Youth Forum: The Tai Ji Men Case

August 12 marks the International Day of Youth. The Association of World Citizens, World People News, Action Alliance to Redress 1219, and other groups co-organized an online forum titled “14th Anniversary of Tai Ji Men's Acquittal: Youth's Era, Youth's Stage,” where scholars, professionals in various fields, and youth explored an important case of religious persecution--the Tai Ji Men case. Judy Lee from Los Angeles, Gill Wang from San Jose, California, and Jason Tsai from Seattle joined the discussion.

Damon Tsai, the emcee of the forum, introduced the Tai Ji Men case to the audience. Tai Ji Men is a spiritual organization that practices qigong and martial arts, which has 15 academies globally, including one in Los Angeles. Over the past 20 plus years, Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze, the grand master of Tai Ji Men, has led his disciples to visit 101 nations to promote love and peace and invited leaders in all fields to ring the Bell of World Peace and Love and make wishes for peace. To date, 399 visionary leaders in 122 nations, including heads of state, seven Nobel Peace Prize laureates, and UN ambassadors, have rung the Bell, injecting powerful positive energy into the world.

Damon shared that a bell ringer in 2005, the then President of the Dominican Republic Leonel Fernández rang the Bell, and three years later, he took action to fulfill his wish for peace by defusing a possible war among Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela, saving countless people from the scourge of the potential war.

Tai Ji Men has been highly praised by the incumbent and three former presidents of Taiwan and other leaders around the world for its cultural exchanges and peace efforts. However, it has been persecuted by a few rogue bureaucrats in Taiwan since 1996. A prosecutor abused his power and falsely charged Dr. Hong and his co-defendants of fraud and tax evasion. In 2007, Taiwan’s Supreme Court found all the defendants innocent of tax evasion and all other charges. Ignoring the court decision, Taiwan’s National Taxation Bureau continued to impose unjustified taxes on Tai Ji Men, and Tai Ji Men’s land intended for a spiritual center was even illegally auctioned and confiscated last August.

Dr. Lukas Lien, contact professor of the University of Osnabrück in Taiwan, noted that Tai Ji Men has been persecuted through unjust taxation for 25 years, and its land was illegally confiscated. That was a violation of human rights and was against the two international covenants on human rights: ICCPR (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights) and the ICESCR (International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights). He encouraged youth to change the world through conscience-driven education and take the responsibility to protect human dignity and human rights. He also urged young people to participate in legal and social reform, emphasizing that every good change starts with the heart.

Jason Tsai, a student at University of Washington and a Tai Ji Men dizi (disciple), said, “Like what our Shifu (master) said, when there is injustice, we need to fight to correct it.” “Through the appeal of the international community for justice, we want to let the Taiwanese government recognize this issue, allowing the government to end the Tai Ji Men tax case that has dragged on for 25 years. We need to correct the actions of these rogue bureaucrats in Taiwan by awakening their conscience. So we need international help to put an end to this decades-long struggle, and for Taiwanese tax agency to return us our land and for Taiwan to establish true democracy,” he added.

Gill Wang, a student at Johns Hopkins University and member of the Action Alliance to Redress 1219, shared that she and other members of the Alliance attended the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit 2021 last month to seek international assistance to rectify the unjust Tai Ji Men case. The Summit was held in Washington, D.C. on July 13-15, during which the Tai Ji Men case was discussed. Former U.S. Ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback, co-chair of the IRF Summit 2021, noted that freedom of religion is a fundamental human right, without which humanity cannot flourish. He emphasized that this right should be safeguarded for everyone, everywhere, all the time. “We believe governments’ role is to protect that innate right of a person to select their own course of future for their soul,” stated Ambassador Brownback.

Gill Wang said, “I remember at the summit, when I would share the story of our case to other guests, many were shocked. Everyone thinks of Taiwan as the ‘beacon of democracy’ in Asia, so they were surprised to hear that the freedom of religion and belief was violated. I reply that it was also a surprise to me that this happened, but for the very reason that I love Taiwan, I want it to become a better country. Because we have exhausted all domestic options, we’re here at the summit to seek international support."

Judy Lee, a business owner in LA, recalled her experience of attending the 5th Annual Youth Assembly at the United Nations in New York in 2008 when she was 20: “I remember our Shifu encouraged us, the youth, to be prepared at all times. He said, ‘You may need to stand up and take the lead at any moment. The youth have to maintain good energies and exert positive influences. This is the radiation of inner confidence, courage and potential, not vain showmanship.’” She also shared that her shifu Dr. Hong has continued to encourage Tai Ji Men members and the world to let the love and conscience in their hearts guide them to do good deeds to transform the world!

She said that in September 2008, she attended the 61st Annual UN DPI/NGO Conference in Paris in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Over the next 10 plus years, under the guidance of Dr. Hong, she served as a panelist or moderator at numerous international forums to promote love, peace, and human rights. “I am very grateful to have had many opportunities to attend many international and United Nations conferences with my Shifu (master), Shimu (the master’s wife) and Tai Ji Men. Now, with all of these experiences at heart, I am now even more empowered to speak up, not only for Tai Ji Men’s justice, but in hopes that more people around the world can be protected and be saved from horrible persecutions.

Other speakers, such as Jill Wang, a banker; Emma Chen, a dentist; Gen Chih Chen, a medical doctor, all urged the Taiwanese government to rectify the Tai Ji Men case as soon as possible and make Taiwan a true democracy that respects religious liberty and human rights.

Source: ACT1219