DOCSLIB.ORG

Falun Gong and China's Continuing War on Human Rights Joint Hearing

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Falun Gong and China's Continuing War on Human Rights Joint Hearing FALUN GONG AND CHINA’S CONTINUING WAR ON HUMAN RIGHTS JOINT HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON AFRICA, GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS AND THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND INVESTIGATIONS OF THE COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION JULY 21, 2005 Serial No. 109–62 Printed for the use of the Committee on International Relations ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.house.gov/international—relations U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 22–579PDF WASHINGTON : 2005 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Mar 21 2002 10:01 Sep 14, 2005 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 F:\WORK\AGI\072105\22579.000 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS HENRY J. HYDE, Illinois, Chairman JAMES A. LEACH, Iowa TOM LANTOS, California CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey, HOWARD L. BERMAN, California Vice Chairman GARY L. ACKERMAN, New York DAN BURTON, Indiana ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA, American ELTON GALLEGLY, California Samoa ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida DONALD M. PAYNE, New Jersey DANA ROHRABACHER, California ROBERT MENENDEZ, New Jersey EDWARD R. ROYCE, California SHERROD BROWN, Ohio PETER T. KING, New York BRAD SHERMAN, California STEVE CHABOT, Ohio ROBERT WEXLER, Florida THOMAS G. TANCREDO, Colorado ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York RON PAUL, Texas WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT, Massachusetts DARRELL ISSA, California GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York JEFF FLAKE, Arizona BARBARA LEE, California JO ANN DAVIS, Virginia JOSEPH CROWLEY, New York MARK GREEN, Wisconsin EARL BLUMENAUER, Oregon JERRY WELLER, Illinois SHELLEY BERKLEY, Nevada MIKE PENCE, Indiana GRACE F. NAPOLITANO, California THADDEUS G. MCCOTTER, Michigan ADAM B. SCHIFF, California KATHERINE HARRIS, Florida DIANE E. WATSON, California JOE WILSON, South Carolina ADAM SMITH, Washington JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas BETTY MCCOLLUM, Minnesota J. GRESHAM BARRETT, South Carolina BEN CHANDLER, Kentucky CONNIE MACK, Florida DENNIS A. CARDOZA, California JEFF FORTENBERRY, Nebraska MICHAEL MCCAUL, Texas TED POE, Texas THOMAS E. MOONEY, SR., Staff Director/General Counsel ROBERT R. KING, Democratic Staff Director (II) VerDate Mar 21 2002 10:01 Sep 14, 2005 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 F:\WORK\AGI\072105\22579.000 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL SUBCOMMITTEE ON AFRICA, GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey, Chairman THOMAS G. TANCREDO, Colorado DONALD M. PAYNE, New Jersey JEFF FLAKE, Arizona BARBARA LEE, California MARK GREEN, Wisconsin BETTY McCOLLUM, Minnesota JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas BRAD SHERMAN, California JEFF FORTENBERRY, Nebraska GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York EDWARD R. ROYCE, California, DIANE E. WATSON, California Vice Chairman MARY M. NOONAN, Subcommittee Staff Director GREG SIMPKINS, Subcommittee Professional Staff Member NOELLE LUSANE, Democratic Professional Staff Member LINDSEY M. PLUMLEY, Staff Associate SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND INVESTIGATIONS DANA ROHRABACHER, California, Chairman EDWARD R. ROYCE, California WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT, Massachusetts JEFF FLAKE, Arizona, Vice Chairman HOWARD L. BERMAN, California MARK GREEN, Wisconsin EARL BLUMENAUER, Oregon MIKE PENCE, Indiana ADAM B. SCHIFF, California JOE WILSON, South Carolina GREGG RICKMAN, Subcommittee Staff Director GREGORY MCCARTHY, Professional Staff Member CLIFF STAMMERMAN, Democratic Professional Staff Member EMILY ANDERSON, Staff Associate (III) VerDate Mar 21 2002 10:01 Sep 14, 2005 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 F:\WORK\AGI\072105\22579.000 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL VerDate Mar 21 2002 10:01 Sep 14, 2005 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 F:\WORK\AGI\072105\22579.000 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL C O N T E N T S Page WITNESSES Ms. Gretchen Birkle, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, U.S. Department of State ............ 12 Mr. Yonglin Chen, First Secretary and Consul for Political Affairs, Former Chinese Consulate, Sydney, Australia ............................................................... 