美國加州聯邦眾議員約翰‧嘎拉門迪（John Garamendi）發表聲明，敦促韓國駐美大使和李明博總統重申韓國60年前簽署《聯合國難民公約》時所做的承諾，為逃離信仰迫害的法輪功學員提供安全之地。

來自美國加利福尼亞州的資深國會眾議員戴納‧羅拉巴克（Dana Rohrabacher）也在9月15日致信韓國總統李明博，呼籲首爾政府立即停止將法輪功學員遣返回中共統治下的中國。

2011年9月15日中午，法輪功學員在位於華盛頓市區馬塞諸塞大道旁的韓國駐美國大使館前集會，他們手持橫幅，呼籲韓國政府停止遣返法輪功學員。（攝影：李莎/大紀元）

2011年9月15日中午，法輪功學員在位於華盛頓市區馬塞諸塞大道旁的韓國駐美國大使館前集會，他們手持橫幅，呼籲韓國政府停止遣返法輪功學員。（攝影：李莎/大紀元）

2011年9月15日中午，法輪功學員在位於華盛頓市區馬塞諸塞大道旁的韓國駐美國大使館前集會，他們手持橫幅，呼籲韓國政府停止遣返法輪功學員。（攝影：李莎/大紀元）

這一事件也引起了韓國非政府組織的關注。大韓民國國家統一顧問委員會（NUAC）華府分會主席洪慶熙說，如果在韓國避難的法輪功學員被遣返，將面臨更嚴重的迫害，就會像中共政府遣返北韓難民一樣造成惡劣的後果。洪慶熙在接受大紀元採訪時表示，將盡力聯繫在韓國有影響力的人權組織，讓他們瞭解此事的詳細經過，引起韓國社會的關注。

近日，韓國法務部首爾出入境管理事務所工作人員闖入一名法輪功學員的家中，將其綁架之後連夜移送至外國人拘留中心。目前，該法輪功學員隨時面臨被強制遣返回中國的危險。這是韓國政府近兩年繼遣返十名中國籍法輪功學員後，對申請難民被拒的中國法輪功學員採取的又一次惡性行動。

9月15日中午，數十名法輪功學員在位於華盛頓市區馬塞諸塞大道旁的韓國駐美國大使館前集會，他們手持橫幅，呼籲韓國政府停止遣返法輪功學員。幾名韓裔法輪功學員也來到集會現場，他們手舉韓文標語，呼籲韓國總統李明博不要屈從中共，支持道義良知。三位法輪功學員與韓國大使館有關官員見面，詳細講述了中共迫害法輪功真相。

多位逃離中國大陸的法輪功學員在集會上講述了他們遭受酷刑迫害的親身經歷。

2011年9月15日中午，法輪功學員在位於華盛頓市區馬塞諸塞大道旁的韓國駐美國大使館前集會，呼籲韓國政府停止遣返法輪功學員。圖為幾名韓裔法輪功學員在集會上呼籲韓國總統李明博不要屈從中共，支持道義良知。（攝影：李莎/大紀元）

2011年9月15日中午，數十名法輪功學員在位於華盛頓市區馬塞諸塞大道旁的韓國駐美國大使館前集會，呼籲韓國政府停止遣返法輪功學員。圖為逃離中國大陸的法輪功學員馬春梅在集會上講述她遭受酷刑迫害的親身經歷。（攝影：李莎/大紀元）

2011年9月15日中午，法輪功學員在位於華盛頓市區馬塞諸塞大道旁的韓國駐美國大使館前集會，呼籲韓國政府停止遣返法輪功學員。（攝影：李莎/大紀元）

羅拉巴克議員呼籲韓國政府停止遣返法輪功學員

9月15日，來自加利福尼亞州的資深國會眾議員戴納‧羅拉巴克（Dana Rohrabacher）致信韓國總統李明博，呼籲首爾政府停止將法輪功學員遣返回中國。

羅拉巴克議員在信中說，他已經注意到和平的法輪功學員面臨被韓國政府遣返回中共政權統治下的中國的威脅。一旦被遣返，他們的生命將受到嚴重威脅。

羅拉巴克議員表示，基於美韓同盟建立的原則，法輪功學員的人權應該得到尊重，他們的安全應該受到保護。他說，美韓同盟的建立是為了抵制共產黨的壓迫和侵略，無論是來自平壤還是北京。 法輪功應被視為擁有共同價值觀的朋友。

