Taipei Times Online: Read China's media with a degree of skepticism

China's Xinhua News Agency recently published another article condemning

Falun Gong founder Li Hongzhi for allegedly inciting Falun Gong practitioners to cause trouble. If we compare Xinhua's reports with those of foreign agencies, we can see that the former typically makes deliberate misinterpretations of Falun Gong doctrines, or even fabricates stories to slander the [group]. Consequently, when Taiwan reporters cite passages from Xin-hua reports, they should double check the stories and try to write balanced reports, so as to avoid becoming mouthpieces for the Chinese authorities' in their suppression of human rights.

With moral values drawn from traditional Confucian and Buddhist teachings, Falun Gong teaches people to be simple and upright. Practitioners would never cause trouble, disrupt public order, or jeopardize national security.

However, a recent Xinhua article said that hundreds of Falun Gong followers -- supported, allegedly, by "anti-China" elements in the West, the pro-Taiwan independence camp and Chinese democracy movement leaders ?had tried to make trouble in Tiananmen Square on a daily basis. The accusation does not match the facts. The Falun Gong practitioners, in fact, were simply making a humble request for the Chinese leaders to provide room for them to freely practice their mixture of meditation and breathing exercises.

The brutality of China's "public security officers," revealed by the foreign media, is absolutely terrifying to the free world. We have seen pictures of the police brutally beating Falun Gong adherents who had done nothing wrong. This is a serious violation both of human rights and of social justice. Violations of human rights in any corner of the world constitute a threat to each and every free individual. The media in the free world should never turn a blind eye when the human rights of the innocent are taken away for no reason.

Practicing Falun Gong exercises has been very good for the health of the millions of followers in China, both physically and mentally. It not only saved a huge amount in medical costs for the Chinese government, but also helped to stabilize spiritual civilization as well as moral values in society. Before Beijing began persecuting the movement in April 1999, Chinese officials actually told US News and World Report that the [group] was very beneficial because it had helped the government to cut medical expenditures significantly. After the persecution began, many practitioners suffered relapses of their chronic diseases because they were forced to stop their exercises. At the same time, the police have been so preoccupied with arresting Falun Gong practitioners that they have been diverted from their regular duties.

According to Article 36 of the PRC Constitution, "Citizens of the People's Republic of China enjoy freedom of religious belief." Such an idea is also a basic human right worldwide. Since the Falun Gong's doctrine encourages followers to sacrifice themselves to help others, the practice of Falun Gong exercises would never disrupt public order or impair the health of citizens.

In recent years, the number of practitioners in Taiwan has grown at a rapid pace. Unfortunately, the Chinese government has chosen to ban the [group], and has allegedly even tortured more than a hundred practitioners to death. We would urge Taiwan's media to pay more attention to humanitarian and human rights concerns, and be very cautious when citing passages from the Chinese government's instruments of publicity.

Flora Chang is an associate professor at the Graduate Institute of Journalism at National Taiwan University. Chang Ching-hsi is a professor in the Department of Economics at National Taiwan University.

Translated by Eddy Chang

http://www.taipeitimes.com/news/2001/01/18/story/0000070287