Sunday’s service at the small Reformed Presbyterian Xinan Church in Taipei was especially moving for one man. It was the first time Liao Qiang (廖強) had worshiped publicly since authorities shut down his church in China seven months ago.
The 49-year-old arrived in Taiwan last week after fleeing China with five family members. He and his 23-year-old daughter, Ren Ruiting (任瑞婷), described living under constant surveillance for the past seven months after authorities detained them and dozens of other members of their prominent, but not government-sanctioned church in December last year.
The Chinese Communist Party has carried out a widespread crackdown on all religious institutions, including bulldozing churches and mosques, barring Tibetan children from Buddhist religious studies and incarcerating more than 1 million Uighurs and other Muslims in what are termed “re-education centers.”
Photo: Chiang Ying-ying, AP
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has ordered that all religions must “Sinicize” to ensure they are loyal to the officially atheistic party.
In contrast, Taiwan’s democratically elected government has long taken a hands-off approach to religion in the nation, where most follow Buddhism and traditional Chinese beliefs, but where Christianity and other religions also thrive.
Liao and Ren’s account is the first detailing what has happened since the detentions began at the Early Rain Covenant Church. It shows the determination of the Chinese government — and the lengths it has gone — to eradicate a congregation that has long been a thorn in its side.
Early Rain’s pastor, Wang Yi, who remains detained, has been critical of Xi and the party.
He has made a point of holding a prayer service on June 4 each year to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, an anniversary that the Chinese government has sought to wipe from the collective memory.
Ren said that she had to report her whereabouts to police using social media whenever she went out. She was told her safety could not be guaranteed if she disobeyed.
“That’s when I knew it was no longer safe for us here, and that my children were most in danger,” Liao said after Sunday’s service, attended by about 30 people.
Chinese government officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Chinese government requires that Protestants worship only in churches recognized and regulated by the officially sanctioned Three-Self Patriotic Movement, although many more are part of independent congregations.
More than 100 members of Early Rain were taken into custody from the church or their homes on Dec. 9 and Dec. 10 last year, according to Human Rights Watch.
Those detained included Wang, the pastor. His wife, Jiang Rong, was released on bail last month.
Liao said that the police tried to force him to sign a statement renouncing his church, but he refused.
“If our elders decided to break up the church, then I can accept it, but it’s not up to you to say it’s evil or illegal,” he said.
Liao and his family hope to stay in Taiwan while they seek asylum in the US, but with just a 15-day tourist visa their future is unclear.
“I’m not sure whether they can stay beyond the visa, unless the Taiwanese government is willing to make it a humanitarian case on the basis of religious persecution,” said Taiwan Association for China Human Rights secretary-general Chiu Ling-yao (邱齡瑤), who is trying to help the family find a solution.
An American Institute in Taiwan spokeswoman could not be reached for comment.
Ren hopes that one day she can return home.
“One day when China opens up, we’ll go back,” she said. “Whether it’s five years, or even 10 years, we’ll eventually make our way back to where God wants us to serve.”
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The first of 10 new high-capacity trains purchased from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem arrived at the Port of Taipei yesterday to meet the demands of an expanding metro network, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. The train completed a three-day, 1,200km voyage from the Port of Masan in South Korea, the company said. Costing NT$590 million (US$18.79 million) each, the new six-carriage trains feature a redesigned interior based on "human-centric" transportation concepts, TRTC said. The design utilizes continuous longitudinal seating to widen the aisles and optimize passenger flow, while also upgrading passenger information displays and driving control systems for a more comfortable
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
RSS