韓國總統李明博將於10月到訪華盛頓，羅拉巴克議員表示希望遣返事件不會發生。

2011 年9月15日中午﹐法輪功學員在位於華盛頓市區馬塞諸塞大道旁的韓國駐美國大使館前集會，呼籲韓國政府停止遣返法輪功學員。圖為法輪功學員在集會上宣讀加利福尼亞州聯邦眾議員約翰‧嘎拉門迪（John Garamendi）就這一事件發表的聲明。（攝影：李莎/大紀元）

嘎拉門迪議員呼籲韓國政府履行承諾 為法輪功學員提供安全之地

另一位加利福尼亞州的聯邦眾議員約翰‧嘎拉門迪（John Garamendi）為法輪功學員在韓國駐美大使館前舉行的集會發表聲明。

嘎拉門迪在聲明中說，僅僅在過去兩年之內，就有10名避難的法輪功學員被遣返回中國，在中國，法輪功學員面臨拘留、強迫勞動、酷刑、精神虐待，經常被迫害致死。今天，仍有58位法輪功學員面臨被從韓國遣返回中國的威脅，我敦促（韓國）司法部毫不含糊的重新考慮對這個和平群體採取的現行政策。

嘎拉門迪議員說，韓國政府與其它127個國家於1951年簽署了《聯合國難民公約》，承諾為難民，就像那些逃離信仰迫害的法輪功學員，提供安全的避風港，然而韓國政府不是抵制中國的暴力和不公，而是在這場毫無人性的（迫害）中充當幫凶。

嘎拉門迪議員在聲明中敦促韓國駐美大使和李明博總統立即重申韓國60年前做出的承諾，他敦促韓國政府朝恢復這一承諾邁出第一步，特赦面臨遣返的兩位法輪功學員。

嘎拉門迪議員說，他有機會與幾位遭受中共酷刑迫害的法輪功學員見面，他們痛苦的遭遇、被迫妻離子散、被迫害致死的經歷，更突出了這一事件的緊迫。他呼籲，韓國必須採取行動，改變目前的做法，為法輪功學員提供他們本應享有的安全避風港。

http://www.epochtimes.com/b5/11/9/16/n3374419.htm%E5%8D%8E%E5%BA%9C%E6%8A%97%E8%AE%AE%E9%9F%A9%E5%9B%BD%E9%81%A3%E8%BF%94%E6%B3%95%E8%BD%AE%E5%8A%9F-%E7%BE%8E%E8%AE%AE%E5%91%98%E8%87%B4%E4%BF%A1%E6%9D%8E%E6%98%8E%E5%8D%9A

A group of daughters in the U.S. work to rescue their mothers detained in China for their beliefs.

New Yorkers gather to appeal for an end to deportations of Falun Gong practitioners from South Korea to China. They stand outside the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday. (Amal Chen/The Epoch Times)

NEW YORK—New Yorkers appealed outside the Korean Consulate on Wednesday to call for an immediate stop to deportations of Falun Gong practitioners from South Korea to China, including a young Chinese couple who face imminent return to danger.

More than 70 people gathered with posters and signs in response to the Sept. 6 arrest of Falun Gong asylum seekers Jin Jingzhe and Ma Yue in South Korea. Several met with Assistant Consul Kying Ryun Park to inform him of the latest development and deliver a letter.

“The Korean government must stop it immediately,” said Seog One Ha, 28, a Korean citizen studying at Columbia University. “It is related to a person’s life. A person’s life is prior to any terms or laws.”

Ha delivered a letter to the consul on behalf of Falun Gong practitioners in metropolitan New York. Park assured Ha that the message would be delivered up the ranks at the consulate.

