Asia Pacific Network: 19 January 2001
RELIGION: KOREA'S UNIFICATION CHURCH PUTTING ITS TOE INTO SOUTH PACIFIC
Korea's 'Moonies' are emerging in the Pacific and have nearly bought one government down and have linked up with another military backed regime. The Unification Church, headed by Reverend Sun Myung Moon, is following a well-worn missionary route through the Pacific where he is competing with deeply entrenched Christian churches operating in states which enshrine Christianity in constitutions.
By MICHAEL J. FIELD (Agence France-Presse)
KOREA'S 'MOONIES' are emerging in the Pacific and have nearly bought one government down and have linked up with another military backed regime.
The Unification Church, headed by Reverend Sun Myung Moon, is following a
well-worn missionary route through the Pacific where he is competing with
deeply entrenched Christian churches operating in states which enshrine
Christianity in constitutions.
Last week President Kessai Note of the Marshall Islands survived a
no-confidence vote bought on, in part, by his new found Moonie connections.
This week Fiji Information Minister Inoke Kubuabola attended a World Media
Conference (WMA) in Tokyo but in a press statement he made no mention that
the Moonies were paying for the trip.
Moon claims to have been visited by Jesus Christ in 1935 who directed him
to establish what has since become the Unification Church, founded in South
Korea in 1954, now with around 200,000 members world-wide.
It has been its cult-like behaviour, including mass marriages in major
sporting venues around the world, that have won the Moonies controversy.
Politically very right wing the organisation has also been criticised for
its business practices, tax evasion and manipulation of public opinion.
Last November Unification officials showed up in the Marshalls saying
they were setting up a Pacific government task force organisation, pledging
10 million dollars for Pacific education and fisheries development.
Unification spokesman Peter Murray of Australia said the idea was to
bring island people together to seek "a commonality of problems and
solutions."
Pacific governments have "nothing to lose," he added, "I can't see any
threat or quid pro quo."
Earlier this month two other officials arrived in the Marshalls to begin
construction of a new high school.
One of them, Neil Salonen, president of the University of Bridgeport in
Connecticut, said that as people get more familiar with Moon's program and
activities they won't view Moon or his organisations as "scary."
Last week Note survived a no confidence motion 19-14 which was promoted
by rival Senator Justin deBrum's opposition to Moon. He said that Christians
throughout the Marshall Islands strongly disagree with Moon's
self-proclaimed status as the "Messiah".
The Marshall's hosts the US Army's Kwajalein missile range, where
ballistic missiles and theatre defence missiles are tested.
Although the Marshalls has no historic association with Korea -- it was
formerly a Japanese and US territory -- Moon is the second prominent Korean
to wash up in Majuro. Doomsday cult leader Mo Haeng Yong over several years
regularly visited the Marshalls and promised to build a six billion dollar
gambling resort there. He instead ended up in a Korean jail for fraud.
Koreans also tricked the Tongan Royal Family several years ago by getting
them to endorse what turned out to be a fraudulent scheme to turn sea water
into natural gas.
Last November a Moon-founded International and Inter-Religious Federation
for World Peace organisation, supported by the Solomons Government, held a
seminar in the Solomon Islands titled "Building a Culture of Peace:
Character, Family and Public Service."
Meanwhile, in Fiji the Ministry of Information announced that Kubuabola, a
strong critic of the local media, had gone to the World Media Conference
along with Information Director Eliki Bomani and the editor of the part
government owned Daily Post, Mesake Koroi.
"(Kubuabola) joins 300 other media professionals and political figures
from over 60 countries who have gathered to consider the responsibility of
the media in a rapidly changing world," the statement said, adding the theme
of the gathering was "A Unified Direction for the Media in the New
Millennium."
"Amongst other things, a crucial issue to be discussed at the conference
is the impact of media behaviour on political relations both within and
between nations.
"The WMA which funded the trip to the conference, has played a pioneering
role in raising public awareness of media influence and responsibility
through its conferences, fact-finding tours and publications."
The Unification Church website (www.unification.org) says their WMA
brings journalists together to "discuss the role of the media in resolving
conflict and promoting understanding."
mjf