repression has continued unabated. Some would even argue that the situation has worsened. According to Bob Fu, a former house church leader, in the first nine months of 2004, 400 arrests were made of house church leaders. Individuals have been beaten to death by public security officials for distributing Bibles and other biblical tracts. Others have been detained and arrested for printing Bibles and other religious literature. Still others, including the elderly, were imprisoned for sending children to Sunday school classes. It is not officially permitted to give any religious instruction to people under the age of 18.

In the light of these repressive conditions, it would seem that distortions are the norm, not the exception. Indeed, the state's power to determine religious orthodoxy has especially contributed to religious distortions. As Ji Wenyuan, a vice-director of the Religious Affairs Bureau in Beijing stated at an international conference on religion and law held at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in October 2004: "A religion must be accepted not only by its own congregation, which follows its teachings, but also by non-believers who can live with it".

Religious organizations that either cannot or are unwilling to obtain government approval are automatically deemed illegal. Once an organization has been classified as illegal, all its activities are automatically considered to be illegal and subversive. As Joseph Kung, an advocate of the underground Catholic community in China, stated, activities such as celebrating the mass and prayers for the dying - which are orthodox Catholic practices - immediately become illegal and unorthodox if they are undertaken by a priest who has not been permitted by the state to perform these activities.

Similarly, the government ensures that government approval precedes the carrying out of normal religious rites. For example, as indicated in an earlier Forum 18 article about Xinjiang, the state strictly prohibits married Muslim couples from receiving religious rites before obtaining state marriage certificates (see F18News 28 September 2004 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=421).

Through these repressive measures, the regime creates an atmosphere that indirectly promotes religious distortions. For example, according to Ngawang Sangdrol, one of the famous 14 Tibetan Buddhist "Singing Nuns," Chinese officials have said that there is no formal ban on displaying photographs of the Dalai Lama in the homes of Tibetan people, but government policy and practice have effectively banned such displays. This permits Chinese officials to claim that the absence of such displays in Tibetan homes is the result of voluntary decisions, and not an outcome of coercive state policies.

The 14 "Singing Nuns" acquired this nickname in 1993 when, whilst in jail, they smuggled out tape recorded songs of love and devotion to Tibet. For this offence of "spreading counter-revolutionary propaganda," they had their prison terms doubled or tripled.

The state's repressive policy has also led to the isolation of Chinese religious communities from religious communities outside China. This state-induced isolation has itself also been responsible for many religious distortions. Many observers have noted that, in regulating the extent and the nature of contact between Chinese religious communities and believers and their foreign counterparts, state policy has encouraged the growth of unorthodox practices. An example of this is the Chinese phenomenon of female imams, mentioned earlier.

Isolation has also effectively contributed to the growth of "cults" and "sects" that are not only unorthodox in their doctrines, but also have harmful effects on Chinese society. Protestant Christian observers inside and outside China have lamented that the lack of regular contact with foreign Protestant groups has contributed to the formation of groups like Eastern Lightening. These groups not only spread teachings contrary to widely-accepted Christian doctrines, but they also engage in criminal activities such as kidnapping.

However, it is also interesting to note that isolation may not only have negative implications for the growth of religion in China. For example, with regard to the phenomenon of female imams, the outcome of the isolation may actually mean that traditional practices are observed. Dr. Khaled Abou el Fadl, a prominent Islamic legal scholar, has noted that the Hui Muslim community in China, by permitting the employment of female imams, is actually more faithful to Islam's long tradition of female legal scholars than Muslim communities outside China.

In addition, isolation may be welcomed by local religious leaders precisely for doctrinal reasons. Despite the concern shared among house church leaders about the negative effects of isolationism, many have also welcomed the isolation because it meant that Chinese Christians would not be susceptible to the negative influences of cosmopolitanism and consumerism that are perceived to be plaguing the churches in Western societies. In fact, many observers have noted that many Chinese house churches are even more fundamentally conservative in their doctrines than the most conservative churches in North America.

Moreover, it is easy to forget that some Chinese religious communities have long histories of independence from non-Chinese communities that pre-date communist rule. The most prominent example is the "Three-Self" movement of Protestant Christianity in China. The original concept of "Three Self", which stands for "self-governing, self-supporting, and self-propagating," was introduced in 1851 by Henry Venn, founder of the Church Missionary Society. The idea was that indigenous churches must be self-reliant and not depend on missionary-sending churches and groups for financial and administrative support. Of course, as is well known, this concept was later expropriated by the communist regime for its own political purposes.

Furthermore, it is important to point out that many religious communities in China are not just passive recipients of state directives. For example, despite the state policy that religious education is prohibited for children under 18 years of age, Uighur Muslims continue to establish private religious schools that train minors. Similarly, underground Protestant house churches conduct secret private worship services and religious education courses. In many cases, pastors from state-sanctioned churches provide clandestine support to these house churches for the conduct of these activities.

Notwithstanding the above illustrations of state interference, the state may not be guilty of all the religious distortions. To be fair, other factors must be taken into account. For example, religious distortions may be attributed to broad socio-economic trends, such as commercialization and consumerism.

On this note, one may point out that the descriptions of the lamasery in Beijing by the Buddhist observer can also be applied to numerous Buddhist temples and monasteries around the world, even those in free societies.

