When life throws rocks at you, build a castle … an Indonesian diplomatic story

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When life throws rocks at you, build a castle … an Indonesian diplomatic story

By Alexandra Paucescu

Lona Hutapea Tanasale is a warm, smart and accomplished Indonesian woman, who mastered the art of reinvention and understood from the very beginning the need of continuous education, while traveling the world with her diplomat husband.

I must confess that this was one of the easiest interviews that I have conducted so far, in the three years that I have been presenting diplomatic life stories to you. I had barely anything to edit or rephrase. Her words were so clear and perfectly put together.

So, please enjoy Lona’s story, in her own words.

‘I was born in Ambon, the capital of Moluccas, the “one-thousand-island province”. Small as it is, Moluccas had its own place in world history, being “the spice islands” that attracted Europeans, for its clove and nutmeg, back in the 16th century. Things were very different back then during my childhood. Our small town had only one bookstore; we practically didn’t have access to information. I owe my dream of seeing the world to my father, who brought all kinds of books home, every time he travelled. Those books were literally my window to the world.

I left to pursue the undergraduate and master degrees in Agricultural Economics in Bogor, a neighboring city of Jakarta. Right after I graduated I started working at several companies – mostly in retailing, sales and marketing – where I met my husband, Charles Hutapea, before he joined Indonesia’s foreign diplomatic service.

Charles’ first diplomatic assignment was in Osaka. Our apartment in Shukugawa was just across the Sakura Garden where people came for hanami, enjoying sakura’s full bloom in spring time. Life was relatively easy. The Japanese people were friendly and helpful; we had many local friends who loved Indonesian culture and eagerly participated in our cultural events.

Lona Hutapea Tanasale, Book discussion at IFI Jakarta, January 2016

While there attended Japanese language classes, got the Nihongo Nouryoku Shiken certificates and participated in Japanese-English Bilingual Speech Contest. I also did a series of presentation on Indonesia at local schools and associations.

Our second posting in Paris was a completely different story. Living among Parisians with their unique character, it was the first time I’d ever experienced culture shock. I was already anxious the moment my husband announced this assignment, scared of having to learn the language I’ve always thought to be the most difficult on earth, and a little intimidated by the stereotypes. On the other hand, this “cité de la lumière” had so much to offer. With so many new things to learn, I felt the need for a cathartic release. That was when writing came to the rescue. I started to write about the real daily life, the experiences of living as a resident, compared to merely a tourist’s perspective.

One thing leads to another. From submitting articles to social blogs, I ended up writing my first memoire, “Paris – C’est Ma Vie”, launched only a few months before going back home.

My second memoire, “Voilà La France”, was published in April 2015. I was so honored with the opportunity to have a book discussion held at Institut Français d’Indonésie in Jakarta.

At the same time, publishing my two books made me realize how colorful the lives of diplomatic families really are. There are many life stories to be discovered. I tried to invite fellow spouses to write together. Seven of us were finally able to publish “Behind the Gates”, an anthology of diplomatic spouses’ tales. The anthology, endorsed by our Foreign Affairs’ Minister, was launched in June 2016.

During our home posting, I joined the Board of the Foreign Ministry’s Spouses Association in Indonesia (DWP). I was one of the editors, overseeing the quarterly-published magazine, editing the articles we received and supervising the process up to the publication.

Lona Hutapea Tanasale’s three books.

Our third posting in Rome was another particular chapter. I was more involved with the diplomatic spouses’ associations this time (“Insieme a Roma”, part of ACDMAE, and UNWG at FAO). I joined the Board of the UNWG as Newsletter Editor for almost two years. I also became the Chairman of DWP at the Indonesian Embassy, during our final year in Rome.

Another important highlight for me was the opportunity to attend two summer courses at Sapienza University (“Women, Peace and Security” (UNSCR 1325) and “Religions & Peaceful Coexistence”). I intended to apply for a PhD at first, but with so much going on, it just wasn’t possible yet.

I would say that each posting was special to me in its own way. It’s like you can never pick a favorite among your own children. Overall, Osaka served as a nice ‘take-off’ for our family’s diplomatic journey. Paris got me writing, which opened the door to a lot more possibilities. And Rome rekindled in me a long dormant dream of going back to school.

