Members of the I-Kuan Tao religion should refrain from traveling to China, as 16 Taiwanese, including 11 members of the Taoist faith, have been detained in China in the past few years amid Beijing’s tightening control over religious activities, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said on Friday.
Since 2019, there have been 14 cases involving 16 Taiwanese detained in China for religious reasons, SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said.
Of those 16, 11 are members of the I-Kuan Tao religious group, which is rooted in Taoism, while the others were linked to religions including the Unification Church and Christianity, according to the SEF, a semi-official body responsible for managing exchanges between Taiwan and China.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
One I-Kuan Tao follower was detained in November 2019 and has since returned to Taiwan, while the other 10 have been detained since October last year, and have not yet returned, Luo said.
Among the 10 detained in the past 12 months, some were taken into custody by Chinese authorities, including three people who traveled to Guangdong Province as tourists and were arrested after a tip-off in October last year, he said.
The three people who were detained, surnamed Chou (周), Chiang (江) and Hsieh (謝), were arrested on suspicion of “organizing and practicing as members of a cult that undermines law enforcement,” China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said in a statement in December last year.
In June, a couple who had long conducted business in China had their properties raided and were detained in Guangdong Province, he said.
The most recent case involved a Taiwanese businessperson who was arrested in Hainan Province this month after years of doing business in China, with religious items seized, Luo said.
There might also be unreported cases, he added.
The 10 detained in the past year were simply practicing I-Kuan Tao and had not engaged in political activities, he said.
Members of I-Kuan Tao and other religions should recognize the risks of traveling to China and that there is no religious freedom under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party, he said.
I-Kuan Tao, also known as Yiguandao, can be literally translated as “The Tao that unifies all with the one,” according to the World I-Kuan Tao Headquarters.
“The basis of I-Kuan Tao is rooted in Chinese traditions, with teachings emphasizing traditional values such as family, honor, respect and moderation,” it said.
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