Putting aside for a moment the issue about the unorthodox nature of the displays in the Beijing lamasery, the presence of toilets on the grounds of the lamasery, while understandably offensive to devout Buddhists, is quite practical for economic reasons, particularly since the lamasery in question is a major tourist spot. The fact is that the existence of a large number of Buddhist institutions in China and around the world depends on the financial income generated by tourism, and the decision to establish such facilities might easily have been made by the religious leaders in that lamasery. Of course, in this particular example of the lamasery in Beijing, it is more likely that the decision was made by the government, probably through the relevant state-sanctioned religious organization.

Another factor is that individuals, independent of the state, have made decisions that result in religious distortions. This should be of no great surprise, even in a society that is ruled by an authoritarian regime. After all, China is no longer a totalitarian state in practice if not in rhetoric. And notwithstanding the state's continued desire to maintain control over all aspects of society, it simply does not have the resources to fulfill this desire.

As Jason Kindopp, an expert on the Protestant Christian communities in China, observed: "Political authorities in most locales … lack the resources and or willingness to mould individual congregation….They may still manipulate the selection of lianghui [CCC and TSPM] representatives and limit the church's engagement with broader society, but authorities in most urban and rural areas make little effort to penetrate individual congregations…." The sheer size of the country and the fact that the central government continues to face difficulties in ensuring that the provincial and local authorities act in accordance with central directives means that individuals and groups can easily fly under the state's radar screen.

The emergence of Eastern Lightening, which is viewed by both the underground house churches and the government as a "cult," illustrates this point. Ironically, the case has in fact resulted in cooperation between the affected house church groups and local police in tracking down the Eastern Lightening. Even the Falun Gong, with a set of doctrines that is a unique blend of Buddhist, Taoist, and modern scientific principles, can be analyzed from this perspective. In fact, it offers an even more interesting case because Li Hongzhi, the founder of the group, received state approval and support prior to his fallout with the communist regime.

Despite these examples, no one should deny the dominant role of the state in causing religious distortions in China. Ultimately, as the most powerful player in society, the state has determined the range of choices, if not the choices themselves, that are available to religious communities when it comes to religious practices and doctrines. Given this fact, what must be done to reduce the role of the state in making substantive choices on religious matters?

Many outside observers have advocated that the state permit increased contact between religious communities in China and their foreign co-religionists. This approach has so far met with mixed results. The most significant reason is that the communist state remains suspicious of foreign religious influences in China. Thus far, contacts, at least those that have been officially sanctioned, have been limited to visits by major foreign religious figures, including the Rev. Billy Graham, and other activities that in the main resemble social services. Some foreign religious groups have openly supported state-sanctioned religious communities in activities such as the building of religious venues, and foreign clerics have even been invited as teachers. However, given the post-11 September 2001 world, it is unlikely that such contacts would gain the state's blanket approval, particularly in the case of contacts between Muslims in China and their co-religionists in the Arab world.

Given the fact that the state remains the chief obstacle to religious freedom, and therefore the chief source of religious distortions, and the difficulties of persuading the Chinese government to conform to international human rights standards, an increasing number of foreign experts and advocates are suggesting that foreign governments and groups should focus on pressing the communist regime to observe its own growing body of laws and regulations.

These individuals have noted that, in recent years, the Chinese government has promulgated laws and regulations on religious affairs that, while falling somewhat short of international standards, are nevertheless in general compliance with internationally accepted norms. As Pitman Potter, a scholar on Chinese legal affairs, has pointed out, whilst it may be difficult to get the Chinese government to establish laws that are in complete conformity with internationally accepted notions of religious freedom, the next best thing is to invite the Chinese communist state to "take its own legal system seriously."

However, as is widely reported, Chinese officials have displayed a tendency to make their practices contradict their rhetoric. For example, as mentioned earlier, while Chinese officials have told foreign government officials that there is no prohibition against religious education for minors, written documents and actual practices suggest otherwise.

More recently, at the above mentioned October 2004 international conference on religion and law, one religious affairs official noted that the government was revising its religious policy with the aims of curbing state arbitrariness and allowing greater autonomy for religious communities. Yet, at the same conference, another religious affairs official essentially stated that the state would never relinquish its control over religious matters. In the light of these contradictory attitudes amongst officials, whilst it is important to encourage the Chinese government to observe its own rules and regulations, it may be even more urgent to press the state to recognize and clarify the contradictions it displays.

Mon, 22 Nov 2004 20:23:19 GMT

China Now Test-Flying Homemade AWACS. The Chinese military, undeterred by a U.S. veto that blocked the purchase of Israeli planes, has developed its own radar surveillance aircraft and is test-flying the first models for early deployment in the Taiwan Strait. By . [washingtonpost.com - World]

Mon, 22 Nov 2004 20:20:20 GMT

Burma's disorientated rebels. Burma's ethnic Karen rebels are worried that peace talks may break down, now moderate leader Khin Nyunt has been ousted. [BBC News | Asia-Pacific | World Edition]

Mon, 22 Nov 2004 20:14:43 GMT

China frees '89 democracy activist. New York Daily News Nov 21 2004 9:58AM GMT [Moreover - Human rights news]

China Aid Has Released Secret Document From Chinese Goverment

Sun, 21 Nov 2004 14:23:32 GMT

Analysis on Chinese Communist Party's Atheism Education and Religious Persecution

Washington DC-November 17, 2004

China Aid Association released a long awaited secret document by top Chinese government and Communist Party departments today at the Senate building today. Here are both CAA’s analysis and the full Chinese and English text.