According to the Korea Falun Dafa Association, 100 Falun Gong practitioners have been denied refugee asylum in South Korea and face deportation. The deportation of Falun Gong practitioners is in violation of the United Nations Convention on the Status of Refugees and the Convention Against Torture. South Korea signed both treaties.

According to the letter addressed to the consul, Falun Gong practitioners risk imprisonment, brutal torture, and death if they are sent back to China.

“Sending Falun Gong refugees back to China is inhumane, unjust, and contrary to international law,” said a statement from Levi Browde, executive director of the Falun Dafa Information Center. “We urge the South Korean government to resist any pressure coming from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and offer Falun Gong practitioners a safe haven from persecution.”

The Falun Dafa Information Center has documented thousands of deaths of Falun Gong practitioners in China since the CCP began waging a nationwide campaign of propaganda, imprisonment, and torture in 1999. Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a traditional Chinese practice of meditation, gentle exercises, and application of the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance in daily life.

Young Couple on the Brink

A team from the Korean Ministry of Justice went to the Seoul home of Jin Jingzhe, 26, and his wife, Ma Yue, on Sept. 6. The couple was arrested on the grounds that they were illegal immigrants. Jin was taken to a “foreigner’s protection detention center.” Employees at the center informed Jin that he has seven days to write an appeal before being deported.

“South Korea has stated that it wants to defend the rights of North Korean refugees abroad—to not be deported back to North Korea—because they understand that the situation in North Korea is that the refugees that are sent to North Korea would be subject to torture and maybe even death and execution,” said an American Falun Gong practitioner who attended the appeal. “It’s very hypocritical of them to turn around and [deport] Falun Gong practitioners.”

Korean President Lee Myung-bak is scheduled to visit New York City Sept. 20–22. The president will attend an Appeal of Conscience Foundation ceremony to receive an award for his democracy and humanitarian efforts. Myung-bak will also meet with United Nations General Secretary Ban Ki-moon, who is well-known for his work on human rights.

“It’s very ironic,” said Woo Kim, 19, a dual citizen of the United States and Korea. “I have heard of other practitioners being deported to China—there’s been 10 people so far. It’s not really surprising to me because I know how active the Chinese Communist Party spies are in South Korea.”

Jin, who has less than two days left before being deported, actively participated in peaceful Falun Gong protests in South Korea, exposing the persecution of the practice by the Chinese Communist Party. Jin also worked for New Tang Dynasty Television and covered stories sensitive to the political regime in China.

The consulate general of the Republic of Korea did not return calls by press deadline.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/world/s-korea-asked-to-stop-repatriations-to-china-61655.html

US Assistant Secretary of State Michael Posner speaks during a press conference, in 2010, at the UN Offices in Geneva. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images)

A Christian is beaten and tortured in Eritrea for refusing to renounce his faith; a Buddhist monk is jailed in Burma for denouncing restrictions on religious assembly; a Bahai in Iran is denied employment or education; a Falun Gong practitioner in China is sent to a re-education through labor camp for his beliefs.

These everyday occurrences are examples of—and a drop in the bucket of—the incessant infringements on religious freedoms in nearly 200 nations around the globe, violations of religious rights documented by the U.S. State Department’s 13th “Annual Report on International Religious Freedom” released Tuesday.

Among the countries named in the report are the eight most heinous offenders of religious liberty, dubbed the “Countries of Particular Concern,” which include the four states mentioned above along with Saudi Arabia, North Korea, Sudan, and Uzbekistan.

These countries are and have been “long-term, chronic, and egregious violators of religious freedom,” Michael Posner, the assistant secretary of state for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, said Tuesday at a press conference, according to a transcript of his remarks.

The degree of religious intolerance in the Countries of Particular Concern ranges from bans on proselytizing in Uzbekistan to the prohibition of all faiths except Islam in Saudi Arabia to a totalitarian grip on all religious activities inNorth Korea.

In China, the overall level of tolerance of religious activities has worsened as the repression of Tibetan Buddhists, Muslim Uyghurs, Falun Gong adherents, and Christians by the authoritarian and officially atheist state persists.