We left Rome just as the pandemic started to take its toll. This time our two children stayed behind in Paris and Rome, to continue their studies, leaving us with an empty nest. So I finally had the time to continue my education. In February 2021 I managed to sign up for a doctoral program in International Relations at Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung. Apparently both the pandemic and the long struggle as a trailing spouse had their blessings in disguise. I decided to write a dissertation about the role of diplomatic spouses in Indonesia’s diplomacy, a little discussed topic.      

I also got the chance to rejoin DWP’s Board, as one of the editors of the magazine. Furthermore, the previous anthology writers regrouped and launched another initiative. One of us was a presenter at a video-radio platform, so during the pandemic we started a talk show program via Zoom and YouTube channel, covering various topics related to diplo spouses’ contribution to diplomacy.

After browsing hundreds of articles for my research, I can confirm two facts: firstly, the role of diplomatic spouse is a completely under acknowledged one.  However, the limited available resources related to it recognize their significant role, directly influencing diplomats’ performance, and potentially having indirect impact on the mission.

Diplomatic spouses are usually seen in terms of their informal, domestic role within the private sphere, as the backbone of the family, especially during the adjustment process in a new place. On the other hand, the role in public sphere as diplomatic actors is still rarely mentioned, due to the ambiguity of the status. In reality, the spouses’ contribution should not be taken for granted.

On a practical level, there may be differences on diplomatic practices between countries. For example, in Indonesia, spouses are encouraged to fully participate based on the principle of “total diplomacy”. Through the years diplomatic spouses have played a significant role as front liners in supporting Indonesia’s soft power diplomacy.

One of the concepts in International Relations that caught my attention was Constructivism, which basically sees the world as socially constructed: “reality is always under construction”. According to the constructivists, structures do constrain agents; however agents can also transform structures by acting on them in new ways.

Based on the quote by Alexander Wendt, the pioneer of Constructivism: “Anarchy is what the states make of it”, I’d like to say: “Empowerment is what the spouses make of it”. The ambiguity of the diplomatic spouse status, the obstacles from continuous moving life cycles, or the stagnant career, are structural problems faced by spouses, nonetheless how one responds to it depends mostly (if not entirely) on one’s own agency.

I believe the majority of diplo spouses are capable agents despite all the odds of diplomatic life’s structure. There are many brilliant examples we can refer to, the spouses that have passed with flying colors, victoriously turning the challenges into opportunities. They have been successfully absorbing various new skill and knowledge attained during foreign assignments and transferring them into favorable outcomes.

Definitely the “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” or “when life throws rocks at you, build a castle” kind of resilience helps to thrive anywhere in life.’

What more to add?… than just to thank Lona for this wonderful life story which still has many more interesting pages to write.


About the author:

Alexandra Paucescu

Alexandra Paucescu- Author of “Just a Diplomatic Spouse” Romanian, management graduate with a Master in business, cultural diplomacy and international relations studies.

She speaks Romanian, English, French, German and Italian,  gives lectures on intercultural communication and is an active NGO volunteer.

The National Day of the Italian Republic

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The National Day of the Italian Republic

Text and pictures by John Dunkelgrün

June 2nd is the National Day of the Italian Republic. H.E. Mr. Giorgio Novello decided to mark this day in a very special manner. The reception was held in the Louwman Museum, amidst one of the finest collections of antique and special automobiles anywhere.

Following drinks surrounded by stands with Italian specialties, the guests were led into the auditorium, where the Ambassador, flanked by his wife Bianca, gave the opening speech. In – as far as your correspondent knows – a first for such receptions, he invited the entire staff of the Embassy and the Consular Offices, some 30 people, to come forward and make a line in front of the podium. The line stretched the entire width of the podium! He then proceeded to introduce every one of them to the public with a sentence or two for each person. He ended with a smiling warning that they’d better be at their best as an official review team from the ministry was about to arrive.

The entire staff of the Italian Embassy and the Consular Offices lining up with Ambassador Novello.

The reception was sponsored by several companies and the ambassador not only thanked them, as is usual, but invited their representatives to give a brief introduction of their companies. The last speaker was the Dutch parliamentarian Mr. Ulysse Ellian who is a close friend of the ambassador and his wife. He told about the efforts Mr. Novello had made to coordinate the fight against organized crime between Italy and The Netherlands.