CAA’S ANALYSIS OF THE SECRET DOCUMENT

BY BOB FU

This is a secret document we obtained from a currently high ranking Communist Party official who is very unhappy with the repressive party policy toward religious groups in China. It is a document from the highest level of Chinese government that we have ever been able to obtain. This document, entitled “Notice on Further Strengthening Marxist Atheism Research, Propaganda and Education” dated May 27, 2004, is a notice named “Zhong Xuan Fa [2004] No.13” issued jointly by the Department of Propaganda of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Department of Propaganda of the Central Committee of the CPC, the Office of the Central Steering Committee on Spiritual Civilization Construction, the Communist Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC and Ministry of Education as well as China Academy of Social Science and it is classified as a “secret document.” It is addressed to the Department of Personnel, the Department of Propaganda, the Office of Spiritual Civilization Construction, and the Communist Party School of the Communist Party Committee, and the Department of Education of all provinces, autonomous regions and metropolises, the Communist Party Committee of all departments, ministries and commissions of the Communist Party and the state organs, and the General Department of Political Affairs of the People’s Liberation Army. Copies of the document were to be submitted to members and alternate members of the Politburo of the Central Committee, Secretary of the Secretariat of the Central Committee, Premier, Vice Premier and State Counselors of the State Council. It was copied to the General Office of the Central Committee, the General Office of the State Council and distributed by the Secretariat of the General Office of the Department of Propaganda of the Central Committee on May 28, 2004. This secret document was distributed with only 750 copies in total.

1. This secret notice is issued in order to “further boost Marxist atheism research, propaganda, and education.” It reflects a new assessment from the top Party leaders in light of “the new situation to target the cultic organization of ‘Falun Gong’ and various pseudo-sciences and superstitions, and the new trend toward Western hostile forces’ attempting to ‘westernize’ and ‘disintegrate’ China in the name of religion”. It calls for the government to keep a tight hold on all national education, media communications, research on social sciences, spiritual civilization construction activities of the people, the trainings conducted by the Communist Party School and administrative institutions at different levels, and others.” Particular attention shall be centered on the Party cadres and juveniles so that “…fatuity and superstition are opposed, and evil teachings and heterodox are boycotted.” It specifically demands the Communist Party School and administrative institutions in western and border regions with multi ethnic groups and religions to “increase the proportion of Marxist atheism propaganda and education targeting local leaders.” It urges Marxist atheism propaganda and education to be integrated into all sectors of society throughout the country in all levels. All efficient measures shall be taken to “ban all uncivilized conduct in spreading superstitions” in order to cause ‘peoples’ minds to be educated, spirits enriched, their state of thought improved”.

2. It paid special attention to the role of mass media. It calls to all the broadcasting, TV, newspapers, and magazines and asks them to develop their respective advantages to earnestly publicize Marxist atheism. Particularly, regarding the Internet, it instructs the key websites to strengthen their “management over online comments and make the internet a new tool to conduct Marxist atheism propaganda and education.” It strongly asks all the media and government officials to “firmly ban all illegal publications which disseminate superstitions and evil teachings.” This policy seems to be a direct reference regarding the recent campaign on closing websites, arresting individuals and banning publications with dissident voices.

3. Regarding the academic exchange of conducting research on religion with foreigners, this notice calls for “the relevant regulations of the state to be strictly followed.” It calls “the procedure on approving and recording shall be made sound” which means more scrutiny will be posed for foreign exchange program on religious studies..

4. Though the document repeated its old policy to “fully implement the party’s policy on freedom of religious belief, respect people’s freedom to believe religion or not to believe religion” yet it calls the atheistic officials to “make distinction between religion and superstition” which are inevitably going to cause arbitrary classification on religious groups.

China Aid Association by Copyright 2004

See the document on CAA's website

China Aid Press Release

Sun, 14 Nov 2004 01:47:15 GMT

Husband of The Killed Christian Woman Appeals for International Intervention

Beijing (CAA)-November 13, 2004

China Aid Association releases an urgent letter of appeal asking for international intervention in behalf of a Chinese Christian victim. Requested by Mr. Zhang Zhenghua, husband of Ms. Jiang Zongxiu who was beaten to death during intrrogation time on June 18, 2004 at PSB office of Tongzi County, Guizhou province. CAA urges the international community to press the related Chinese government agencies to take full responsibility regarding the death of this Christian lady and to hold those abusive police officers accountable. Ms. Jiang Zongxiu, 34-year-old, was arrested on June 17 while she and her mother-in-law was distributing some Christian tracts and Bibles in the market place at Tongzi conuty, Guizhou province. Both of them were sentenced to 15 days’ administrative detention for their suspected activities of ” spreading rumors and disturbing social order“.Ms. Jiang was found dead during interrogation time at about 2pm on June 18, 2004. The sudden mysterious death was even reported by China Legal Daily on July 4, 2004 in which the reporter questioned the cause of Jiang’s death. However, despite of numerous times of formal appeals to higher authorities including both the provincial and central governments by then relatives, so far no one had taken any responsibilty to address the request from the relatives of the victim. Surprisingly, the local government-managed first autoposy result claimed Ms. Jiang died of ” fat heart failure“ without even mentioning the obvious wounds and scars caused by beatings during the interrogation time. Ms. Jiang left a four-year-old son Zhang Jun and her husband as well as her aged parents.

