Epoch Times: Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Resists Chinese Regime's Pressure

By Gary Feuerberg

Epoch Times Washington, D.C. Staff

RECEIVES SLANDERING LETTER FROM CHINESE CONSULATE: Ft Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle rebuffs Communist China's representative in Houston, saying he will not be complying with his requests to not attend or send greetings to the Holiday Wonders, a classical Chinese song and dance arts show, appearing in Florida on Dec. 27-28. (Courtesy of the Mayor Naugle's Office)

WASHINGTON, D.C.-In a phone interview on Monday, December 24, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle confirmed that he received a letter on December 11 from the Chinese consulate in Houston, Texas that warns the mayor not to send congratulatory greetings to or attend the Holiday Wonders show, or else face possible damages to the mayor's reputation.

Holiday Wonders is scheduled to be performed on December 27th and 28th at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

A sponsor of Holiday Wonders, the Falun Dafa Association, is also slandered as well as New Tang Dynasty TV and the Divine Performing Arts. The 2-page letter is signed by Qiao Hong, the Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Houston.

Qiao repeatedly refers to Falun Gong (aka Falun Dafa) as the "outlawed" Falun Gong when it is actually legal and protected under U.S. law. Qiao justifies the Communist regime's persecution of Falun Gong by saying that the spiritual group, which practices non-violence, is outlawed "to protect the human rights of the general public in China."

The letter "reminds" Mayor Naugle to "neither respond to their requirement of greetings nor agree to accept their invitation to the show" or it may result in causing "bad effects on your personal reputation."

Mayor Naugle says he will answer the letter and kindly explain to the Chinese consulate that in America we allow different points of view.

The mayor also signed a proclamation declaring December 27, 2007 as "Holiday Wonders Day" in Fort Lauderdale. Mr. Naugle said he had planned to only attend the VIP reception of Holiday Wonders in Ft. Lauderdale, but now would try to stay to watch the program.

Mayor Naugle says he was familiar with the Chinese consulate in Houston. In March 2005, Taiwanese Vice President Annette Lu visited Fort Lauderdale at the invitation of Mayor Naugle, who wanted to promote business ties, e.g., the making of yachts. Ft. Lauderdale is famous for its "majestic" waterways and is known as the "Venice of America."

VP Lu and Mayor Naugle enjoyed a trip on a water taxi on March 21 when the mayor gave VP Lu the Key to the City. Regarding VP Lu's visit, the Chinese consulate in Houston contacted the mayor, advising him not to meet with her and called her an "impostor."

New York Assemblyman Michael Benjamin (assembly.state.ny.us)

The mayor points out that this recent letter on the Holiday Wonders said essentially the same thing about Falun Gong. In fact, the letter from the Chinese consulate says that Falun Gong "fabricates stories of persecution" and continues to "cheat the public."

The letter resembles the letter that New York Assemblyman Michael Benjamin received about the same time. That letter also uses the extreme and slanderous language typical of Chinese regime propaganda in describing NTDTV, the Holiday Wonders, the Chinese New Year Spectacular, and the meditation practice of Falun Gong.

A similar incident arose around the Charlotte, North Carolina production of Holiday Wonders.

Greensboro Mayor Yyvonne Johnson called the Holiday Wonders show "the best I have ever seen." (The Epoch Times)

The Chinese Embassy in Washington D.C. made several intimidating phone calls to the management of Ovens Auditorium, the show's venue, urging the management to cancel the show. The show went on as scheduled, and was a great success, despite the attempted interference.

Holiday Wonders is an arts festival show, consisting of classical Chinese dance and music, with depiction of scenes from China's 5,000 year history, according to the New Tang Dynasty TV, an independent Chinese language television station that has faced repeated attacks by the Chinese Communist Party. NTDTV is the producer of the show along with the Divine Performing Arts. At least one of the performances depicts the persecution of the spiritual practice Falun Gong, which the Chinese Communist Party has outlawed and sought to vilify since 1999.

Terri Wu, Washington, D.C. staff, contributed to this report.

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