Information on the above-mentioned topic could not be found among the sources consulted by the DIRB. However, please find attached information on the location of Tian Dao (Way of Heaven or Secret Light sect, also known as Tian Tao, Tien Dao, Tien Tao, or Tintao) temples and whether there have been arrests or persecution of Tian Dao adherents in Fujian.

Six Tiantao priests from Taiwan were detained by police in Quanzhou, Fujian in 1994 for proselytizing and setting up altars in the cities of Quanzhou, Fuqiao, Nanan, and Zhangzhou, all in the province of Fujian (Ming Pao 30 Apr. 1994). UPI reported that twelve temporary temples in Fujian operated by Yi Guan Dao (Way of Unity, Way of Celestial Light) sect members were torn down in 1993 (1 Sept. 1993). Also attached is a 6 June 1996 Far Eastern Economic Review article that provides general information on the Way of Unity sect and reports about a resident from Chang Le City visiting a temple near the Fuzhou airport.

For additional information on Tian Dao (various spellings), please consult Responses to Information Requests CHN23894.E of 18 June 1996, CHN19618.E of 16 February 1995, CHN17851.E of 22 July 1994, and CHN13699 of 5 April 1993.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Ming Pao [Hong Kong, in Chinese]. 30 April 1994. "Six Taiwan 'Secret Light Sect' Priests Being Interrogated in Fujian." (BBC Summary 21 May 1994/NEXIS)

United Press International (UPI). 1 September 1993. "China Expells Buddhist Priests." (NEXIS)

Attachments

Far Eastern Economic Review [Hong Kong]. 6 June 1996. Vol. 159, No. 23. Matt Forney. "God's Country,' pp. 46-50.

Ming Pao [Hong Kong, in Chinese]. 30 April 1994. "Six Taiwan 'Secret Light Sect' Priests Being Interrogated in Fujian." (BBC Summary 21 May 1994/NEXIS)

United Press International (UPI). 1 September 1993. "China Expells Buddhist Priests." (NEXIS)

Additional Sources Consulted

Amnesty International. July 1996.

People's Republic of China: Religious Repression in China.

Asiaweek [Hong Kong]. Weekly. Jan. -Apr. 1997.

China Focus [Princeton, NJ]. Monthly. Jan. 1996-Apr. 1997.

The China Journal [Canberra]. Biannual. July 1995-Jan. 1997.

China Rights Forum [New York]. Quarterly. Spring 1995-Winter 1996.

Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS). Daily. 1994-1997. [Internet Version]

Human Rights Watch/Asia. Dec. 1995. China: Religious Persecution Persists.

_____. 1994. Detained in China and Tibet: A Directory of Political and Religious Prisoners.

Two oral sources consulted did not provide information on the requested subject.

On-line search of media sources.