The Chinese communist regime’s crackdown on religious activity has “remained severe” for the report’s period of documentation between July and December 2010, especially in Tibet and Xinjiang Autonomous Region during the Shanghai World Expo and the Asian Games held in Guangzhou.

The largest religious persecution in China and the world is that of Falun Gong. In early 1999, before the persecution began, Chinese officials indicated that 100 million people in China had taken up the practice.

The report notes various aspects of the persecution, although the numbers it provides are very conservative. For instance, the report says that since 1999 100,000 practitioners have been held in China’s reform through labor camps. The independent journalist Ethan Gutmann, who is studying the persecution, claims that between 15 and 20 percent of all those held in China’s labor camps are Falun Gong, with a minimum of 450,000 practitioners held at any one time. The U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture Manfed Nowak reported that two-thirds of all cases of torture in China filed with his office were Falun Gong.

The suppression of Falun Gong has intensified as the communist regime presses forward with its campaign to “transform” adherents, thereport said. Transformation involves forcing practitioners to give up their beliefs, by brainwashing or torture. In October 2010, the Chinese regime rolled out a new campaign aiming at transforming three-fourths of all known Falun Gong adherents.

The report does not discuss the most serious abuse suffered by Falun Gong practitioner—the practice of live organ harvesting. David Kilgour and David Matas in theirreport and book Bloody Harvest state that Falun Gong practitioners are the most likely source for the organs for 41,500 transplantation operations done between 2000 and 2007.

While the report focuses on the Countries of Particular Concern list, it is “by no means the only measure of serious violations of religious freedom,” Posner said. Instead, many countries are guilty of “official repression of religious minorities or official indifference to their plight.”

In Pakistan and Iraq, the State Department report saw slight gains in religious freedoms with increased governmental oversight and attention to religious violence, but warned that a piece of Pakistani blasphemy legislation that could be used to repress religious minorities, as well as the continued violence against pilgrims and worshipers in Iraq meant that “there is more work to be done,” Posner said.

Throughout the Arab world, religious groups have been facing fresh hostility in the aftermath of the wave of social upheavals popularly known as the Arab Spring, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned at a press briefing on Tuesday for the release of thereport.

“In the Middle East and North Africa, the transitions to democracy have inspired the world, but they have also exposed ethnic and religious minorities to new dangers,” Clinton said.

美宗教自由报告 关注法轮功被迫害（视频）

The China Daily, a mouthpiece for the Chinese regime, is hoping to expand into Canada. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images)

As Beijing criticizes Canadian media reports involving a Xinhua News reporter, the communist regime appears set to take matters into its own hands by launching a state-run English newspaper in Canada, the Epoch Times has learned.

China Daily, which bills itself as China’s national English-language newspaper with the Chinese perspective on major financial, political and social issues, is currently shopping for a public relations firm to help it launch a print edition inCanada later this year.

Multiple calls to the paper’s New York headquarters went unanswered, likely due to problems with a new phone system since changing offices, said a manager in the Washington D.C. office.

That manager, who declined to give her name, confirmed the paper is planning an expansion to Canada soon but could not confirm the date. China Daily already prints a five-day-a-week newspaper in the US.

A Canadian public relations firm, which also wished to remain unnamed, confirmed it was among those that received a request for proposal from the paper for a promotional campaign inCanada.

If the launch does happen, China Daily will join Xinhua News Agency as one of the Chinese regime’s directly controlled media operating inCanada, though it would apparently be the only one to publish an English-language print edition.

The Xinhua News Agency has been the subject of much media attention this week after it was revealed that Xinhua Toronto chief Shi Rong had exchanged a series of intimate messages with Canadian MP Bob Dechert, the parliamentary secretary for foreign affairs.

Dechert said the relationship was merely a friendship, but security experts have warned about the potential for a breach as Xinhua has been closely tied to Chinese intelligence operations, a fact widely covered in Canadian media reports.