34 Mr. Shiyu Zhou, Vice President, New Tang Dynasty Television ......................... 44 Mr. Stephen Gregory, Chairman of the Board, English-language Division of The Epoch Times .............................................................................................. 57 Ms. Mickey Spiegel, China and Tibet Expert, Human Rights Watch ................. 67 LETTERS, STATEMENTS, ETC., SUBMITTED FOR THE HEARING The Honorable Christopher H. Smith, a Representative in Congress from the State of New Jersey, and Chairman, Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations: Letter to the U.S. Congress from Lebiya Kadeer, Human Rights Activist ..... 3 FBI document confirming Chinese officials activities ....................................... 5 Prepared statement .............................................................................................. 7 The Honorable William D. Delahunt, a Representative in Congress from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts ................................................................ 10 Ms. Gretchen Birkle: Prepared statement ............................................................. 16 Mr. Yonglin Chen: Prepared statement ................................................................. 35 Mr. Shiyu Zhou: Prepared statement .................................................................... 46 Mr. Stephen Gregory: Prepared statement ........................................................... 59 Ms. Mickey Spiegel: Prepared statement .............................................................. 69 APPENDIX Responses from Ms. Gretchen Birkle to questions submitted for the record by the Honorable Christopher H. Smith ............................................................ 81 (V) VerDate Mar 21 2002 10:01 Sep 14, 2005 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 F:\WORK\AGI\072105\22579.000 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL VerDate Mar 21 2002 10:01 Sep 14, 2005 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 F:\WORK\AGI\072105\22579.000 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL FALUN GONG AND CHINA’S CONTINUING WAR ON HUMAN RIGHTS THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2005 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON AFRICA, GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS, AND SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND INVESTIGATIONS, COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, Washington, DC. The Subcommittees met, pursuant to notice, at 2:03 p.m. in room 2172, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Christopher H. Smith (Chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations) presiding. Mr. SMITH. The Subcommittees may come to order. Good after- noon, everyone. Today’s hearing is a joint hearing of the Sub- committee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Oper- ations, and we are joined by the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. Ladies and gentlemen, we need to again bring to the attention of the Members of Congress, the American people, and the world community, China’s continuing refusal to adhere to the standards of the civilized world. The current Chinese regime is one of the worst violators of human rights in the world. Human rights and re- ligious freedom are brutally suppressed by the People’s Republic of China. Forced abortions and labor camps are current realities, not historical relics. Brave Chinese who dare to stand up for their faith or their political beliefs, or to defend their ethnic cultural heritage, are subject to imprisonment and sometimes even to execution. Christians, Tibetans, Buddhists, and Muslim Uighurs are all being persecuted for their faith. The suffering of peaceful Falun Gong practitioners, however, has been especially intense. This July 20th marked the sixth anniversary of China’s brutal campaign to completely eradicate Falun Gong through whatever means nec- essary. Falun Gong practitioners have begun to outnumber Com- munist Party members. Like all dictators and totalitarian terrorist systems, the PRC fears and hates what it cannot control, so it de- cided to destroy and intimidate those who practice Falun Gong. Falun Gong is not a religion, per se, as we know. Rather, it is more like a philosophy. Based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion and tolerance, Falun Gong uses a series of five physical and mental exercises to assist its members in purifying themselves spiritually and peacefully to resolve conflicts. Whatever one may say about the merits of their beliefs, the evidence is very clear that (1) VerDate Mar 21 2002 10:01 Sep 14, 2005 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 F:\WORK\AGI\072105\22579.000 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL 2 Falun Gong practitioners are peaceful individuals who want to be left alone to practice their beliefs as they see fit. The State Department’s Human Rights Report for 2004 docu- ments at length the plight of the Falun Gong. We see before us a Stalinist nightmare revised for the 21st century: Hundreds, per- haps thousands are dead as a result of torture; tens of thousands are jailed without trial, held in labor camps, prisons and mental hospitals where they are forced to endure torture and brain- washing sessions. The report indicated that Falun Gong adherents and other political prisoners sent to mental health institutions have been administered psychiatric drugs and electric shock treat- ments by Chinese authorities. Last March,
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Local Church – Reform Through Labour – Police – Black Lists – Medical Bail and Parole 8 January 2010
    Country Advice China China – CHN35881 – Fujian – Christians – Local Church – Reform through Labour – Police – Black lists – Medical bail and parole 8 January 2010 Questions 1 Please advise on the current treatment of Local Church members (Shouters) in Fujian province. Contrasting information was found in the sources consulted regarding the treatment of Local Church members in Fujian province. The following reports indicate improvements in the treatment of the Local Church within some parts of Fujian province: In February 2009 an elder of the Local Church in Melbourne advised that while the Local Church is viewed as illegal in Fujian province, the arrest of members has decreased. The Elder provided the following advice on the treatment of the Local Church in Fujian province: As we understand it, the local churches in China are viewed differently in each province. Certain provinces allow the local churches to register with the authorities and once they have done so, they are allowed to worship. However, in other provinces, including Fujian province, the local churches are regarded as illegal gatherings, however as we understand from some members who come from this province, there is not much arrests as before. There is now more dialogue between members of the local church and the authorities.1 A November 2008 report by the Country Research Section of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), China’s Protestants and Catholics, also reports on the increased tolerance of the Local Church by government authorities in some areas of Fujian. The report states that some Local Churches now operate legally in Fuzhou and several rural counties in Fujian.
    [Show full text]
  • China Engages Asia David Shambaugh Reshaping the Regional Order
    China Engages Asia China Engages Asia David Shambaugh Reshaping the Regional Order The traditional under- pinnings of international relations in Asia are undergoing profound change, and the rise of China is a principal cause. Other causes include the relative de- cline of U.S. inºuence and authority in Asia, the expanding normative inºuence of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the growth of regional multilateral institutions, increased technological and eco- nomic interdependence throughout the region, and the amelioration of several formerly antagonistic bilateral relationships. As a result of these processes, the structure of power and the nature of the regional system are being fundamen- tally altered. China’s growing economic and military power, expanding political in- ºuence, distinctive diplomatic voice, and increasing involvement in regional multilateral institutions are key developments in Asian affairs. China’s new proactive regional posture is reºected in virtually all policy spheres— economic, diplomatic, and military—and this parallels China’s increased activ- ism on the global stage.1 Bilaterally and multilaterally, Beijing’s diplomacy has been remarkably adept and nuanced, earning praise around the region. As a result, most nations in the region now see China as a good neighbor, a con- structive partner, a careful listener, and a nonthreatening regional power. This regional perspective is striking, given that just a few years ago, many of China’s neighbors voiced growing concerns about the possibility of China be- coming a domineering regional hegemon and powerful military threat. Today these views are muted. China’s new conªdence is also reºected in how it per- ceives itself, as it gradually sheds its dual identity of historical victim and ob- ject of great power manipulation.