”This is another grave case of religious persecution costing a 34-year innocent lady’s life simply because of distributing Bibles and Gospel tracts,“ said Bob Fu, ”We strongly urge the Chinese government to fully investigate this case and address the requests of Ms. Jiang’s relatives.“

Letters of protest can be sent to the Chinese Embassy in Washington DC at the following address:

Ambassador Yang Jiechi

Embassy of the People’s Republic of China

2300 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington DC 20008

Tel:(202) 328-2500 Fax:(202) 588-0032

Director of Religious Affairs: (202) 328-2512

November 10, 2004

Appeal from the family of Jiang Zongxiu, Who Died a Sudden Death during Detention

I am Zhang Zhenghua, husband of Jiang Zongxiu, a villager of Baishi Village of Ganshui Township of Qijiang County of Chongqing City. On June 18, 2004, the Public Security Bureau of Tongzi County of Guizhou Province in the name of “disturbing social order” detained my 34-year-old wife, due to her disseminating the Gospel books of the Bible. And on that afternoon she died a sudden death for an unknown reason. Since our marriage, my wife has been in good health, and has not been afflicted by any disease. Even if she occasionally caught cold, it was no need for her to seek treatment. In the noontime of that day my wife told my mother, who was detained in the same place for the same reason, “The officers kicked me, and I feel very painful.” Over six months have gone by since my wife’s death. The leaders of the Public Security Bureau of Tongzi deceived the upper-level authorities, and intimidated the victim’s family. It is beyond our toleration. I hereby disclose this case to the public, hoping all conscientious people might speak out the truth and bringing those who violated the law to justice.

The following are our doubts over the death of Jiang Zongxiu:

1. Jiang Zongxiu had been in good health before her death. Since our marriage, I have been working in Chongqing to sustain the family. All the work of my family, including farming the land, feeding the livestock, raising the child, taking care of my parents, had to be done by her alone. She had never been afflicted by any disease.

2. Jiang Zongxiu was severly beaten by the officers of the PSB of Tongzi during interrogation, which can be witnessed by my mother Tan Dewei, and some pictures taken on the site of autopsy. There were wounds all over her body. The current law of our country forbids beating or forcing a confession from those who are in custody.

3. Responsible officers kept lying to my mother, who was detained in the same detention center. In the course of detention, my mother asked the officers several times about Jiang Zongxiu. They had been lying to her and concealing the truth. Suppose Jiang Zongxiu did die of a sudden death as the legal medical appraisers insist, it is not necessary for the PSB to conceal the truth to us. Even at the very moment of my mother’s release on June 23, they still told her that Jiang Zongxiu had gone home. What is more, if Jiang Zongxiu had not died, the detention center would not have released my mother ahead of schedule, who was supposed to be detained fifteen days. And my mother would not have been sent home in car by the police officers. The later development of this case indicates that the PSB knew that their illegal conduct had been disclosed. Therefore, they were surprisingly well behaved.

4, The PSB ordered the remains to be cremated within three days. The PSB knows an autopsy is inevitable for such an usual case. They are eager to cremate the remains in order to destroy the strong evidence and shirk their responsibilities.

5, With the hard efforts of our attorney, the autopsy was finally conducted. In order to collect some evidences, to tell our son when he grows up what happened to his mother, we wanted to take some pictures. At first the police officers forbade us to come closer to the site. With our strong demand we were finally allowed to do so. The pictures indicate that there are wounds all over the body.

6, In the course of autopsy, we heard that one officer said, “It is unnecessary to appraise, for obviously she was beaten to death.”

7, I found out on the autopsy site that, my wife wore prison clothes. My request for her original clothes was declined. As material evidence her clothes shall be submitted for appraisal and analysis.

8, The legal medical report makes no explanation about what cause the sudden death. The report detailed the situation of the interior organs, but failed to mention the fingerprints, imprints, and stripes on the body, which any lay people can identify are caused by beating. Is it done so carelessly, or to help the PSB shirk responsibilities?