The formal part was followed by a wonderful concert, by opera singer Carla Regina and her group, a musical trip from the founding of the Italian Republic to the present.

Bianca, ambassador Giorgio Novello and the parliamentarian Mr. Ulysse Ellian.

In the main hall of the museum, there were wine and prosecco bars as well as half a dozen stands with Italian specialties.

One especially caught my attention. Most of the Southern Europe countryside suffers from desertion by the youth. Big cities offer better-paid jobs. North of Rome many olive orchards were deserted, the owners too old or passed away and their children unwilling to take over. Thousands of olive trees were unkept, and their bounty perished.

Mr. Pierluigi Presciuttini of Frantoio Presciutini.

Mr. Pierluigi Presciuttini of Frantoio Presciutini has bought or leased many of these deserted olive orchards to save the old trees and to make his olive oil in a very special way. It is called ‘olio di notte’, and of course, it is pure  ‘EVO’ (extra virgin olive oil). It is called di notte, because it is harvested at night, allowing the pressing process to start early in the morning.

This minimizes the time between harvesting and processing, resulting in a sweeter, less acidic oil.

In this way, the National Day of the Italian Republic was not only a feast for all senses but also a little learning experience.

HRH Princess Beatrix opens Voorhout Monumental Exhibition

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HRH Princess Beatrix opens Voorhout Monumental Exhibition

Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands will open the second edition of the Voorhout Monumental open-air exhibition on the Lange Voorhout in The Hague on Saturday afternoon, June 3 at 4:00 PM.

Princess Beatrix, patron of Pulchri Studio, will receive the first copy of the catalog of the exhibition with more than 20 monumental sculptures with which the exhibition will be opened.

Artist society Pulchri Studio is organizing the second edition of the sculpture exhibition Voorhout Monumental on the Lange Voorhout in The Hague. From 3 June to 20 August, there will be more than twenty monumental sculptures and installations by our own artist members and other sculptors in the middle of the bustling Museum Quarter of The Hague.

Monumental sculptures will be displayed outside on the shell path under the title ‘Voorhout Monumental 2023’ and various sculptures will be shown for the first time in an additional exhibition in the Kloosterkerk. In addition, paintings, sculptures and video works of a monumental character can be viewed in exhibitions in the building and the inner garden of Pulchri Studio.

The curators are sculptor Piet Warffemius and art collector Jan van Huizen, both members of Pulchri Studio. “It will be an exhibition that the city of The Hague can be proud of.”

Elisabeth Stienstra – Eva gekozen beeld

Theme:
In 2021 the theme of the sculpture exhibition was freedom. In the midst of all kinds of restrictive measures due to the pandemic, the need for freedom could not be greater. For the 2023 edition, we reflect on the MC Escher and Louis Couperus year.

June 17, 2023 is the 125th birthday of MC Escher. The artist from Leeuwarden is known for his woodcuts, wood engravings and lithographs, in which he often played with mathematical principles. His engravings often depict impossible constructions, studies of infinity and interlocking geometric patterns (divisions of planes) that gradually change into completely different forms.

On July 16, 2023, it will be 100 years since the Hague writer Louis Couperus passed away at the age of 60. His work spans a wide variety of literary genres. He made his debut with poetry, but soon turned to psychological novels. He also wrote cultural fairy tales, historical novels, travel reports and columns. He is generally seen as one of the most important writers in the canon of Dutch literature.

Tränenflut Sarah Reinbold

Participating artists (location Lange Voorhout):
Armando, David Bade, Marieke Bolhuis, Sjoerd Buisman, Harmke Datema Chang, Michael Jacklin, Theo Jansen, André Kruysen, Joep van Lieshout, Lon Pennock, Zeger Reyers, Marisja Smit & Thijs Trompert (ATM Atmosphere), Brigitte Spiegeler, Elisabet Stienstra, Joost van den Toorn, Carel Visser, Andre Volten, Dré Wapenaar, Ronald A. Westerhuis.

Participating artists (location Kloosterkerk):
Hans van Bentem, Bob Bonies, Cor van Dijk, Guido Geelen, Heringa/Van Kalsbeek, Theo Jansen, Hieke Luik, Narges Mohammadi, Jan van Munster, Sarah Reinbold, Maria Roosen, Joost van den Toorn, Auke de Vries, Jan de Weerd .

