Vietnam: Trial Over Falun Gong

[ao333]

Two Falun Gong practitioners face trial in Vietnam for transmitting programs about the spiritual group into China, their lawyer said Wednesday. Tran Dinh Trien, the lawyer, said that Falun Gong was not banned in Vietnam and that his clients should not be charged. The trial starts Friday for Vu Duc Trung, 30, and his brother-in-law, Le Van Thanh, 35. If convicted, they face up to five years in jail. State media reported that the men broadcast 18 hours a day for more than a year. China bans Falun Gong and has jailed practitioners of the group it denounces as a cult.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/07/world/asia/07briefs-Vietnam.html?ref=china

 

[notsuperstitious]

The advocacy group Reporters Without Borders says that the Chinese government has “successfully pressured” Vietnam to arrest two Falun Gong members who operated an unauthorized short wave station out of that country.“

The organization is worried by this latest evidence of Chinese influence over its Asian neighbors in matters concerning media freedom, and urges the Vietnamese government to give Trung and Thanh a fair trial regardless of China’s pressure,” the RWB statement says.

According to the group, Vu Duc Trung and Le Van Thanh have been charged with unlicensed broadcasting. Specifically, they’re accused of streaming their program, The Sound of Hope Radio Network, to China. They operated on a farm about 800 km from that country.

One question is whether Trung and Thanh are facing a criminal or an administrative charge. Reporters Without Borders says it’s been upgraded to a criminal matter. Radio Free Asia quotes a Vietnamese public interest lawyer who insists it’s administrative.

“The maximum sentence requires a fine, not imprisonment and not confiscation of equipment,” he told RFA. “Using a radio to help other members of Falun Gong is something forbidden in China, but not in Vietnam yet.”

The Falun Gong Buddhism-based religion is banned in China. Several weeks ago Reporters Without Borders criticized the arrest of the manager of a Falun Gong supporting radio station in Indonesia. The defendant in that case faces a six-year jail sentence.

Vietnam cracks down on Falun Gong pirate radio | Radio Survivor

 

[ZhengHe]

Two Falun Gong practitioners face trial in Vietnam for transmitting programs about the spiritual group into China, their lawyer said Wednesday. Tran Dinh Trien, the lawyer, said that Falun Gong was not banned in Vietnam and that his clients should not be charged. The trial starts Friday for Vu Duc Trung, 30, and his brother-in-law, Le Van Thanh, 35. If convicted, they face up to five years in jail. State media reported that the men broadcast 18 hours a day for more than a year. China bans Falun Gong and has jailed practitioners of the group it denounces as a cult.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/07/world/asia/07briefs-Vietnam.html?ref=china

being a member of the falun gong, how do you feel about this ao333?

 

[no_name]

I don't think Falun gong is buddhist based anymore than Jim Jones is a true christian.
Cults are bad for society.

 

[asianamerican]

I don't understand what is the deal with Falun Gong. It doesn't look appealing too me. I think Chinese government is going way overboard. If people want to destroy their lives follow in a cult then let them. Sooner or later, most people will realize it is a cult and the movement will die.

All the government can do is spy on them wait until they commit a crime and arrest time. Until then, I don't see what harm the Falun Gong.

One problem with Asian society is that most people don't speak to anything, because of face, where in America, people are extreme in speaking up about everything. So when things get out of hand in Asia it is already too late.

 

[no_name]

It is a sort of open secret that Falun Gong is anti chinese government.
People also destroy their lives and lives of others selling and taking drugs, and you don't see governments just standing by.

 

[asianamerican]

It is a sort of open secret that Falun Gong is anti chinese government.
People also destroy their lives and lives of others selling and taking drugs, and you don't see governments just standing by.

They may be anti-Chinese government like militia in US, but they are largerly more bark than bite. I doubt the drug part becuase if that is the case, they would be jailed rather than banned.

The only way Chinese gov can destroy these group is to make a mockery of it instead of "banning" it.

 

[no_name]

That drug part was an analogy when you underestimate the influence of cult religions. I was not saying that members of FLG take drugs.

China still needs to raise the overall education and common knowledge levels of it's people, especially in poorer more remote parts of the country. The recent iodine salt scare tells you that alot remains to be done.

