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Two ROC citizens ‘arrested’ in China

“How can the people of Taiwan believe there can be friendly exchanges between China and Taiwan?” — Chang Ching-hsi, chairman of the Taiwan Falun Dafa Association

Falun Gong practitioner Shao Yuhua (邵玉華) — who came to Taiwan 11 years ago after marrying a Taiwanese man and now holds Republic of China (ROC) citizenship — and her daughter were allegedly arrested by state security agents in China, members of the Taiwan Falun Dafa Association said yesterday.

“My wife went back to her hometown in Nanyang, Henan Province, with our 10-year-old daughter to visit her family last month soon after the summer vacation started,” Shao’s husband, Cheng Shu-ta (鄭書達), told a news conference in Taipei yesterday. “Her family in Henan told me yesterday [Friday] that she — along with our daughter — were arrested by state security agents.”

Cheng said his wife had been staying with her sister Shao Yuxiu (邵玉秀), who is also a Falun Gong practitioner, during her visit to China.

At about 6am on Friday, a few men who identified themselves as agents from the Ministry of State Security showed up at the door and took away Shao Yuhua and her daughter, Cheng said. The men also took Shao Yuhua’s cellphone, baggage and passport, he said.

“So far, we’re still not clear where she is,” he said.

Although it was not clear why Shao Yuhua was taken away, Taiwan Falun Dafa Association chairman Chang Ching-hsi (張清溪) suspected it had to do with her being a Falun Gong practitioner.

“We urge [China] to release the two kidnapped ROC citizens and their families and relatives in China immediately. We want promises that no such human rights violations will be committed again,” Chang said.

“As an immigrant spouse from China, Shao Yuhua is supposed to be protected by governments on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, but she is now missing because of her spiritual beliefs,” he said.

“How can the people of Taiwan believe there can be friendly exchanges between China and Taiwan?” he asked.

Chang called on the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and the Strait Exchange Foundation (SEF) to intervene.

After the news conference, Chang and several other Falun Gong practitioners went to the Landis Hotel where China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Yang Yi (楊毅) was scheduled to attend a dinner reception hosted by Taiwanese business leaders, hoping to deliver their petition to Yang.

However, Yang ignored the practitioners and walked straight into an elevator.

Contacted by the Taipei Times for comment, MAC vice-chairman Liu Te-shun (劉德勳) said that as soon as the MAC learned the news from the media, it “asked the SEF to get in touch with the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait to see how we can help.”


NOTE: In the article above, we reported that Falun Gong practitioner Shao Yuhua's daughter was detained and that her sister is also a Falun Gong follower. Shao's daughter was not detained. Her sister does not practice Falun Gong and was detained briefly by Chinese police and released. Only Shao remains in detention. The Taipei Times regrets the error.
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