Andre Volten – gekozen beeld (bruikleen van stichting)

Participating artists (location Pulchri Studio inner garden):
Coby Brinkers, Lon Buttstedt, Babette Degraeve, Theo ten Have, Judith Heinsohn, Ruben Koerhuis, Marina van der Kooi, Kim Kroes, Frans de Leef, Louis Niënhuis, Guido Sprenkels, Albert in ‘t Veld, Aat Increase, Vera Whistler.

Curatorial Statement:
Voorhout Monumental 2023 must become an outdoor exhibition of high-quality, creative and monumental images that together – in their diversity – form a whole and can also make a statement in themselves compared to the sometimes 600-year-old and historic buildings on the Lange Voorhout that look at the estimated 20 images.

The images must have expressiveness and an undeniable originality. The diversity of the exhibition should be reflected in the variety of materials, art forms, colors and designs. Monumental means, among other things, grand and impressive and the statues should be that too.

Theo Jansen – Modularius zij aangezicht

Grand and impressive does not only mean big, but also glorious, phenomenal and proud. The pride has to splash of the images because that is what the artists want. An image and a display that the city of The Hague can be proud of. Above all, the event must be accessible and be an ode to three-dimensional art, appealing to both occasional art viewers and art professionals.

The Nakba before the Nakba

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The Nakba before the Nakba

By John Dunkelgrün

On May 15th the United Nations officially commemorated the Nakba, the disaster, as the Palestinians describe the events around the formation of the State of Israel. There is good reason to think of this event as a disaster for Palestinians. Almost three-quarters of them fled on the advice of their leaders, others were actively ‘encouraged’ to flee by the new Israelis. 

But hold on a second, what caused this disaster? After several attempts by the British to find an equitable division of the land, the young United Nations had divided the former British Mandate area into three parts, a Palestinian part attached to the Transjordan Kingdom, an Arab part along the Mediterranean that became known as the Gaza Strip, and a Jewish part. The new Jewish State accepted that division, but its Arab neighbors did not.

The armies of five nations invaded the new state with the expressed aim of driving all Jews into the sea. Some 700,000 local Muslim residents fled and were confined in refugee camps. As time went on the inhabitants of these camps became known as Palestinians. It is odd to realize that before 1948 there were neither Palestinians nor Israelis. Both had been residents of the Ottoman Empire and later the British Mandate called Palestine. It is less known that after the event more than 800,000 Jews were expelled from Arab countries. They went mainly to Israel, France, and French Canada, where they adjusted, and rebuilt their lives. The Arab fugitives in the camps were unable to do so, being denied citizenship or work permits. They survived with help from the UNWRA, a UN organization that treats these people much more favorably than any other displaced people.

There is much talk about how in 1967 Israel captured the West Bank, including Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Gaza Strip. It is usually omitted that capture was the outcome of a war started by Egypt, Syria, and Jordan. It is not uncommon that if an aggressor country loses the war, it will have to cede territory. Hungary, seen as one of the culprits of WWI, was shorn of huge swathes of its land to Romania, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia. Austria, Germany, and Japan all suffered territorial losses.

The U.N. condemns only Israel for not reaching an agreement with its aggressors. There have been many peace talks and attempts at a two-state solution, but every time talks were broken off at the last minute by Palestinian leaders. Israel made peace with President Sadat and returned the Sinai to Egypt. Sadat wisely backed off the Gaza Strip but was murdered for his efforts. Until the Abraham Accords, no other Arab country was interested in peace. Hamas and Hezbollah, clients of Iran, are run from luxury hotels in Dubai by men who have no interest in peace or the well-being of the people who now identify as Palestinians.

Muslims in Israel proper have all the rights of Jewish and Christian citizens. They can and do take part in the political system, sit on even the highest courts, and get senior government jobs. In no way is Israel an apartheid state. 

But Israel has made its own serious mistakes. There is much private hate and discrimination and the government has not done nearly enough to counter that. It has also been much less forthcoming in giving Arab towns their fair share of services. It also allowed many unplanned scattered settlements on the West Bank, making the formation of a separate state very difficult. And with the political and demographic developments in Israel today, it is hard to see any positive initiatives coming from that side.

