Tai Ji Men’s Petition in San Francisco for Redress of Injustice

On August 28th, Tai Ji Men members in the United States, hoping to get speedy rectification of the false case against Tai Ji Men, went to the Culture Center of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (T.E.C.O) in Milpitas to meet with Director Roy Yen. On August 16th and 20th, the same group protested with signs outside the T.E.C.O. in San Francisco. Their intention was to convey to Mr. Yen the extent of the suffering caused by the persecution over the years. The members also presented a petition letter for Chenyuan Tung, Minister of the Overseas Community Affairs Council of Taiwan, who was scheduled to visit the United States from late August to early September, hoping to seek his help in redressing the case. Roy Yen commented that it is absurd that the Tai Ji Men case has lasted for that long. It is his duty to listen to the opinions of the Taiwanese Americans in his region, and he will bring the petition letter to Minister Tung in person to ensure that the Taiwan government receives the message. He expressed his hope that the case against Tai Ji Men will be resolved soon.

Tai Ji Men members pointed out that in 1996, the persecution of Tai Ji Men was initiated and continued on fabricated evidence. Prosecutor Hou, Kuan-jen abused his authority by falsely accusing Tai Ji Men’s leader and his co-defendants of fraud and tax evasion. In 2007, Taiwan Supreme Court found Tai Ji Men innocent of tax evasion and all other charges. Taiwan is a democratic country which follows the rule of law; hence, the National Taxation Bureau should have annulled the tax bills at that time. Surprisingly, a few rogue bureaucrats disregarded the Supreme Court’s decision and maintained the tax bills against Tai Ji Men. On August 21, 2020, Tai Ji Men’s land intended for spiritual retreat was auctioned and then confiscated by the Taiwanese government. This is a serious violation of Dr. Hong’s and his disciples’ right to freedom of belief, and freedom to choose their own path of self-cultivation. This case has shocked the world.

Jason Lu, a Tai Ji Men member in Northern California, explained to Roy Yen that the Tai Ji Men case was a fabricated case from the beginning. Prosecutor Hou, Kuan-jen accused the defendants of "raising gobbling," and this accusation was included in the indictment. Professor Kenneth Jacobsen, a law professor and former adviser to President Clinton, said that this kind of indictment should not have been accepted by the court at all. Jason Lu emphasized, "We love Taiwan very much but silence won’t bring justice. Taiwan’s leaders are capable of implementing reforms. I hope that the Taiwanese government can hear our voices and know we are doing this out of our love for Taiwan.”

Phyllis Huang, another member of Tai Ji Men, said that Tai Ji Men had nurtured many wonderful 2nd-generation immigrants in the U.S. and had made a lot of contributions to the local communities. It is hoped that the voices of Taiwanese Americans would be passed back to Taiwan so that President Tsai or other high-level government officials could put an end to this protracted injustice.

Jeff Kuo, also a member of Tai Ji Men, mentioned that Taiwan National Taxation Bureau (NTB) flouted judicial decisions and overruled the Executive Yuan, Legislative Yuan, Control Yuan, and Judicial Yuan. Tai Ji Men survived the mistreatment by the NTB for 25 years because it is a large organization. For individual citizens who encountered unjustified tax cases, how could they fight the powerful National Taxation Bureau? Outcomes usually include huge financial losses, divorce and even death.

Roy Yen stated that Taiwan is a country ruled by laws and that these unjust cases can be solved by legal means. A civil lawsuit could be filed to seek compensation for any kind of loss or damage incurred, and the officials involved should be held accountable, too.

Tai Ji Men members said as long as this protracted case remains unresolved, over a thousand Tai Ji Men members in the United States could not find peace of mind. The Tai Ji Men members sincerely requested President Tsai to urge the NTB to revoke the erroneous tax bill for 1992 in accordance with Article 117 of the Administrative Procedure Act, and return the land that was illegally auctioned and taken into national ownership. In the past 25 years, Tai Ji Men members have sent innumerable petition letters to the Taiwan Presidential Office and five Yuans. As long as the National Taxation Bureau refuses to comply with the law and court decisions, Tai Ji Men members will continue to call the international community’s attention to the case, and urge the Taiwanese government to rectify the case and return Tai Ji Men’s land.

About the Tai Ji Men Case

Tai Ji Men is a cultural and spiritual organization with academies in Taiwan and the United States. Over the past 20 plus years, Tai Ji Men’s leader, Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze, and his disciples have self-funded trips to over 300 cities in 101 nations, and conducted over 3,000 cultural performances to spread the message of love, peace, and conscience. Tai Ji Men and Dr. Hong have been widely praised by leaders in Taiwan and other nations.

In 1996, after the first direct presidential election, government authorities conducted a series of investigations on religious groups with opposing political stances. Even though Tai Ji Men is non-political by nature, it was implicated in the campaign. Prosecutor Hou, Kuan-jen abused his power by falsely accusing Tai Ji Men’s leader and his co-defendants, resulting in the illegal tax case.

In 2007, Taiwan Supreme Court found Tai Ji Men innocent of tax evasion and all other charges. However, Taiwan NTB disregarded the court decisions, and continued to issue hefty and unjustified tax bills to Dr. Hong. On August 21, 2020, Tai Ji Men’s land intended for spiritual retreat was illegally auctioned and then confiscated by the Taiwanese government. This is a serious violation of Dr. Hong’s and his disciples’ right to freedom of belief.

Source: ACT 1219