    [Show full text]
  • Renowned Violinist Enjoys Shen Yun's Music, Dance, and Production
    THEEPOCHTIMES.COM | SHENYUN.COM Shen Yun Performing Arts: The Significant Cultural Event of Our Time SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS Renowned Violinist Enjoys Shen Yun’s Music, Dance, and Production April 1, 2019 Andrew Dawes enjoyed Shen Yun at Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver, Canada, on March 31, 2019. (Mary Man/The Epoch Times) VANCOUVER—Renowned Canadian violinist Andrew Dawes enjoyed the visual and aural components of Shen Yun Performing Arts, which when combined seeks to illustrate the beauty of a thousands year old culture said to be inspired by the heavens. “As a musician, I was very pleased with everything, with music and the dance and the production, it’s great, it’s a wonderful show,” he said. “I think all these musicians are doing an excellent job, really a great pleasure to hear you all.” Dawes is known for being first violinist of the Toronto-based Orford String Quartet for almost three decades. He was also Professor of Music at the University of Toronto and is Professor Emeritus at the University of British Columbia School of Music. The musician has also acted as a juror in several music competitions including the London International String Quartet competition, the Coleman Chamber Music Competition, and the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. He attended the performance of Shen Yun at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver, Canada, on March 31. Shen Yun was founded in New York in 2006 with a goal of reviving traditional Chinese culture through the arts. Since then, the company has expanded from one to six contingents that tour the world each year to showcase the wonders of an ancient civilization to modern audiences.
    [Show full text]
  • China's Domestic Politicsand
    China’s Domestic Politics and Foreign Policies and Major Countries’ Strategies toward China edited by Jung-Ho Bae and Jae H. Ku China’s Domestic Politics and Foreign Policies and Major Countries’ Strategies toward China 1SJOUFE %FDFNCFS 1VCMJTIFE %FDFNCFS 1VCMJTIFECZ ,PSFB*OTUJUVUFGPS/BUJPOBM6OJGJDBUJPO ,*/6 1VCMJTIFS 1SFTJEFOUPG,*/6 &EJUFECZ $FOUFSGPS6OJGJDBUJPO1PMJDZ4UVEJFT ,*/6 3FHJTUSBUJPO/VNCFS /P "EESFTT SP 4VZVEPOH (BOHCVLHV 4FPVM 5FMFQIPOF 'BY )PNFQBHF IUUQXXXLJOVPSLS %FTJHOBOE1SJOU )ZVOEBJ"SUDPN$P -UE $PQZSJHIU ,*/6 *4#/ 1SJDF G "MM,*/6QVCMJDBUJPOTBSFBWBJMBCMFGPSQVSDIBTFBUBMMNBKPS CPPLTUPSFTJO,PSFB "MTPBWBJMBCMFBU(PWFSONFOU1SJOUJOH0GGJDF4BMFT$FOUFS4UPSF 0GGJDF China’s Domestic Politics and Foreign Policies and Major Countries’ Strategies toward China �G 1SFGBDF Jung-Ho Bae (Director of the Center for Unification Policy Studies at Korea Institute for National Unification) �G *OUSPEVDUJPO 1 Turning Points for China and the Korean Peninsula Jung-Ho Bae and Dongsoo Kim (Korea Institute for National Unification) �G 1BSUEvaluation of China’s Domestic Politics and Leadership $IBQUFS 19 A Chinese Model for National Development Yong Shik Choo (Chung-Ang University) $IBQUFS 55 Leadership Transition in China - from Strongman Politics to Incremental Institutionalization Yi Edward Yang (James Madison University) $IBQUFS 81 Actors and Factors - China’s Challenges in the Crucial Next Five Years Christopher M. Clarke (U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research-INR) China’s Domestic Politics and Foreign Policies
    [Show full text]
  • Flora and Mary Beard Travel to China to Teach in the Peking Area. Flora Is 45 Years Old and Mary Is 32
    1914 August -Flora and Mary Beard travel to China to teach in the Peking area. Flora is 45 years old and Mary is 32. Rise of Japanese power in China (through 1918) WWI begins Panama Canal opens Ernest Shackleton begins his Antarctic expedition and does not return until 1917. Willard is living in Foochow, China while Ellen and the children remain in the U.S. and live in Putnam, CT Willard is 49 years old, Ellen- 46, Phebe- 19, Gould- 18, Geraldine- 16, Dorothy- 13, Marjorie- 8, Kathleen- 6. 50th Wedding Anniversary invitation for Oliver Gould and Nancy Maria Beard. [From the collection of Virginia Beard Van Andel.] Oliver Gould Beard and Nancy Maria Nichols 50th Wedding anniversary 1914 [Photos from the collection of John and Nancy Butte.] ***** [This letter dated March 15, 1914 was written from Foochow, China by Willard to his 8 year old daughter, Marjorie. He tells about a Chinese family that lost their 2 daughters to a sudden illness and how Mr. and Mrs. Christian has to be quarantined in Willard’s house because of it. He will have a Mrs. and Miss Pitcher as boarders in his mountain house this summer. Letter donated to Yale by family in 2006.] American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions Foochow College President‟s Office Foochow, China March 15th 1914. Dear- to whom shall I address this- nothing came from Putnam this last week-let me see whose turn it is to have the letter according to my correspondence register.- it‟s Marjorie‟s turn so here it goes.