Until Iran becomes a normal country that doesn’t sponsor private armies to attack its imagined foe Israel, and until Israel gets a government of decent people, a true solution will sadly remain a chimera to the detriment of mainly the Palestinian people.

Algeria to host “CHEMEX Africa 2023, Capacity Building within the Framework of South-South Cooperation”  

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Algeria to host “CHEMEX Africa 2023, Capacity Building within the Framework of South-South Cooperation”  

Algiers, September 23rd – October 04th, 2023

Algeria attended, with a large delegation, the 5th Review Conference on the Operation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, held in The Hague from 15 to 19 May 2023.

This participation was rendered even more high-profiled and distinctive by the convening, in close coordination with the Technical Secretariat of OPCW, of a very well-attended side-event, on 15 May 2023 in The Hague, dubbed “CHEMEX Africa 2023, Capacity building within the framework of South-South Cooperation”. Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives of Canada, Sweden, South-Africa, Namibia, Rwanda, Mozambique, Cuba and Vietnam and other Ambassadors, top officials of the Organisation, diplomats and experts of different nationalities attended the event and interacted with the speakers.

Algeria to host “CHEMEX Africa 2023 at OPCW.

In her opening address at the side-event, Ambassador Salima Abdelhak reiterated Algeria’s full commitment to disarmament, chemical disarmament included. She stressed also the prominent role of Algeria and its contributions in the implementation OPCW’s capacity building activities, especially in Africa. Afterwards, the Permanent Representative of Canada, Ambassador Lisa Helfand reaffirmed her country’s support as major donor to CHEMEX Africa 2023 in Algiers.

The other members of the Algerian delegation namely Mr Boualem Belhadj,   Executive Secretary of the National Authority and its board members presented this national mechanism designed to ensure full implementation of the Convention on Chemical Weapons as well as Algeria’s efforts to promote South-South cooperation within the scope of OPCW’s activities.   

They also outlined the state of preparations for “CHEMEX Africa”, due to take pace in Algiers from September 23 to October 04, 2023. This landmark event is a pan-African multi-component emergency response exercise and demonstration. It aims at developing counter-chemical capability in Africa in order to mitigate, investigate, respond and recover from chemical incidents or attacks involving chemical weapons and toxic industrial chemicals. It also intends to foster ‘South-South’ cooperation by encouraging broad participation of African instructors and to check and improve preparedness of African countries to respond to chemical-related incidents.

Representative of the Algerian National Institute of Criminalistics and Criminology attended as well the event and gave a presentation on the expertise of this major scientific hub.  

For their part, senior officials of the Technical secretariat of OPCW presented “CHEMTECH Centre” and its foreseen involvement in capacity building in Africa.      

It is worth noting that “CHEMEX Africa 2023” will run over a period of 02 weeks and comprises 05 phases: Phase 01 – Briefing/pre-exercise Lecture/workshop (TS lead); Phase 02 – Basic Assistance and Protection Course (EAC team/mentors lead); Phase 03 – Specialised Skills Demo and Training (Supporting SP lead); Phase 04 – Field Exercise (TS/Mentorlead); and Phase 05-African stakeholders/VIP Demo and Exercise/Exhibition (TS lead).

In the meeting, attendees thoroughly discussed requirements, criteria and other specifications related to the participation to CHEMEX AFRICA 2023» such as profile and maximum number of participants each country is allowed to.

In this respect, SADDC, ECOWAS and ECCAS countries were strongly encouraged to participate in CHEMEX Africa 2023 Algiers. It is also expected that gender-sensitive policy will be implemented by encouraging more females to apply.

At the end, Ambassadors and other officials present at this side-event commanded Algeria for hosting the upcoming event.

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Algeria strengthens its cooperation with Germany under the banner of   OPCW  

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Algeria strengthens its cooperation with Germany under the banner of   OPCW  

Algeria has made another step forward upgrading its technical and scientific capabilities, with the signature of two Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) relating to the twinning between “the National Institute of Criminalistics and Criminology” (INCC) and “Bundeswehr Research Institute for Protective Technologies and CBRN Protection of Germany” (WIS), in the margins of its   participation in the 5th Review Conference on the Operation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, held in The Hague from 15 to 19 May 2023.