It is very sad to see someone manipulated because they don't know better.

 

[below_freezing]

Falun Gong seriously must be banned.

The median years of education in China is 9 years. This is heavily concentrated in the youth who graduated from elementary school in the 90's, those born 1985 or later. The 80's generation is the largest demographic in China. However the median Chinese age is 37, which means many older people have very little education, sometimes being completely illiterate though this percentage is decreasing, and people even up to 40 years old might only be elementary school dropouts: not illiterate, but still not educated enough to make complex decisions.

 

[lcloo]

Religious based movements can be very disatserous, Taiping rebellion in 1854 - 1864 was lead by a fanatic Christian believing he was brother of Jesus, he wanted to built a divine kingdom based on deviated Christian teachings and caused 20 million deaths and few hundred million homeless and displaced.

Religion is a very strong force to be reckoned with, early European powers were based on Christian faith, the Pope had strong influence over them, Arabs and some Asian nations were established with Islam conquests, and administered based on the faith.

Even the Boxers Rebellion has its origin partly based on religion, and caused Qing Dynasty accelerated down fall.

There are many people who would die for their faith rather than for their country.

 

[no_name]

I think a truely secular society needs to be accommodating for people's different faiths, as long as they are:

1. Non-violent
2. Do not attempt to subvert state laws
3. Do not promote cult/personality warship
4. Religion is kept out of politics and political institution and military institution
5. Religion is kept out of educational curriculum except for university courses.

A secular society where a no-religion rule is enforces just sways in the opposite extreme. No-religion is itself almost religious by nature.
If people believing in a religion ends up worse off than if they don't follow it, then I don't see the point of that religion's existence.

 

[ao333]

being a member of the falun gong, how do you feel about this ao333?

How do you feel about being paid 50 cents by a country which hosts the Prostitute Fortress for the Japanese and Taiwanese? I feel sorry for the buyers as your women may be infected with SARS or other contagious disease.

Oh, and Zheng He's ancestors were all Mongol slaves which were later slaughtered by the Han. Great to see you naming yourself after an Iranian muslim with no balls, literally.

 

[Nomenclature]

Falun Gong sure deserve what they got. Don't they remember how they besieged the office of a physicist for writing a magazine commentary criticizing the spread of their pseudoscience among high school students?

FLG and Maoists are two groups of people may yet take China back to the dark ages.

 

[below_freezing]

How do you feel about being paid 50 cents by a country which hosts the Prostitute Fortress for the Japanese and Taiwanese? I feel sorry for the buyers as your women may be infected with SARS or other contagious disease.

Oh, and Zheng He's ancestors were all Mongol slaves which were later slaughtered by the Han. Great to see you naming yourself after an Iranian muslim with no balls, literally.

there are no prostitutes in Japan, there are no prostitutes in Taiwan, only in mainland China

???_?_????_

There are "no prostitutes" in Taiwan either


　　那时的公娼馆分为甲级、乙级、丙级，王阿姨工作的甲级娼馆1节要４０元，乙级、丙级较便宜。王姨说，以当时的物价来比较的话，那时阳春面一碗才1.5元！后来大概是以一年10元左右的幅度在涨价，到高点，所有甲级公娼馆都是1节15分钟1000元。

　　不过甲级的小姐比较讲究，大家会找裁缝师傅来，定做样式一致的旗袍。大家就会讲好，今天要穿什么样子的衣服、配什么皮鞋（那时高跟皮鞋可是时髦的高级品），一字排开，整齐又美观！小姐也都年轻漂亮。而乙级的则较为随便，还会穿着拖鞋。

units are in Taiwan Dollar too, 30 TD = 1 USD, 1000 TD = 33 TD = 240 RMB

 

[Tigershark]

How do you feel about being paid 50 cents by a country which hosts the Prostitute Fortress for the Japanese and Taiwanese? I feel sorry for the buyers as your women may be infected with SARS or other contagious disease.

Oh, and Zheng He's ancestors were all Mongol slaves which were later slaughtered by the Han. Great to see you naming yourself after an Iranian muslim with no balls, literally.

Shameless post. If you have a problem with China--out with it. Quit hiding behind an anti-Chinese fanatical cult like Falun Gong. You're acting like a coward.