What began as the typical grinding of local government gears has turned into Columbia own international incident, which according to one Chinese government official could wound U.S.-China relations.
The offenses? The Columbia City Council proclaimed, and the Boone County Commission tomorrow plans to proclaim, a Falun Dafa week and is allowing a local group of practitioners to use the Boone County Government Center grounds. The city recognized the week Dec. 26 through Jan. 1, and the county's week is planned for Jan. 9 through Jan. 16.
Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, is a Chinese meditative and spiritual movement that incorporates the teachings of founder Li Hongzhi, who began the practice in 1992. The group touts 100 million followers worldwide, about 20 of whom reside and practice in Columbia. The Communist Chinese government, however, has a different take on the practice, characterizing it as an exploitive and evil cult that has driven some of its practitioners to suicide and caused mental illness in others. The government alleges that Li has dodged taxes, drained followersüf bank accounts and that practitioners have stolen top-secret government documents.
The deputy consulate of the People's Republic of China in Chicago has asked local officials to cease supporting Columbia's practitioners.
He called presiding commissioner Don Stamper two weeks ago to urge him to disallow the group's use of public property and to refrain from passing a proclamation declaring Falun Dafa Week. "We just wanted to alert the county that the Falun Gong is an outlaw organization," Shen Welian said from his Chicago-based office yesterday. "This would certainly be something against the Chinese."
He sent materials to both mayor Darwin Hindman and Stamper denouncing the group and asked the officials to renounce the proclamations. If Stamper "can cancel the decision that would be much appreciated," Shen said. "I am sure American people don's like cults."
He said the proclamations are offensive to the Chinese people. "I just don's want to see the Boone County make a decision that really hurts the Chinese official side and the Chinese people's feelings."
Stamper plans to present the county proclamation to the group Sunday during their kickoff celebrations for Falun Dafa Week at the Boone County Government Center.
Hindman said he did not understand the controversy surrounding the group when the city approved the proclamation, but now that it is done it will remain. "To withdraw this would be symbolic of interfering with their rights," he said, noting if he has been aware of the tension between the practitioners and the Chinese government he likely wouldn't have approved the move. "It was an interesting experience to be in the middle of international pressure, and the Chinese government was pretty good at putting on the pressure," Hindman said.
Stamper said he will not restrict the group's use of public property.
Terry Weidner, director of MU's Asian Affairs Center, characterized the deputy consulate's actions as "absolutely predictable and formulaic. üc The key here is that China sees this as interference in their sovereign affairs," he said. "What China does not understand, of course, is that demanding that we rescind these resolutions can be perceived as a violation of our sovereign rights of democracy and free speech."
Chuan Lin, founder of Columbia Falun Gong group, said he's not surprised that Shen contacted Stamper and Hindman.
"The Chinese government is running crazy. They are trying to do anything they want to stop the people's spread of Falun Dafa," Chuan said yesterday.
He said he requested the proclamations to let Boone County residents know that there are local practitioners. Local governments frequently issue proclamations to officially recognize groups, individuals or events. City clerk Penny St. Romaine said the city averages about 55 proclamations a year and groups need only request the proclamation and submit the wording. The mayor has the final say. Stamper said the county issues 15 to 20 each year. 7