The Chinese Embassy in Ottawa has taken issue with that coverage, reports the Globe and Mail.

“It must be pointed out that it is irresponsible to use this to defame the Chinese government,” a spokesperson told the Globe, asking to remain unnamed.

Expanding Influence

Search results for events like the Tiananmen Square massacre reveal the China Daily’s close adherence to the Party line.

Directives from the Top

Party paper Guangming Daily noted in December last year that the regime needed to penetrate the overseas media market to improve its influence over other countries.

Leng Song, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Science, wrote for Guangming that the regime must “build up the CCP Central media’s brand name and reputation overseas. All major Central media have already begun to expand in the Western world.”

It’s a theme that comes up often in the conferences and reports of party think tanks and committees, reveals Chinese media monitor Chinascope.

Chinese leader Hu Jintao told one such conference in February that the Party must establish a mechanism to lead public opinion on the Internet. It is a message he repeated in the past, telling propagandists they must lead other news outlets by breaking stories—but from the regime’s angle.

Journalism with Communist Characteristics

Like most party-controlled media operating overseas, China Daily reports on a variety of topics but toes the party line on sensitive issues.

Searches on the English U.S. site reveal some striking differences from Western journalism. Coverage of Tibet is almost exclusively about the Party’s efforts to improve quality of life there and how Tibetans were under the heavy oppression of the Dalai Lama and the theocracy before it was liberated by the CCP.

Searches for “Tiananmen Square Massacre” return four results, three of which are the same story titled “Tiananmen massacre a myth.” International coverage reveals a much more favourable view of regimes like Sudan and Iran than is common in Western media.

Searches for Falun Gong shut the site down entirely.

“Western media” comes up repeatedly in sometimes scathing articles about Western reporting on China. Articles like “CNN: What’s wrong with you?” and “Chinese experts condemn biased reports on Lhasa riot by Western media,” expose a core grievance the CCP’s propagandists have long held against the free press and likely the reason for the expansion of state-controlled media.

Making a Case for Communist Media

Xinhua News Agency president Li Congjun recently tried to make that grievance sound justified in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal.

Li argued that the world needs a new global media order, maybe even a “Media UN,” to rebalance the position media from developed countries have over those of developing countries.

“In our interdependent world, the human community needs a set of more civilized rules to govern international mass communication,” he wrote.

The annual culinary competition brings China’s Tang Dynasty culture, color, and architecture to Times Square. (Edward Dai/The Epoch Times)

For two entire days from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sept. 22 and 23, NTD Television, a non-profit TV network headquartered in New York City, will create one of the most “high-visibility” culinary events in the world as it transforms Times Square into the kitchen stadium of Chang’an city, the ancient Tang Dynasty capital of China.

The International Chinese Culinary Arts Competition is at once a public spectacle, a foodie’s dream, and a search for culinary authenticity. Chinese chefs from all over the world will compete to create the most authentic and appealing Chinese dishes under a time limit. A panel of judges will taste each dish and select the winners. The gold prizewinner will receive $10,000.

Contestants will compete in any one of China’s five regional cooking styles: Sichuan, Shandong, Huaiyang, Cantonese, or Dongbei. They are to prepare one required dish and one other dish of their own choice. Preliminary winners will continue on to the final round on Sept. 23, and then all gold, silver, and bronze winners will collaborate at The Emperor’s Banquet in honor of NTD Television’s 10th Anniversary Benefit Gala on Sept. 25.

New Yorkers will be whisked back nearly a millennium to the Imperial Kitchen of the Tang Emperor to witness the intricate craft of Chinese cooking and get a taste of high quality Chinese food. For two days, the cacophony of urban life will give way to the sounds of clanging woks, sizzling food, and cleavers chopping ingredients on wooden blocks.

The Competition’s Mission

The mission of the competition, according to Mr. Qu Yunqiang, head of its judging committee for the past three years, is to revive traditional Chinese culinary arts, which has been neglected in China and rarely found in the West.

