The Hindu : International : Cosmos roaming

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 28, 2005

International

International

Cosmos roaming

TAIPEI, JAN. 27. A Taiwanese spiritual leader said today that he had used his magical powers to take the island's new Premier on a tour of Paris without going there physically.

The guru, Sung Chi-li, is famous for claiming that he can appear in more than one place at a time — an effect he calls his "split body."

Sung told reporters he took Premier Frank Hsieh, a former follower, on a "cosmos-roaming" tour of Paris, including a stop at the Eiffel Tower, during a gathering at another follower's home last year. "It was no illusion," Sung told TVBS cable news. "You could touch the tower and feel the cast iron."

The China Times quoted Sung as saying, "I asked him [the Premier] if he saw the Eiffel Tower, the City Hall in Paris, and he said he did." Mr. Hsieh would not directly comment on Sung's claims. "You can take this as fodder for a joke after a meal," he told reporters.

Sung was convicted by the Taipei District court seven years ago on fraud charges by claiming his "split body" could go anywhere at his will. Some of Sung's estranged followers accused him of cheating people into making donations with fake pictures that he said proved his supernatural powers. But the High Court overturned the decision, saying that law enforcement agencies should not attempt to prove or disprove self-proclaimed supernatural powers.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

International