Taiwanese officials have asked China to release three Taiwanese people from the I-kuan Tao religious sect who were arrested in Guangdong, China. Beijing says the three were arrested for illegally "organizing and practicing as members of a cult." Taipei says the religion is legal in Taiwan and they did nothing wrong.
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00:00Taiwan has asked China to release three members of the Iguandao religious group arrested in
00:05early October.
00:07It wasn't until this week that China's Taiwan Affairs Office confirmed they had been detained,
00:12accused of, in Beijing's words, illegally organizing and practicing as members of a
00:18cult.
00:19Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, or MAC, is requesting their release to protect their
00:23rights.
00:24The MAC adds that this is not the first time Beijing has, in its words, illegally arrested
00:29members of religious groups who travel to China.
00:33In response to Beijing's accusations of participating in a cult, a separate organization in Taiwan
00:38that helps communications with China, the Straits Exchange Foundation, has stressed
00:42the religious group is legal in Taiwan, with millions of followers, and the three arrested
00:47were not doing anything illegal.
00:59Both offices are still waiting for responses from Chinese officials, but in the meantime,
01:19they're warning Taiwanese religious groups that China does not have religious freedom,
01:23and they may want to reconsider trips to the country for the foreseeable future.
01:27Justin Wu and Harrell Hughes for Taiwan Plus.