Here in the West, the common fare we consider Chinese food include chow mein, fried rice, dim sum, and sautéed vegetables loaded with MSG and grease. In reality, Chinese cuisine is versatile and varied in its ingredients andpreparation methods due to China’s diverse agricultural and geographical assets, and the fact that China’s position at the end of the Silk Road allowed it to absorb the culinary traditions of all who visited its cities and shores, be they Persian, Roman, or European.

A large part of the competition’s goal is to bring back China’s lost dining culture.

According to the competition’s artistic director Wei Jane Chir, in the Song Dynasty—following China’s golden age—the country’s major cities were filled withrestaurants and hotels to accommodate visiting scholars and ambassadors. Ms. Chir said that modern restaurateurs have overlooked ancient China’s restaurant culture and the fine-dining traditions of younger cultures have overshadowed it.

Criteria for quality of a finished dish includes the appearance of a dish based on portion, shape, color, knife skills, balance between main ingredients and supplemental garnishes, etc. (Edward Dai/The Epoch Times)

Evaluation Criteria

Chinese cuisine is both highly scientific and pragmatic. A dish is judged primarily on content and taste. A good dish must be excellent in color, aroma, taste, and cut.

Master Chinese cuisine chefs from all over the world will display their exceptional skills in the 4th Annual NTD Chinese Culinary Competition in Times Square on Sept. 23 & 24. (Edward Dai/The Epoch Times)

The Regional Cuisines of China

Traditional Chinese culinary arts have a history of more than 5,000 years and cooking styles vary across the country. Almost every part of China has its own specialty dishes and culinary techniques, but they can be generally categorized into the five different regional styles used in the competition. All styles adhere to the principles of yin-yang theory in their ingredient selection andpreparation methods.

Sichuan Cuisine: Originating in Southwestern China, Sichuan Cuisine is known for being spicy and full of flavor, though not all dishes are spicy. Dishes often contain chili and Sichuan peppercorn and preserved ingredients that are pickled, salted, dried, and smoked. It is all about balancing flavors to create various kinds of dishes, which can be sour, pungent, hot, sweet, bitter, aromatic, and salty.

Shandong Cuisine: With the longest history, Shandong Cuisine dates back to the “Spring and Autumn” Period (770–476 B.C.) it originates from the eastern coastal areas of China. It is also known as being the most influential, with frequent use of soups and seafood in dishes. Shandong cuisine also includes many wheat foods, such as steamed buns and rolls. It places emphasis on the purity of raw cooking materials. Some prominent Shandong dishes include fried squid roll, fish in soy sauce, and sautéed chicken shreds with bean sprouts.

Cantonese Cuisine: One of the most well-known cuisines in Western society, Cantonese Cuisine originates from the subtropical region bordering the South China Sea. Aside from pork, beef, and chicken, Cantonese cuisine incorporates almost all edible meats. Spices are used in modest amounts to avoid overpowering flavors of main ingredients. Steaming, boiling, and high temp rapid-sealing make Cantonese food light, fresh, crisp, and tender. Some prominent Cantonese dishes include sweet and sour dishes, blanched vegetables with oyster sauce, and winter melon soup.

Huaiyang Cuisine: Originating in the areas of Huai and Yangtze Rivers, including Shanghai and Hangzhou, Huayang Cuisine is known for its use of wild game and herbs, from both land and sea, with simple methods ofpreparation . Braising and stewing are common techniques. Ingredients are strictly selected according to what is in season. Meticulous cutting techniques are utilized. A skilled Huaiyang chef is able to cut a two-centimeter (1 3/4 inch) piece of Tofu into several hundred shreds.

Northeastern Cuisine: Originating from the regions of Jilin, Liaoning, and Heilongjiang provinces, Northeastern Cuisine has also absorbed some culinary traditions from Manchuria, Korea, and Mongolia. Northeastern cuisine uses mountain-grown produce and pickled vegetables. It relies heavily on preserved foods and hearty fare due to harsh winters and relatively short growing seasons in the region. Most households make pickled cabbage in giant clay pickling vats. The staple crop is wheat as opposed to rice.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of NTD Television’s Chinese Culinary Competition.