Sunday, March 3, 2002

By A'an Suryana

Some 700 members of the Falun Gong international spiritual movement from 10 countries are gathering here for their second conference, a forum for them to share their experiences.

During the conference's opening session on Saturday, the participants listened to testimony from their counterparts from the movement's place of origin in China.

The Chinese authorities have banned the Falun Gong organization and arrested many of its followers.

However, Joko Buntar, who chairs the Indonesian Falun Gong Association, asserted that the conference was not aimed at approving a stand to be taken in response to what was happening to members of the group in China.

"The conference has nothing to do with politics. What we are doing during the conference is sharing our experiences in studying and in practicing Falun Gong," Joko told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the conference, which runs through Sunday.

Titled "Indonesia Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference," the meeting is the second after the first was held last year. The international organization was established in 1996.

The main teachings of Falun Gong, which was introduced to the world in 1992 by Li Hongzhi, comprise Truth, Compassion and [Forbearance].

Apart from Indonesian members, the conference is being attended by foreign members from many countries, including China, the United States, Hong Kong and Australia, and from various ethnic backgrounds.

Head of the city administration's National Unity Office, Effendy Annas officially opened the conference (the representative from the Governor).

Joko claimed that in Indonesia alone, the number of Falun Gong members had reached 3,000, while the movement had millions of members worldwide.

Yoseph Agus, a member of Falun Gong in Indonesia, said that pursuing self-restraint was his main goal in joining the movement.

"Meditation has kept me healthy. I've never suffered from migraine since I started practicing Falun Gong in May 2001," he said.

Several Chinese attendees told the conference about the repressive measures their government had taken against them.

Lily Tung said that she was tortured by Chinese security officials last year after she refused to renounce her Falun Gong belief.

The 31-year-old woman, who claimed to be nearly crippled in both her legs after the torture, said that, the level of repression had reached an alarming level.

"My case was one among thousands of other gross violations of human rights cases in China," she asserted.

She said that what they were doing was merely practicing Falun Gong, which had nothing to do with politics.

Posting date: 3/8/2002
Original article date: 3/8/2002
Category: News & Media Reports

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