Germany and Algeria’s flags.

The first MoU which provides for support, under the umbrella of the OPCW’s laboratory twinning program, was signed with the OPCW Technical Secretariat, while the second was signed with “Bundeswehr Research Institute for Protective Technologies and CBRN Protection of Germany Research Institute for Protective Technology and Protection against CBRN Weapons” (WIS).

This 41-months project aims to build the capacity of the Algerian Institute in areas related to the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention for the use of chemistry for peaceful purposes. Its objective is to improve the performance of the INCC in order to obtain the status of designated laboratory of OPCW and attest of their mastery in areas of chemical analysis and expertise related to the Convention.”

Mexico’s Francisco Quiroga becomes acquainted to Thuringia

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Mexico’s Francisco Quiroga becomes acquainted to Thuringia

Thursday, 25 May 2023, Erfurt, Free State of Thuringia, Germany: Premier Bodo Ramelow met the Ambassador of the United Mexican States to the Federal Republic of Germany, H.E. Francisco José Quiroga Fernández, for his inaugural visit to the Thuringian State Chancellery in the capital of Erfurt. 

Quiroga has been Ambassador of the United Mexican States to Germany since 1 September 2021. During their conversation, the two exchanged views on current developments on foreign policy as well as the expansion of trade, cultural and people-to-people relations between Thuringia and Mexico.

For further information 

Government of Thuringia: https://www.staatskanzlei-

thueringen.de/medienservice/veranstaltungsberichte/detailseite/ministerpraesident-bodo-ramelow-5ad7792d7a

105th Independence Day of Azerbaijan in Berlin

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105th Independence Day of Azerbaijan in Berlin


Wednesday, 24 May 2023, Berlin-Tiergarten, Germany: The Embassy of Azerbaijan in Germany organised a large-scale event dedicated to Independence Day at the Azerbaijan Cultural Centre. Numerous members of the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag), high-ranking representatives of Germany’s state institutions, ambassadors of foreign states, representatives of the mass media, personalities from the fields of science and culture, as well as members of Azerbaijani, Turkish and other communities resident in Germany – more than 500 guests in total – attended the event.

The national anthems of Azerbaijan and Germany were played first at the event. Afterwards, the guests were treated to a short film prepared by the Embassy on the occasion of Independence Day.

The Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Germany, Nasimi Aghayev, pointed out that the Azerbaijani people established the first republic in the Muslim world 105 years ago. The ambassador stressed that the republic had achieved many successes, highlighting in particular the introduction of women’s suffrage in 1919. He noted that the republic, which ceased to exist in 1920, was restored with the renewed declaration of independence in 1991.

Ambassador Nasimi Aghayev addresses the audience.

The ambassador referred to the great achievements of National Leader Heydar Aliyev in establishing modern Azerbaijani statehood and the rapid development path of Azerbaijan under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, as well as the importance of ensuring the territorial integrity of the country from the point of view of statehood as a result of the 44-day war of 2020.

At the event, Ambassador Matthias Lüttenberg, Federal Foreign Office Commissioner for Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia, delivered a congratulatory speech on behalf of the German government on Independence Day. In his speech, he expressed his satisfaction with the dynamic development of Azerbaijani-German relations.

The guests were delighted by the samples of Azerbaijani and international jazz music performed by the Caucasian Consort under the direction of Tural Ismayilov, a musician living in Germany. In addition, Said and Aziza Ibrahimli performed Azerbaijani dances and young people demonstrated the national costumes. Delicious dishes from the national Azerbaijani cuisine were offered to the guests. The stage decorated with national ornaments was received with great interest.

For further information 

Embassy of Azerbaijan in Germany: https://berlin.mfa.gov.az/de/news/3992/unabhangigkeitstag-in-berlin-gross-gefeiert

Pictures by Embassy of Azerbaijan in Germany

Taiwan – U.S. State Department Report focuses on the change of property of religious real estate assets

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Taiwan – U.S. State Department Report focuses on the change of property of religious real estate assets

By Willy Fautré, Director of Human Rights Without Frontiers

HRWF (29.05.2023) – In its last annual report published in May 2023, the U.S. State Department on International Religious Freedom declared that in May 2022, Taiwan’s “Legislative Yuan (Parliament) passed a law allowing qualified religious groups to change the registration of real estate assets formerly held in the name of individual members,” an issue that had been, unsuccessfully, debated for many years in Taiwan. 