    [Show full text]
  • Falun Gong in the United States: an Ethnographic Study Noah Porter University of South Florida
    University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 7-18-2003 Falun Gong in the United States: An Ethnographic Study Noah Porter University of South Florida Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the American Studies Commons Scholar Commons Citation Porter, Noah, "Falun Gong in the United States: An Ethnographic Study" (2003). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/1451 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FALUN GONG IN THE UNITED STATES: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY by NOAH PORTER A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Anthropology College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Major Professor: S. Elizabeth Bird, Ph.D. Michael Angrosino, Ph.D. Kevin Yelvington, Ph.D. Date of Approval: July 18, 2003 Keywords: falungong, human rights, media, religion, China © Copyright 2003, Noah Porter TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES...................................................................................................................................iii LIST OF FIGURES................................................................................................................................. iv ABSTRACT...........................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Coronavirus News and Information on Youtube: a Content Analysis of Popular Search Terms
    Coronavirus News and Information on YouTube: A Content Analysis of Popular Search Terms Online Supplement Nahema Marchal, Hubert Au, Philip N. Howard Data and Method In this memo, we investigate the type of information users come across when searching for information about the coronavirus on YouTube. We first collected a list of the 10 most frequent YouTube search terms related to the “coronavirus” UK over the last 90 days, using Google Trends on March 10th, 2020. For comparison, we also collected the auto-complete YouTube search suggestions for the term “coronavirus”, using a Google Chrome browser in Incognito Mode. Table 1. Top YouTube Searches related to the term “coronavirus” Top YouTube Searches related to the term “coronavirus” UK coronavirus china; uk coronavirus; coronavirus news; coronavirus (top 10) live; coronavirus in uk; coronavirus conspiracy; simpsons coronavirus; corona virus; coronavirus wuhan; coronavirus symptoms Note: Compiled based on Google Trends results collected 10/03/2020 Figure 1. Search predictions on YouTube GB in “Incognito Mode” We carried out the searches by running our list of 4 coronavirus-related search terms through YouTube Data Tools (YTDT)’s Video List function, a tool that directly interacts with the YouTube v3.4 API. This generated a list of the top 50 video results associated with each search term, ranked by relevance (based on YouTube API documentation). We then examined the most “related” or “recommended videos” for these search queries. This returned a network graph where each edge denoted a
    [Show full text]
  • The Tibetan Nonviolent Struggle: a Strategic and Historical Analysis
    ICNC MONOGRAPH SERIES The Tibetan Nonviolent Struggle: A Strategic and Historical Analysis Tenzin Dorjee ICNC MONOGRAPH SERIES Cover photos: (l) John Ackerly, 1987, (r) Invisible Tibet Blog SERIES EDITOR: Maciej Bartkowski John Ackerly’s photo of the first major demonstration in Lhasa in 1987 CONTACT: [email protected] became an emblem for the Tibet movement. The monk Jampa Tenzin, who is being lifted by fellow protesters, had just rushed into a burning VOLUME EDITORS: Hardy Merriman, Amber French, police station to rescue Tibetan detainees. With his arms charred by the Cassandra Balfour flames, he falls in and out of consciousness even as he leads the crowd CONTACT: [email protected] in chanting pro-independence slogans. The photographer John Ackerly Other volumes in this series: became a Tibet advocate and eventually President of the International Campaign for Tibet (1999 to 2009). To read more about John Ackerly’s The Power of Staying