Reuters: Taiwan Brushes off China's Falun Gong Accusation

TAIPEI, Feb 2, 2001 -- (Reuters) Taiwan on Friday shrugged off China's accusations that it was backing the Falun Gong spiritual movement -- which Beijing has banned as a [Chinese government's slanderous words] - saying religion and state were separate in the island democracy. "Religion and politics are separate in our free country. Goverment and civil society each has its own role," said Lin Chong-pin, vice chairman of the cabinet's Mainland Affairs Council. "In some countries this division is not very clear, and those countries can make misjudgements when they look at others from their own position," he told reporters. Lin was responding to a report by China's official Xinhua news agency accusing the Taiwan government of supporting [...] by Falun Gong. [...] While the Falun Gong is banned and labelled an [Chinese government's slanderous words] in Communist-ruled mainland China, it is legal in Taiwan, a self-governing democracy which Beijing considers a wayward province. Thursday's statement on Taiwan did not specify how Taipei was supporting Falun Gong, [...] In December, about 2,000 followers of Falun Gong marched through Taipei mourning mainland practitioners they said had died through police torture and persecution.