Zhang Zhenghua

Jiang Zongxiu’s husband

Photos on our website

Chinese House Church Leader To Be Tried in Beijing

Fri, 12 Nov 2004 23:11:12 GMT

Prominent Beijing House Church Leader Faces Harsh Sentence

Midland, Texas (CAA)-November 11, 2004
CAA learned a prominent Beijing house church leader will face an extremely harsh sentence if convicted in the upcoming trial. Pastor Cai Zhuohua, a house church leader ministering to six house churches in Beijing will be formally tried in a Beijing court very soon. The 32-year-old pastor was kidnapped by three plain-clothed officers believed to be from the Department of State Security at about 2:00pm on September 11, 2004. According to an eyewitness account, Cai was waiting at a bus stop when three strong men approached him and pushed him into a white van. Cai was returning home following a Bible study session that morning. Cai’s wife, Xiao Yunfei, along with her brother, Xiao Gaowen, and sister-in-law, Hu Jinyun, were also arrested September 27 while hiding in Hengshan county, Hunan province. Sources familiar with the case told CAA that pastor Cai and his wife will face an extremely harsh sentence because of their prominent role in the Beijing house church leadership. CAA learned that this case has been handled directly by the Department of State Security. Another source close to the central law enforcement authority revealed to CAA that a two-word handwritten directive “Yan Ban” (which means - to deal with this case harshly and severely) was issued by Mr. Qiang Wei, deputy General Secretary of Politics and Law Commission of Beijing. And that the central government had already labeled this case the most serious case on overseas religious infiltration since the founding of the People’s Republic of China. It’s believed the authorities were shocked when they found about 200,000 copies of the Bible and other Christian literature in a storage room managed by pastor Cai. In China, only one publisher belonging to the officially-sanctioned Three-Self Patriotic Movement is allowed to publish and print a limited number of Bibles and other Christian literature each year. These publications are forbidden to be sold in the public bookstores. With the rapid growth in the number of Christians every year, Chinese house churches sometimes find printers willing to print a few Bibles for extra cash instead of relying on “Bible-smugglers” from overseas. Sources close to one of pastor Cai’s churches said the confiscated Bibles and other Christian literature were solely for internal house church-use and pastor Cai made no profit off them. Pastor Cai and his wife have one four-year-old son, Cai Yabo, who is now under the care of his grandmother. The prosecution team source told CAA that this case is part of a broader national campaign against the underground church and so-called “illegal” religious publications that began this past June. The Chinese authority is especially unhappy about a house church quarterly magazine called Love Feast “AI YAN” (www.AiYan.org) in which pastor Cai has been involved. In several issues in the past, contrary to Chinese official position, it published articles on President Bush’s faith and commemorations on Dr. Jonathan Chao, one of the most respected Chinese church historians, who passed away this year. According to the same source, instead of on religious grounds, the authorities are considering convicting pastor Cai and his wife, along with the other two relatives, on criminal charges such as tax evasion or illegal business management, which could lead to a life sentence. All four arrested are now being held at Qinghe Detention Center, Haidian District, Beijing. So far none of their relatives are allowed to visit them.
“All of those who know pastor Cai over the years can testify that he and his wife are wonderful Christians with loving hearts for both the church in China and their motherland,” said Bob Fu, CAA’s president and a former coworker of pastor Cai. “We urge people of all faiths to take action to demand their immediate release.”
(Photo of pastor Cai performing baptism for new believers.)
Letters of protest can be sent to the Chinese Embassy in Washington DC at the following address:
Ambassador Yang Jiechi
Embassy of the People’s Republic of China
2300 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington DC 20008
Tel:(202) 328-2500 Fax:(202) 588-0032
Director of Religious Affairs: (202) 328-2512

Issued by China Aid Association, Inc. on November 10, 2004.

Thu, 11 Nov 2004 19:27:19 GMT

CHRISTIAN CONFERENCE HEARS HOW CHINA'S CHRISTIANS SUFFER FOR THEIR FAITH

By Michael Ireland
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

LONDON, ENGLAND (ANS) -- Speaking at the recent International Christian Human Rights Conference at Westminster Chapel in London, Chinese Christian leader Peter Xu said: "They hung me up across an iron gate, then they yanked open the gate and my whole body lifted until my chest nearly split in two. I hung like that for four hours."

That is how Peter Xu Yongze, the founder of one of the largest religious movements in China, described his treatment during one of five jail sentences on account of his belief in Christianity, at the conference attended by at least 1,000 delegates.

Mr Xu, 61, is not the only Chinese Christian to suffer for his faith. Both Catholics and Protestants have long complained of persecution by the Communist authorities, and human rights groups claim the problem is getting worse, writes Kate McGeown on the British Broadcasting Corporation web site.

According to the Jubilee Campaign, an interdenominational lobbying group, about 300 Christians are in detention in China at any one time, and that number is set to rise, McGeown said.

"China's new generation of leaders are trying to consolidate control of the country as it goes through rapid social and economic changes," said Wilfred Wong, a parliamentary officer for the Jubilee Campaign.

"The Communists feel threatened by any popular ideology which is different from their own," he said.

CHINESE CONSTITUTION ‘ALLOWS CHRISTIANITY’

McGeown says China's Christian population -- especially those who refuse to worship in the tightly regulated state-registered churches -- is seen as one such threat.

According to Mr Wong, the number of Christians in China has continued to rise, exacerbating this perceived threat and causing the authorities to clamp down still further on unregistered churches.

The perception that China's Christians have close links with the West adds to their plight, Mr Wong said.

Christianity is not actually banned in China. In fact, according to the constitution, "citizens of the People's Republic of China enjoy freedom of religious belief."

McGeown said Beijing backed up that statement in 1997, saying that "In China, no one is to be punished due to their religious belief."

But human rights groups and Christians say that the reality is different, she wrote.

"They say you can believe, but you can't evangelize," Mr Xu said. "But that is a natural act for Christians. The bible commands us to preach the gospel."

According to Mr Xu, who has now left China and lives in the US, it is against regulations to worship in groups. He said that one of his arresting officers even told him he could only avoid breaking the law if he prayed under the covers in bed, McGeown writes.

“To an Evangelical Protestant like Mr Xu, joining one of China's state-sanctioned churches was simply not an option -- and it seems many other Chinese Christians agree with him,” she said.

McGeown also said that getting reliable numbers about the number of Christians in China is notoriously difficult. Estimates vary between 40 to 70 million Protestants, only 10 million of whom are registered members of government churches.

“The situation is similar for Catholics. Of the estimated 15 to 20 million Catholics in China, less than half belong to state-approved churches, which put authority to Beijing before authority to Rome,” she said.

“Those Christians who want to avoid the state-controlled religious movements meet in unofficial buildings or even each others' homes - hence their description as ‘house churches’ -- risking fines, imprisonment, torture and even, in some cases, death.”

GOVERNMENT CRACKDOWNS INCREASING

Human rights groups have documented an increasing number of arrests of Chinese Christians since the beginning of 2004, McGeown said.

