Falungong members fight negative image in Indonesia

Falungong members fight negative image in Indonesia

JAKARTA (JP): Falungong members in Indonesia are in a public
opinion battle to convince the public that the organization here
is apolitical and merely teaches about meditation and health.

Speaking to The Jakarta Post on Tuesday, Indonesian Falungong
Association Chairman Joko Buntar refuted descriptions of the
group as a sect or spiritual movement, as its main endeavor is to
promulgate a healthy lifestyle and patience.

"We practice every Wednesday and Friday in several places in
the capital. The point of the exercise is to increase one's
morality and patience. No religion is affiliated to the
association," Joko said.

He conceded that some here have misperceived the group, when
actually it does not pose any threat to the people or to the
country.

"If we were so awful, why have about a hundred million people
around the world joined the group," Joko further remarked.

Falungong began to make international headlines in July 1999
when the Chinese government banned it for the reason that the
movement regularly defies the government.

It was officially banned after thousands of its members
besieged Chinese government offices in several cities there to
protest the arrest of their leaders.

The Chinese authorities arrested thousands of practitioners
after their attempt to circle a government building in Beijing on
April 25, 1999 and charged them with either disrupting social
order or subverting the government.

There were claims at that time that falungong members can
acquire supernatural powers and no longer need the aid of
physicians to cure their ailments.

Falungong grew out of a form of martial arts known as qigong
-- an array of breathing exercises and meditation based on the
theory of inner energy.

The Falungong Association here was set up five years ago and
currently claims to have around 500 members around the country.

They practice the meditation and movement every Wednesday and
Friday afternoon in Senayan sport complex and at the National
monument compound.

Joko pointed out that members here come from a variety of
social, ethnic and religious backgrounds.

"Some of our members are Muslims, Christians, and some are
Sundanese, but most are of Chinese descent," Joko added.

The association's Secretary Liman Kurniawan told the Post that
the association was officially established and registered last
year in compliance with government regulations.

"We usually just practice among ourselves, but last year we
obtained legal registration papers to comply with the government
regulation," Liman, a Buddhist who has been practicing falungong
for three-years, said.

Liman underlined that the group only has one teacher named Li
Hongzhi who is based in the United States. He added that there is
no organizational linkage between the Indonesia and the China-
based groups.

Despite attempts to assure the public, there was still some
obvious wariness about its existence.

Muhammadiyah deputy chairman Malik Fadjar told the Post that
though the government does not have the right to ban the movement
it should keep a close watch on the association.

"I am not going to say it must be cautious, but the government
should watch the movement just to make sure that it will not
cause public disruption," Malik, a former minister of religious
affairs, said.(dja)