Falun Gong demonstrators look on as the Concentric Patriotism Association wave their flags outside Taipei 101. (Photo/Howard Shih)
CPA members fly both the PRC and ROC flags. (Photo/Howard Shih)
On most afternoons, a small maroon van rolls up to the square outside Taipei 101 to cheers and applause from busloads of mainland Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan's most iconic landmark. Adorned with patriotic slogans and with nationalistic songs blaring through its speakers, the van seldom fails to grab everyone's attention even before it comes to a complete stop.
When it does, out of the van emerge several stern-looking seniors and a tall, middle-aged woman, who together unload equipment, banners and flags as they get set up in a spot across the square from where Falun Gong practitioners have been meditating all day. And that's when it begins.
For more than four years, the Concentric Patriotism Association of the Republic of China (CPA) has been venturing down to Taipei 101 to stage intense protests against Falun Gong, a spiritual movement that is persecuted in China and whose practitioners protest at Chinese embassies and consulates around the world. "Get out of Taiwan, get out of Taipei 101 square," says one of the CPA's signs; "Recognize the nature of the evil cult," says another. But by far the most eye-catching symbol is the PRC flags waved around by the association's enthusiastic octogenarians.
"They show up at around three or four in the afternoon on most days," says a young Falun Gong volunteer staffer who regularly puts up graphic signs detailing the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners at the hands of the Communist Party of China. "They call us an 'evil cult' and blame us for poisoning Taiwan's relations with China."
More recently, the CPA has accused Falun Gong of preventing the controversial trade services pact with China from being passed successfully. The trade pact was the issue at the center of the Sunflower Student Movement that saw university students occupy Taiwan's Legislature for 23 days after the ruling Kuomintang attempted to rush the bill through parliament without committee review.
"They say that if it weren't for China's economic prowess there wouldn't be so many Chinese tourists available for Falun Gong to brainwash," the staffer says, adding that even mainland visitors have been stunned to hear the CPA shout slogans such as "Long live the Communist Party."
The staffer says the Falun Gong practitioners generally ignore the CPA and continue to distribute their leaflets because they "recognize the right to free speech," though witnesses say volunteers can usually be seen encircling the CPA protesters with large pro-Falun Gong banners.
Security officers at Taipei 101, who spend most of their time trying to keep the square clear and spectators moving along, say that every now and then the standoff can get out of hand and police will have to be called. There have been reported incidents of heated shouting matches, minor scuffles and even spitting. CPA's website claims that Falun Gong supporters once cut up their Chinese flags with scissors.
The bad blood between the two groups can be traced back to 2009, when Falun Gong first began disseminating their materials outside Taipei 101 and other tourist spots in Taipei such as the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and National Palace Museum, targeting Chinese visitors. In 2010, a physical confrontation at Taipei 101 resulted in a 2012 court conviction against CPA founder and chairman Zhou Qingjun, who was fined and sentenced to a two-month jail term for using violence to interfere with other people's exercise of their rights. The punishment has done little to deter Zhou, however, as he was again fined in January this year and forced to publish an apology to Falun Gong for defamation.
Zhou's background is a curious one. He fled southern China's Guangdong province for Hong Kong in the 1970s after running into trouble with Communist Party authorities. After an unsuccessful attempt to grab a seat in Hong Kong's 1985 local elections, he moved to Taiwan and established the CPA in 1993. The CPA has been accused of many things, including being "the Communist Party's thugs in Taiwan," and is said to have alleged links to Chang An-lo, the former leader of the Bamboo Union triad in Taiwan better known by his nickname "White Wolf," who has made himself a public pro-unification campaigner since his return to Taiwan last year after 17 years in exile. Chang is currently free on bail, having been arrested for his involvement in organized crime on his return.
The CPA's ultimate goal is the unification of Taiwan with the mainland, according to the association's constitution. The majority of the articles on the CPA website, however, are directed at Falun Gong, which it accuses of spreading lies against the Communist Party.
"They say they just sit there and meditate, but why are they only doing it at major tourist sites and landmarks?" says Chang Hsiu-yeh, director-general of the CPA, perhaps the most vocal of all the protesters at Taipei 101 in the absence of Zhou.
"Peaceful reunification is necessary for the sake of our future generations!" she shouts into the loudspeaker to the crowd of predominantly Chinese tourists, who respond with raucous approval. Beside her, a CPA senior repeatedly sings "There is no 'New China' without the Communist Party" into a portable karaoke machine, while another shakes hands and takes photos with onlookers.
The reaction from the crowd is a mixture of curiousity and amusement, with some appearing to be confused over the purpose of the CPA's presence. "Are they promoting cross-strait peace or are they protesting against Falun Gong?" a 20-something tourist surnamed Lin from Hangzhou asks her boyfriend.
"I agree with what they say about peaceful reunification and strengthening cross-strait ties, but the Falun Gong are harmless — they are just minding their own business," says a middle-aged tourist from Beijing surnamed Guo.
"I find all of this hilarious," says a man surnamed Li from Shanghai. "This whole Falun Gong thing...they are making a big deal out of nothing."
Western tourists were also intrigued by the commotion, with one Canadian visitor who wished not to be named saying he was fascinated by Taiwanese politics. "Everyone here seems to be quite extreme in their views. I don't have an opinion either way, but I applaud their passion and I think it's all good."
For Falun Gong, the CPA is intentionally trying to muddle the issue by calling for cross-strait peace on the one hand while holding anti-Falun Gong signs on the other. "They are just trying to confuse people so they will link the two together," says the volunteer.
"See how they are also holding a Taiwanese flag along with the five-star (PRC) flags? It's because locals would be outraged if they were only waving Chinese flags around Taiwan. It's all political tactics," he added.
Chang Hsiu-yeh denies this, however, saying that the PRC flag is simply there "to welcome our compatriots from China and make them feel comfortable."
"We're not saying the Communist Party is perfect — no political party in the world is perfect," she says. "But everything Falun Gong says and does is anti-China, anti-Communist Party. It's just not right."
The Falun Gongers disagree. "Everything in China is controlled by the Communist Party," says the volunteer staffer. "The People's Daily, CCTV — they control the media so Chinese people only know what the party feeds them. Do they not torture Falun Gong practitioners? Did the Tiananman Square incident never happen? They twist everything but we speak the truth."
SF: http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20140422000122&cid=1501
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