January 15, 2003

Following rare criticism from Beijing, Taipei mayor Ma Ying-jeou has defended his support for the Falun Gong spiritual movement in its fight for legitimacy on the mainland.

Mr. Ma said there "can't be any hope" for cross-strait reunification unless Beijing changed its attitude on the outlawed [group].

The popular Kuomintang mayor said that other contentious subjects, especially rehabilitation of the 1989 democracy movement, also needed to be resolved before Taiwan could seriously consider the prospect of reunification. The former justice minister, who was re-elected by a wide margin in mayoral elections last month, made the remarks in an interview yesterday with the South China Morning Post.

Mr Ma is seen by many pundits as the Kuomintang's brightest hope for challenging Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian of the Democratic Progressive Party in next year's presidential election.

While Mr Ma has denied harbouring ambitions to run in next year's presidential race, his appearance at a Taipei gathering of Falun Gong followers last month was interpreted by Taiwan's media as a show of support for democracy forces on the mainland.

Mr Ma said he was not surprised when Xinhua published an editorial accusing "a certain Taiwan politician" of "harming healthy development of cross-strait relations" by advocating tolerance for the [group]. The editorial was Beijing's first swipe at Mr Ma after years of relatively positive coverage in the state -controlled press.

"Here in Taiwan, we haven't seen any signs of the Falun Gong being [negative]," Mr Ma said. "As long as they operate within the bounds of the law, not bothering other people or harming the public interest, they are not a threat to us at all."

While some did not view Falun Gong as a religion, "they still should enjoy the right of assembly as part of a free society", he said. Mr Ma said governments would be better off leaving such groups alone.

"Religious repression really isn't a part of traditional Chinese culture, and as the inheritors of Chinese culture, the mainland really should be more tolerant," he said.

[...]