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)