‘Rudd was Chinese': The strange beliefs of the fringe group allegedly targeted by Beijing
A Chinese woman who is also an Australian permanent resident appeared in the ACT Magistrates' Court on Monday, charged with reckless foreign interference over allegations she had covertly gathered information on Guan Yin Citta, a Buddhist association.
The association's Canberra premises, located in a nondescript office building near the Australian National University, were closed due to water damage on Tuesday, but pamphlets distributed by the group outside revealed some of its beliefs.
The materials state that its late Australia-based leader, Master Jun Hong Lu, was an earthly manifestation of Guan Yin Bodhisattva, a Buddhist icon of compassion. Lu died in 2021.
'By performing 'totem reading' based upon someone's year of birth, gender and Chinese zodiac sign, he reveals their past, present and future, and points out what truly causes the ups and downs in our daily lives,' its book, Little Houses, claims.
Religious groups are subject to tight limitations in China, where the ruling communist party restricts alternative sources of moral authority. The state has persecuted other fringe religious groups, including Falun Gong.
Bitter Winter, an online magazine on religious liberty in China, has reported that Chinese state media commonly describe Guan Yin Citta as a 'heterodox organisation', effectively making it a banned organisation.
In another book from the group, Introduction to the Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door, Lu writes that he once wanted to find out why Rudd was such a fluent Mandarin speaker and, for fun, consulted the former prime minister's totem.
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West Australian
9 minutes ago
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AI productivity roundtable: More jobs created than lost through artificial intelligence, expert claims
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ABC News
34 minutes ago
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Why is the Trump administration threatening to deport this Iranian man to Australia?
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But immigration lawyers and advocates say Mr Zavvar is among what appears to be a growing number of Iranians detained since the US air strikes on Iran in June. Green card and student visa holders, many of whom have clean records, are among them, Ms Khanbabai said. The lawyer, who is Iranian American and has many Iranian clients, said the community felt it was being targeted. "The Trump administration claimed that they were going to be going after criminals, yet the vast majority of people, including the Iranians, don't have any serious criminal offences or any at all," she said. "And so we're trying to figure out, is there an uptick of this focus on Iranians … or is this just part of the massive targeting of and scapegoating of immigrants?" Mr Zavvar's lawyer hopes her client's arrest will prove to be a publicity stunt that doesn't lead to his deportation. 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ABC News
an hour ago
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Federal politics live: Treasurer urged to 'be bold' on productivity and ditch 'lazy' AI approach
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