“According to the charity Christian Solidarity Worldwide, persecution is becoming more systematic and targeted at large-scale Christian gatherings.

“Since June the charity has documented three mass arrests of unregistered Christians. In each case more than 100 people were detained,” she said.

Amnesty International has reported many cases of detained church leaders in recent years, especially in the provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Hebei.

McGeown writes that one of the most high profile cases is that of Gong Shengliang, head of the South China Church, who was sentenced to death in 2001. His sentence was commuted to a prison term, but Amnesty has received reports that he has been severely tortured in jail.

In August three Christians were sentenced to jail terms for passing information to foreign governments, and in July state media reported that a woman had been beaten to death after being arrested for handing out bibles, she said.

Peter Xu said that while he was in jail, he saw several people even being killed for their faith, writes McGeown.

"A believer was praying, so a jailer made other prisoners lift him up to the ceiling and drop him to the ground many times until he died," Mr Xu said.

But government crackdowns -- and even torture -- may not make people like Peter Xu give up their faith, McGeown said.

"Despite all the persecution and suffering, God is calling more and more people in China," said Xu.

According to the Religious Prisoners Congressional Task Force, Pastor Xu Yongze was released from prison on May 16, 2000 after serving the entirety of his three-year sentence of “re-education through labor” for allegedly creating an illegal organization.

His sentence was originally four years, but was reduced to three years in December 1997. In reality, Pastor Xu was meeting with other leaders of the house church movement in China, thus raising concerns about lack of control among paranoid Chinese officials. Reports reveal that Pastor Xu was tortured while officials interrogated him.

Freedom House, The Center for Religious Freedom, said on July 14, 1999 that “Protestant Pastor Peter Yongze Xu, China's most prominent underground Protestant leader, was sentenced to three years of labor camp on September 25, 1997, in Zhengzhou, Henan province, for ‘disrupting public order.’

“His trial was closed to the public and he was denied a defense lawyer. Pastor Xu, the 56-year-old leader of the three-to four-million-strong New Birth Movement of evangelicals, was arrested on March 16, 1997, as he was meeting with other leaders of large evangelical churches in China. His wife and several of his associates were also imprisoned.”

The article “A Tale of China's Two Churches: Eyewitness Reports of Repression and Revival” by Timothy C. Morgan, published in Christianity Today, July 13, 1998, says that during China's brutal Cultural Revolution in 1968, Peter Xu Yongze, newly called to Christian ministry, surveyed the bleak future facing Christianity in China and was overcome with grief.

Climbing a mountain near his village in the rugged Henan Province, Xu stopped and prayed, "Dear Lord, please revive your church!"

The article says that during the intervening 30 years, Xu evangelized, planted new house churches, and trained local church leaders, eventually creating the Born Again Movement (BAM), which has an estimated 3 million followers independent of the official registered church in China. Spinoffs from BAM, one of the fastest-growing religious groups in China, have an estimated 20 million followers, nearly twice the size of the registered church, which was re-established in 1979.

“But the Chinese government has increasingly employed the strategy of associating charismatic religious leaders with antisocial cults and charging those leaders like Xu with violating criminal laws, not religious regulations,” Morgan’s article says.

It adds: “After Xu's arrest, the official Chinese news agency compared him to David Koresh, the Branch Davidian leader who in 1994 died in a fiery apocalypse in Waco, Texas, as the fbi attempted to arrest him. Both registered-church and house-church leaders, including Samuel Lamb and Allen Yuan, have criticized Xu and his movement for alleged doctrinal aberrations.”

Entitled ‘Don’t Stand in Silence,’ the 15th Annual International Christian Human Rights Conference represented “a unique opportunity for people in the UK to hear authentic, first hand evidence from the members of the persecuted Church,” said CSW Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas prior to the conference.

At the conclusion of the conference, chief executives of CSW, Release International, and Premier Christian Radio gave the following comments on the conference:

Mervyn Thomas, Chief Executive of CSW, said: “My desire is to see Christians throughout this nation refusing to stand in silence at the incredible injustices being faced by the worldwide persecuted Church. I believe that on Saturday we made a big step to seeing Christians in the UK providing a loud voice in support of those in our family who have had their voices taken away.”

Eddie Lyle, Chief Executive Officer of Release International, commented: “We want to resource you to speak out for the persecuted church, a church that is growing in these seriously embattled situations. I have said before that I have a problem with the phrase a silent majority. We want you to go from here as a seriously noisy majority.”

Peter Kerridge, Chief Executive of Premier Christian Radio, added: ''It is a great privilege to work with CSW and Release International to draw attention to the plight of so many in the persecuted church. My prayer is that we will motivate Christians around the UK to take positive action to help all they can. We can do so much but we can't stand in silence.''

According to CSW, the three organizations will also be holding regional conferences scheduled to take place on Nov. 13 at Findlay Memorial Church in Glasgow and on Nov. 20 at City Temple in Cardiff.

Thu, 11 Nov 2004 19:24:57 GMT

CHINA RETURNS NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES WHO SOUGHT ASYLUM IN A BEIJING SCHOOL
China Has Vowed To Crack Down On North Korean Asylum Seekers

By Michael Ireland
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

BEIJING,CHINA (ANS) -- A group of North Koreans arrested last month for trying to seek asylum in Beijing have been sent home by Chinese authorities, according to news reports.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the group included 62 North Koreans who were arrested during raids on two safe houses in Beijing on October 26.

