Scholarly papers and testimonies discussed how the UN principles of human rights and justice should also be applied in Taiwan.
by Daniela Bovolenta
On October 24, 2024, United Nations Day, CESNUR and Human Right Without Frontiers co-organized one of their regular webinars on the Tai Ji Men case. The title “The UN, the Two Covenants, and the Tai Ji Men Case,” emphasized the importance of the two United Nations human right covenants, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). Taiwan is not a member state of the United Nations, but incorporated the Two Covenants into its domestic legislation in 2009.
Massimo Introvigne, an Italian scholar and the director of CESNUR, who is also the editor-in-chief of “Bitter Winter,” introduced the webinar. He noted that most scholars recognize as the first predecessor of the United Nations the Permanent Court of Arbitration, established in 1899. But not many know, he said, that its first decision, rendered in 1902, included all the ingredients of the Tai Ji Men case. Gifts had been given for centuries by donors to the Pious Fund of the Californias, established to support Catholic priests in California, and always regarded as tax-exempt. Mexico, however, in the 19th century, retroactively decided that gifts were not tax-exempt and nationalized the Fund, leaving to the Catholic priests only a small interest. It then stopped paying even the interest. When in 1848 the United States after a victorious war acquired from Mexico the northern part of California, they asked the Mexican government to keep paying half of the interest to the Catholic Church in American California. Mexico refused but was eventually compelled to pay by the Permanent Court.
Introvigne concluded that the Pious Fund incident compared with the Tai Ji Men case evidences that history repeats itself. Greedy states and bureaucrats try to steal gifts given to spiritual organizations claiming falsely that they are not-exempt. In the case of the Pious Fund, the internationalization of the case at least partially worked. This may suggest that after many disappointments in Taiwan the Tai Ji Men case can also benefit from more internationalization.
Introvigne then presented a video for the United Nations Day by UN General Secretary António Guterres. The General Secretary admitted that the United Nations is in need of reform. He emphasized, however, that the UN has been able of taking a leading role in confronting challenges such as climate change and artificial intelligence, which would have been inconceivable when the institution was founded.
Introvigne then introduced the first two speakers, both Ph.D. candidates with a distinguished publication and lecture trail, Márk Nemes from the University of Szeged in Hungary and María Vardé from the University of Buenos Aires.
Nemes, a specialist in esoteric movements, spoke of his fascination for Tai Ji Men’s Dragon Dance and offered his interpretation of the performance. Audiences may see the dance just as cultural, Nemes said. However, it has all the elements scholars have recognized as typical of spiritual rituals, from the collection of bamboo in the sacred forests to the assembling of the dragons and the dance itself.
This is also relevant for the Tai Ji Men case, Nemes said, as freedom of cultural and spiritual expression is protected by the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Taiwan has incorporated it into its domestic legislation in 2009 but has then violated it in the Tai Ji Men case.
Vardé offered a recognition of the main principles of the two UN Human Right Covenants that protect freedom of religion or belief and other rights of spiritual movements. She showed how all these principles were violated, each of them more than once, in the Tai Ji Men case.
She also noted that the Tai Ji Men case is not an isolated incident. Unfortunately in several democratic countries, including Argentina where she lives, governments tend to violate the Two Covenants when it comes to the rights of spiritual minorities that are under attack by certain political forces, lobbies, and the media.
Willy Fautré, co-founder and director of Human Rights Without Frontiers, introduced the second session. He identified the promotion of multiculturalism and the respectful dialogue between different cultures as a key United Nations value. Few organizations, he said, have done more to affirm genuine multiculturalism than Tai Ji Men, whose dizi (disciples) have conducted self-funded peace and cultural trips to more than 100 countries. Multiculturalism, Fautré said, is however constantly threatened by intolerance, which also manifests itself in Taiwan in the Tai Ji Men case.
Fautré then introduced a video discussing the difficult but crucial theme of whether unjust orders should be obeyed. It was illustrated through the decision of a German court who after the fall of East Germany sentenced a guard who had shot a man trying to escape from East to West Berlin, dismissing the argument that he had just followed orders.
Fautré presented five Tai Ji Men dizi (disciples) who offered their testimonies. Paul Chen, a firmware engineer, stated that for him the main value taught by United Nations is that we should all feel responsible for the health and peace of the world. He found the same teachings in Tai Ji Men, whose principles recently helped him in coping with the stress of his new work for an international company. He also went to Türkiye to attend the 26th Eurasian Economic Summit with a Tai Ji Men delegation in 2023 and took part in the moving “The Blessings of the Eight Immortals” performance. The Immortals also teach justice, Chen said, and the Tai Ji Men case shows us that it does not come automatically but requires a constant effort and fight.
Judy Wu, a Hokkien language teacher in an elementary school, reported that her ancestors came to Taiwan from Zhangzhou, Fujian, two or three hundred years ago, carrying a statue of the sea goddess Mazu. She compared the benevolent and colorful Mazu festivals with the rich performances Tai Ji Men take to the world, notwithstanding the legal and tax harassment and even physical violence they have suffered in Taiwan. She was also there, she said, when her Shifu (Grand Master), Dr. Hong Tao-Tze, pronounced in 1999 his famous Seattle speech calling dizi to spread the ancient Tai Ji Men culture to the whole world. She continues to work for global peace and love, hoping that Tai Ji Men’s good work will finally be recognized in Taiwan as well, and the harassment will cease.
Jenny Lin, a senior high school student, reported that she attended a middle school located just in front of the Administrative Enforcement Agency’s Hsinchu Branch, in front of which dizi were protesting. Her classmates believed media slander accusing Tai Ji Men of tax evasion, and she was initially afraid to oppose them. However, after watching the video “The People Speak Out: Ending the False Case” she found the courage to correct the wrong opinions of her schoolmates. This experience was very important for Lin, she said, and still inspires her to work for truth and justice, hoping the conscience of good citizens can be awakened.
Samuel Peng, a warehouse administrator, shared how what he learned from Tai Ji Men helped him during a recent work experience in Australia, where he had to overcome problems with the English language. Peng also participated in the flag-waving performance during the 2017 Summer Universiade, in Chinese New Year gatherings, and the recent “Back to the Origin” event. He said the deep meaning of these performances is about peace, justice, and conscience, all values he hopes will one day also prevail in Taiwan and lead to a just solution of the Tai Ji Men case.
Grace Chen, a teaching assistant, spoke through her husband because of a voice problem. She works in a non-profit kindergarten with both ordinary students and students with special needs, applying what she learned from Dr. Hong, which also helped her with serious health problems. She was there when the Tai Ji Men case started in 1996 and felt the pressure of the media slander and of accusations she knew from direct experience were false. This led her to a lifelong interest in tax and law issues and an awareness that Taiwan’s tax problems revealed by the Tai Ji Men case go beyond it and require a deep reform.
Marco Respinti, an Italian scholar and journalist who serves as director-in-charge of “Bitter Winter,” offered the conclusions of the webinar. He noted that the human rights principles of the United Nations were divided in two covenants rather than one because of the Cold War climate and the Soviet Union’s position. The Cold War also led to downplaying the position of freedom of religion or belief in the Covenants, which Respinti said should have been more detailed and emphasized. It is now time, Respinti said, for unifying the Two Covenants into one. The United Nations should also be encouraged, he added, to take a firmer stand when blatant injustices are committed in states that are not members of the UN, such as Taiwan where the Tai Ji Men case certainly deserves international attention.
A musical video on the Tai Ji Men’s message of peace and love concluded the successful event.