“Under the new law”, the U.S. Report says, “such assets may be held under the name of the qualified religious foundation, religious corporation, or temple. Officials said the practice of registering temples under individual names had led to conflicts, such as when an owner was ordered to auction off the property or inheritance questions arose.”

Religious landscape in Taiwan 

According to a survey by Taiwan’s national science academy, the Academia Sinica and its Institute of Sociology released in 2021, 27.9 percent of Taiwan’s 23.6 million large population exclusively practices traditional folk religions, 19.8 percent Buddhism, and 18.7 percent Taoism, with 23.9 percent identifying as nonbelievers.

Folk religion denotes an ecosystem of dispersed worship of deities, centered on community temples. The rest of the population consists mainly of Protestants (5.5 percent), Catholics (1.4 percent), and members of other religious groups, including Jews, Sunni Muslims, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Church of Scientology, Baha’is, Mormons and the Unification Church, just to name a few.
Some studies find that as many as 80 percent of religious practitioners combine multiple faith traditions. Many adherents consider themselves both Buddhist and Taoist, and many individuals also incorporate some aspects of traditional Chinese folk religions, including but not limited to shamanism, ancestor worship, magic, ghosts and other spirits, and aspects of animism, into their belief in Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, or other mainline religions. Some practitioners of Buddhism, Taoism, and other religions also practice Falun Gong, a self-described spiritual discipline. The Falun Gong Society of Taiwan states Falun Gong practitioners number in the hundreds of thousands but some scholars say the number is overestimated. Beijing considers Taiwan’s spiritual followers as soft targets to spread its influence, by articulating suitable messaging for each religion.
Registration of religious entities and statistics 

The Constitution of the Republic of China (ROC), Taiwan, provides for freedom of religion. Article 13 stipulates that “the people shall have freedom of religious belief”. There is no state religion. While registration is not mandatory, religious organizations may voluntarily obtain an establishment permit from the Ministry of Interior. The permit requires that organizations have real estate in at least seven administrative regions valued at 25 million New Taiwan dollars or more and possess at least NT$5 million in cash.

Alternatively, the organization may register if it possesses in excess of NT$30 million. A religious group may register with the courts upon obtaining an establishment permit. Registered religious groups operate on an income-tax-free basis. They receive case-by-case exemptions from building taxes and must submit annual reports on their financial operations. Groups that are not registered are not eligible for the tax advantages. As of the end of 2019, there were more than 15,000 registered religious groups representing more than 20 religions. 

According to the Ministry of Interior, in 2015 there were 12,106 registered temples in Taiwan. Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung County count for 35 percent of the total. Taoist temples are the most populous at 9,485, or 78.35 percent of the total, while Buddhist temples are second at 2,355 or 19,45 percent. With 222 temples or 1.83 percent, I-Kuan Tao temples are third. Churches totaled 3,280, with Protestant being the majority, while Roman Catholic churches were second. 

The 1929 Act of Supervising Temples 

According to the 1929 Act of Supervising Temples, temples are under the management of a trustee monk or nun. Article 6 says that “ownership of all property and possessions will be retained by the temple and managed by trustee monk/nun”. It also adds that the monk/nun cannot take charge “if they are not citizens of the Republic of China”, and they “are not to use incomes derived from temple property except for the purpose of giving religious instruction, upholding the commandments and other miscellaneous expenses with proper usage”. In 2004, Taiwan’s Judicial Yuan, the judicial branch of the government, found that several articles of the Act were unconstitutional because they impose strict restrictions on how religious organizations transfer their properties. This was considered a landmark religious freedom case, being the first case in which the Court explicitly recognized the constitutionally protected autonomy of religious associations. 

