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Taiwan Reports Teacher Detained in China for 3 Months, Suspected Religious Motives
🇰🇷 South Korea /Crime & Justice

Taiwan Reports Teacher Detained in China for 3 Months, Suspected Religious Motives

From Dong-A Ilbo · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • Taiwan reports a Taiwanese teacher has been detained in China for three months, suspected of religious reasons.
  • The teacher, who worked in China for over a decade, is believed to be a follower of Yiguandao.
  • Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) has attempted to contact Chinese authorities without response, urging adherence to cross-strait agreements.

Taiwan has revealed that a Taiwanese teacher, who had been working in mainland China for over 10 years, has been detained by Chinese authorities for three months. The detention is suspected to be related to religious reasons.

The detained Taiwanese person has been in China for more than 10 years and has been detained by Chinese authorities since May.

— Lo Wen-jiaSEF Secretary-General Lo Wen-jia announced the detention of the Taiwanese teacher.

According to Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Secretary-General Lo Wen-jia, the teacher was apprehended by Chinese public security officials in late May. While two other teachers detained with him have since been released, he remains in custody. Lo stated that the detained individual is believed to be a follower of Yiguandao, a religious group that faces scrutiny in China.

The SEF learned of the situation in early June through a family report and has since tried to engage with China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS). However, as of the briefing, no response has been received from the Chinese side. Lo urged China to respect cross-strait agreements, including the existing accord that requires notification when citizens of one side are detained by the other.

Religious reasons may be the cause. It is understood that the teacher is suspected of engaging in activities that harm China's national security because they are a follower of 'Yiguandao'.

— Lo Wen-jiaLo Wen-jia explained the suspected reasons for the teacher's detention.

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) reported that from January 1 to July 22 of 2024, there were 154 missing persons, 32 detentions, and 216 arrests of Taiwanese nationals in China. The reasons cited for these detentions include fraud (134 cases), other criminal offenses (58 cases), religious reasons (23 cases), and one national security-related case. Taiwan has repeatedly warned its citizens about traveling to China due to increasing surveillance and detentions.

We urge China to respect the cross-strait agreements, including the existing agreement that one side should notify the other when its citizens are detained.

— Lo Wen-jiaLo Wen-jia called on Chinese authorities to adhere to established protocols for detentions.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dong-A Ilbo in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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