Put: Nonviolent Resistance experience in Tibet, see his book co-authored by Blake Kerr, Sky Burial: against Armed Groups in Colombia, Juan Masullo An Eyewitness Account of China’s Brutal Crackdown in Tibet. (2015) Invisible Tibet Blog’s photo was taken during the 2008 Tibetan uprising, The Maldives Democracy Experience (2008-13): when Tibetans across the three historical provinces of Tibet rose up From Authoritarianism to Democracy and Back, to protest Chinese rule. The protests began on March 10, 2008, a few Velezinee Aishath (2015) months ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games, and quickly became the largest, most sustained nonviolent movement Tibet has witnessed. Published by the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict The designations used and material presented in this publication do P.O.
    [Show full text]
  • Worlddirect™ on DIRECTV®
    WorldDirect™ on DIRECTV® Overview DIRECTV is very pleased to announce our new line of WorldDirect™ services, aimed at reaching even more new markets and bringing in more satisfied DIRECTV subscribers. In the last few months, we’ve launched new packages in a wide variety of foreign languages beginning with Vietnamese and South Asian languages including Hindi and Tamil, and just recently added an Italian option to our existing Chinese-language services. Drawing on the worldwide strength of News Corporation and its properties, WorldDirect services are poised to offer new impactful programming for these underserved ethnic markets. WorldDirect services include: VietnameseDirect™– featuring SBTN: America’s FIRST and ONLY 24-hour Vietnamese language television network. Attracting Vietnamese-speaking audiences of all generations, SBTN connects a growing audience of more than 1.8 million Vietnamese Americans to their heritage, culture, and identity. HindiDirect™– featuring: • STAR PLUS – India’s #1 cable channel for four years running, which dominates every entertainment genre and timeslot. The channel features the top 40 programs on cable in India every week, including the most popular soap operas, dramas and comedies. • STAR ONE – the channel that unleashes the next generation of Hindi entertainment with a diverse mix of programming and cutting-edge production values that appeal to urban, upwardly mobile Indian audiences. STAR ONE parades an array of original programs, including the freshest and boldest dramas and comedies available. • STAR NEWS – offers viewers 24-hour Hindi news that is relevant to today’s Indians. This channel covers the full spectrum of South Asian news, ranging from politics to business, investigative reports to consumer issues, crime to the environment.
    [Show full text]
  • Religion (REL) 1
    Religion (REL) 1 REL 260. Introduction to Religion. 3 Hours. Religion (REL) This course is an introductory study of typical religious beliefs and practices. Characteristic forms of religion will be explored, specific rituals REL 201. The Hebrew Bible. 3 Hours. will be investigated, and particular problems in religion will be analyzed. The life and thought of ancient Israel as seen in a literary, historical, and Students will identify some religious aspects of contemporary cultures theological analysis of the Hebrew Bible and the Apocrypha. and will become familiar with methods used in the academic study of religion. Successful completion of this course satisfies the Cultures and REL 202. The New Testament. 3 Hours. Peoples requirement for graduation. The emergence of Christianity in the world as seen from an analysis of New Testament writings. REL 261. Religious Pilgrimage. 3 Hours. This course examines religious thought and practice through the lens REL 210. Archeology of Religion. 3 Hours. of ritual theory. Students explore what various scholars in the field of Students will become familiar with basic concepts in the archaeology religious studies and related fields (anthropology and sociology, for of religion. Theoretical and methodological readings will include example) have said about rites and rituals. Primary topics of focus include ritual studies, symbols and semiotics, and the archaeology of sacred the structure and role of initiation rites, the functions of communities, and space and landscapes. The course will emphasize the archaeology the lives of religious virtuosos such as mendicants and shamans. Also of Middle Eastern, African, Pacific Island, and New World religions considered are various types of quest and the roles these journeys play alongside Mediterranean, European, East Asian, and contemporary in the formation of identity.