The 1929 Act should be seen against the background of the dynamics of the time. Following a turbulent period, the Kuomintang (KMT) government saw public education as a way to rebuild the nation. Not having sufficient funds to invest in public education however, some leaders considered the idea of a law to nationalize temple property to build up the education system. Following fierce protests by the Buddhist and Taoist organizations however, the government did not pass the law on the expropriation-based transfer of wealth from religious entities to the state. It is in this context that the 1929 Act was passed instead, through which the government still maintained the power to monitor the ways in which owners and occupiers of temple property used and managed it.
According to its Article 11, those who would violate the Act would face punishment, including being banished from the temple or be prosecuted in courts. According to some, the Act can be seen as yet another example of centuries-old Chinese traditions manifesting themselves in contemporary Chinese settings. Nonetheless, with Taiwan’s democratization that took off in the late 80s, the state has gradually withdrawn its control over religion. 

Brief history of attempts to change the legislation 

There were several attempts to change Taiwan’s religious groups legislation. In May 2015, the Ministry of Interior approved a bill governing the organization of religious groups. Previously, a similar bill was introduced in 2001, with three different versions in 2002, 2005 and 2008. Under the legislation, the qualified religious facilities and groups can register as religious juristic persons to receive tax benefits such as exemptions on housing and land value taxes, as well as conditional farm land rentals. Furthermore, they are required to submit an annual report to the authorities with financial statements subject to regular audits. Also, details of donations must be disclosed to the public. In 2018 the Legislative Yuan drafted legislation to improve temple registration and property management and to require temples to disclose their financial statements.

The proposed bill, entitled the Religious Groups Law, never passed. In January 2022, the Executive Yuan approved a bill to allow religious groups to change the registrations of their real-estate assets. In light of the new bill, properties owned by religious groups can be regarded as public goods. The bill would also prevent individuals from appropriating the land for their own benefits. Noteworthy is that around 750 hectares of land belonging to 7,500 temples nationwide are registered under the name of natural persons, according to the Ministry of Interior.

This is the result of religious groups not having completed their temple registration when they acquired land, of temples being not able to pay land taxes on donated land or the land being used for farming and other reasons. Two years following the passing of the bill by the legislature, qualified religious groups seeking to change a temple’s registration will be able to file an application with the interior ministry. 

33 arrests in action against globally active money laundering network

Diplomat Magazine
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33 arrests in action against globally active money laundering network

The Hague, 31 May 2023

Judicial and law enforcement authorities in Italy and Spain have carried out a coordinated action against an organised crime group suspected of large-scale money laundering. During a joint action day supported by Eurojust and Europol, thirty-one suspects were arrested in Italy. Another two European Arrest Warrants were executed in Spain, with one person being arrested and a second person notified, as he currently serves a jail term.

The alleged members of the organised crime group built up a global network to launder proceeds from drug trafficking. By using this system, criminals were able to conceal the origin of these illegally acquired funds and avoid their detection. The network was active in several countries worldwide, including China, Türkiye and the United States.

The group made use of a money laundering service known as the ‘Black Market Peros Exchange’, in which payment for drugs of South American origin was processed via an elaborate trading scheme across several countries. Profits from the sale of the drugs in Europe were picked up by brokers and transferred to electronics companies, which in turn ordered specific goods, such as mobile phones. These goods were shipped to the United States before being transported to Colombia, where they were sold. This final step enabled the South American cartels to receive cash as a veiled payment for the drugs they had provided to European markets.

The elaborated scheme was unravelled during an international investigation led by the Italian Public Prosecutor Office of Trento and Guardia di Finanza – Economic and Financial Investigation Unit of Trento, and supported by Eurojust and Europol. In Italy alone, EUR 18.5 million could be traced back as money laundered for organised crime groups.

Eurojust assisted the investigations by organising three coordination meetings. The Italian representative at Eurojust worked in synergy with the Trento Public Prosecutor’s Office, coordinating and linking investigative activities with other European public prosecutors, to obtain data of the crypto chat Sky ECC and EncroChat, used by people under investigation to exchange messages related to cash withdrawals (so-called ‘money pick up’). The action day against the organised crime group was steered in real time from the Agency’s dedicated coordination centre.

Europol supported the case by providing intelligence, expertise and operational analysis, as well as financial support for operational meetings. During the action day, Europol deployed a money laundering specialist to the coordination centre hosted by Eurojust.

The following authorities took part in the investigation:

  • Italy: Trento Public Prosecutor’s Office, Guardia di Finanza, Nucleo Polizia Economico-Finanziaria di Trento
  • Spain: Policía Nacional
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