Another eight alleged North Koreans arrested trying to enter South Korea's consulate in Beijing have also been sent home, Yonhap reported in a story published on the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) website.

The move comes amid reports China was clamping down on North Korean refugees. About 200,000 are estimated to be living in China, mainly across the border from impoverished North Korea.

A small but increasing number has attempted to win asylum in third countries, often forcing their way into foreign embassies in Beijing, from where they are usually sent on to South Korea.

In the past two and a half months, more than 100 North Koreans have sought asylum in foreign missions and schools in Beijing.

China usually turns a blind eye to North Koreans living and working near the border, but those caught seeking asylum are usually repatriated to the North, a close ally.

The latest reported repatriations were criticized by a human rights group.

"China knows that they will be executed or they will be put in political prisoner camps for the crime of leaving the country," said Suzanne Scholte, president of the human rights group the Defense Forum Foundation.

Two South Korean human rights activists who were helping the refugees have also been arrested by the Chinese authorities, Yonhap said.

As many as 29 North Korean asylum seekers entered a South Korean school in Beijing last month, a diplomat and news reports said, adding to a surge in large-scale defections by people fleeing their nation's dictatorship.

Twenty-three women and six men entered the school on the rural northern outskirts of the Chinese capital, South Korea's national news agency, Yonhap, reported. "We fled North Korea and want to live in South Korea," they were quoted as saying.

An Asian diplomat in Beijing confirmed that more than 20 North Koreans had entered the school. He said he had no other details and refused to be identified further.

The North Koreans, who included two children, entered the school through its unlocked, unguarded back gate, Yonhap said. It said South Korean officials had asked China not to arrest them and planned to move the group to a consular office.

Hundreds of North Koreans fleeing their repressive government have been allowed to leave for South Korea over the past three years after seeking asylum in embassies and other foreign offices in China, North Korea's last major ally.

The size of groups of asylum-seekers has steadily increased. In the biggest attempt yet, a group of 44 North Koreans climbed over a spiked fence to enter the Canadian Embassy in September.

It is not clear whether the increase in asylum bids and publicity about them are having any effect on Chinese diplomatic efforts to arrange a new round of six-nation talks with North Korea about its nuclear program, the agency reported.

20 people claiming to be North Korean asylum-seekers scaled walls and crawled under barbed wire to reach the South Korean Consulate in Beijing. In September, 29 would-be defectors climbed a wall to get into the Japanese school in Beijing.

In the attempt last month, video shot by a Yonhap reporter showed the North Koreans walking through the school gate and into a weedy backyard. A small child held a woman's hand and scurried to keep up, but the group looked relaxed and did not seem to be in a hurry -- perhaps to avoid attracting attention.

After walking a few hundred meters, the North Koreans reached the school building. They were taken to a room with a round conference table, where the video showed them chatting and smiling.

Classes at the school were held as usual, an embassy official said on the condition of anonymity. It is the main Korean school in Beijing, with 500 to 600 students, and many South Korean diplomats send their children there.

N Korean Refugees Sent Back From China

Wed, 10 Nov 2004 02:10:01 GMT

China returns N Korea refugees. China repatriates up to 70 North Koreans caught in Beijing while allegedly preparing to seek asylum. [BBC News | Asia-Pacific | World Edition]

Wed, 10 Nov 2004 02:04:23 GMT

China relaunches "Strike hard" campaign to curb Tibetan dissidence and religion - www.phayul.com (Phayul). In its latest attempt to intensify hard-line policies, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has relaunched the "strike hard" campaign to systematically curtail Tibetan political dissent and to control religious institutions. [Yahoo! News - Search Results for China Human Rights]

Wed, 10 Nov 2004 02:01:41 GMT

Chinese Government Forcefully Extradited 73 North Korean Defectors. It was reported yesterday that the Chinese government forcefully extradited 11 North Korean defectors around November 2, who were arrested by the police while trying to enter the consulate of the Korean embassy ... [China - Topix.net]

Religious Policies Change In China?

Wed, 10 Nov 2004 01:25:53 GMT

China

Announces ‘Change’ in Religious Policies

Government officials discuss new regulations while raids and arrests continue.

by Sarah Page

DUBLIN, November 9 (Compass) -- In a two-day international conference on religion and law held in Beijing on October 18 and 19, Chinese officials said they were open to changes in religious policy.

During the conference, Zhang Xunmou, director of the policy and legal department of the State Administration of Religious Affairs (SARA, formerly the Religious Affairs Bureau), said the days of issuing administrative orders on religious affairs were over. New laws would set clear limits on the authority given to local officials to control religious activity.

Zhang said existing laws and regulations were now inadequate after two decades of reform. He also claimed the new approach would be a paradigm shift in China’s religious policy.

However, Ji Wenyuan, deputy director of SARA, emphasized that China was unique and cautioned against the adoption of religious policies from the West, the South China Morning Post reported on October 23. In the past, Chinese Christian converts were accused of “collaborating” with the West and corrupting Chinese culture.

Asia News said the changes in religious policy were a positive step forward, but only if the government recognized religious freedom as a basic human right. On October 25, the news service quoted an anonymous source in Hong Kong who said the announcement was merely “cosmetic” -- a move aimed at “sheltering China from international criticism against its harsh religious policy.”

Zhang Qianan, a professor at Peking University, confirmed to reporters that while the constitution guarantees freedom of religion, this freedom was only available to groups recognized by the state.