    [Show full text]
  • 610 Office” That I Witnessed by Hao Fengjun
    EXHIBIT C The “610 Office” that I Witnessed By Hao Fengjun First of all, let me express my sincere gratitude to the invitation of Dr. Charles, the Vice President of the Human Rights Committee of the European Parliament. As a result I have this opportunity to briefly submit to the Committee what activities the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is currently engaged in through my personal experience. 1. The “610 Office” Truly Exists In 1994 I graduated from the Law Department in Nankai University in Tianjin. After graduation, I was assigned to work at Tianjin City Public Security Bureau. In October 2000, I was transferred to the “610 Office” under Tianjin Public Security Bureau. Since the Staffing Committee of the Tianjin City Party Committee had not granted the establishment of such a “610” organization at the time, the “610 Office” did not have any legal status. As a result, our personnel files were kept at the original work units. 1) Naming of the “610 Office” From 1999 to 2003, the “610 Office” was called the “Office to Deal with the Falun Gong Problem.” From 2003 to present, it is known as “The Office of Preventing and Handling Evil Cult Crimes (Bureau or Department)”. 2) Structure of the “610 Office” Nationwide Up until now, the CCP has never acknowledged the existence of the “610 Office” – an organization similar in nature to Nazi Germany’s Gestapo, which specializes in persecuting Falun Gong and other religious dissidents. Recently at an international press conference, the assistant to the CCP’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheng Guofang, again publicly denied the existence of the “610 Office.” Many who do not know the true nature of the CCP may well believe the lie that is repeated a thousand times by the CCP.
    [Show full text]
  • Shanghai, China Overview Introduction
    Shanghai, China Overview Introduction The name Shanghai still conjures images of romance, mystery and adventure, but for decades it was an austere backwater. After the success of Mao Zedong's communist revolution in 1949, the authorities clamped down hard on Shanghai, castigating China's second city for its prewar status as a playground of gangsters and colonial adventurers. And so it was. In its heyday, the 1920s and '30s, cosmopolitan Shanghai was a dynamic melting pot for people, ideas and money from all over the planet. Business boomed, fortunes were made, and everything seemed possible. It was a time of breakneck industrial progress, swaggering confidence and smoky jazz venues. Thanks to economic reforms implemented in the 1980s by Deng Xiaoping, Shanghai's commercial potential has reemerged and is flourishing again. Stand today on the historic Bund and look across the Huangpu River. The soaring 1,614-ft/492-m Shanghai World Financial Center tower looms over the ambitious skyline of the Pudong financial district. Alongside it are other key landmarks: the glittering, 88- story Jinmao Building; the rocket-shaped Oriental Pearl TV Tower; and the Shanghai Stock Exchange. The 128-story Shanghai Tower is the tallest building in China (and, after the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the second-tallest in the world). Glass-and-steel skyscrapers reach for the clouds, Mercedes sedans cruise the neon-lit streets, luxury- brand boutiques stock all the stylish trappings available in New York, and the restaurant, bar and clubbing scene pulsates with an energy all its own. Perhaps more than any other city in Asia, Shanghai has the confidence and sheer determination to forge a glittering future as one of the world's most important commercial centers.
    [Show full text]