Indeed, Ji’s cautious admonition of “change, but not yet” was borne out in a wave of arrests and raids carried out on Christians in October.

In mid October, a building belonging to a house church leader was raided by police. “They took everything from her -- all she has left is a mattress,” one source told Compass. “They watch her place all the time and someone is stationed outside the house 24 hours a day, seven days a week.” Bibles were also confiscated in the raid, along with other Christian literature and tapes.

In late October, another house church leader reported that authorities were watching him closely. One of his church meeting points was raided in the last few days of October, and many believers were arrested, beaten and questioned.

Information obtained during questioning led to raids on several other meeting points for the same house church network. The believers have now scattered and their pastor has gone into hiding.

One ministry reported a sharp increase in persecution throughout September and October, with a large number of arrests. One co-worker was beaten to death after she was arrested by police. A 70-year-old Chinese believer was also arrested in Xinjiang province; this man was hospitalized after a severe beating.

Another co-worker was arrested in Shaanxi province. Police confiscated all of the family’s belongings, “right down to their very last chair.”

Perhaps more significantly, four printing presses were shut down within the space of a month, when police discovered they were printing illegal Christian materials. One press operator was puzzled by the raids, saying “... we have never seen this type of crackdown before.”

Another source who verified the closure of one printing press said the owner was arrested and held on false charges while his warehouse was emptied of thousands of Christian books.

Officials said the new regulations proposed at the conference would strengthen the self-government of registered churches and reduce administrative costs for SARA. Tax laws and levies would also be applied to registered churches, some of which had amassed considerable wealth.

An article in the Shanghai Daily on October 19 seemed to indicate that changes were already underway. The article said the Bible would be placed on a recommended reading list for students in the city, along with a popular series of Kung Fu books. However, some parents interviewed by the newspaper said they were concerned that students would be adversely affected by what they read in the Bible.

After the changes were announced, deputy director Ji said that Beijing must tread carefully in making these reforms. He emphasized that social stability and harmony must be the basis for any new laws, stating, “A religion must be accepted not only by its own congregation, which follows its teachings, but also by non-believers who can live with it,” according to an article in the South China Morning Post on October 23.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell met with Chinese officials on October 25 to discuss human rights violations, The New York Times reported. Talks ground to a halt earlier this year after the U.S. proposed a resolution against China at the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva.

Li Zhaoxing, China’s foreign minister, assured Powell that China was now willing to re-open the dialogue on human rights abuses.

Chinese Web Censorship

Mon, 08 Nov 2004 23:05:33 GMT

Chinese Web Censorship Deepens Rift with Taiwan [The Epoch Times]
China’s move to block more Taiwanese websites has upset millions of Taiwanese living in China who lack access to Taiwan’s news media. The move is causing further strain between the Mainland and Taiwan. According to United News... [more]

Chinese Cyber-dissident Still In Prison

Sun, 07 Nov 2004 21:49:10 GMT

Cyber-dissident He Depu begins third year in prison [RSF]

Reporters Without Borders today deplored the continued imprisonment of Chinese cyber-dissident He Depu, arrested at his Beijing home two years ago today (on 4 November 2002) for signing an open letter to the ruling Communist Party congress (which was posted on the Internet) calling for democratic reforms. Six other signatories were jailed in the weeks that followed.

"Since this crackdown the regime has steadily increased its censorship of the Internet and stepped up pressure on Internet users," the worldwide press freedom organisation said.

The seven arrested cyber-dissidents - who also included Zhao Changqing, Sang Jiancheng, Dai Xuezhong, Han Lifa, Jiang Lijun and Ouyang Yi - were among 192 dissidents who signed the letter on the eve of the 16th party congress. The activists regularly posted their ideas and opinions online.

Their letter appealed for six reforms, among them political rehabilitation of the 1989 pro-democracy movement, the right of political exiles to return from abroad, the release of jailed political prisoners including Zhao Ziyang, ratification by the National People's Congress (parliament) of the International Covenant on Political and Civil Rights and the holding of free elections.

He Depu, a member of the banned China Democracy Party and author of many online articles, was sentenced to eight years imprisonment on 6 November 2003. He reportedly suffers from high blood pressure which gives him headaches and dizziness. He is only allowed to exercise twice a week in the prison courtyard. His wife, Jia Jiangying, was able to visit him on 9 October 2004.

Ouyang Yi, who set up a pro-democracy website in July 2002, was arrested on 4 December that year for the fifth time in six years and sentenced to two years in prison on 16 March 2004 for "inciting subversion." He is due for release this December.

Jiang Lijun, an energetic online democracy activist, was arrested on 6 November 2002 and given a four-year prison sentence on 4 November 2003.

Sang Jiancheng, a retired manual worker, was arrested on 10 November 2002 for writing an online article denouncing corruption in the Communist Party and was jailed for three years on 6 January 2004.

Zhao Changqing was arrested on 4 November 2002 for signing the letter to the party congress. He was elected to parliament in 1997 but was then arrested and jailed for three years for supposedly threatening national security. He was not released until 2001.

Dai Xuezhong was arrested in mid-November 2002 for signing the letter. A member of the banned Shanghai Human Rights Association, he had previously been jailed for three years for his political activities.

Han Lifa, a mechanic and longtime political activist, was arrested on 26 December 2002 for the same reason. He had previously been sentenced three times, twice to three years of "community work" and once to nine months in prison. He was freed in July 2001.

62 people are in prison in China for setting up independent websites or for posting material online criticising the regime