Monday, July 17, 2000
Beijing renews attacks on
Falun Gong
ASSOCIATED PRESS in
Beijing
Updated at 6.15pm:
Beijing on Monday renewed attacks on
the Falun Gong sect in the run-up to the first anniversary of the
group's banning, calling the sect's founder ''a running dog'' of
foreign powers.
A commentary in the ruling Communist Party's People's Daily
newspaper carried some of the harshest invective in recent months in
a year-old smear campaign against the Falun Gong.
A year ago on Thursday, on July 20, police arrested dozens of
sect followers who they identified as key Falun Gong organisers. Two
days later, the government banned the group as a menace to public
order. Since then, tens of thousands of followers have been detained
for short periods of time, thousands sent to labour camps and nearly
a hundred leading members jailed.
Followers responded with large protests, and they are expected to
do the same on the anniversaries. In recent weeks, Falun Gong
members have begun streaming into the capital from around the
mainland, and at least one group activist from the United States has
also visited Beijing to meet local followers.
The People's Daily newspaper lashed out at United States-based
founder Li Hongzhi, for ''inciting 'Falun Gong' practitioners to
'come forward' to continue resistance to the government.''
The newspaper took issue with recent comments by Mr Li, an
apparent reference to statements posted last month on Falun Gong Web
sites. They were his first comments since dropping from public view
shortly after July's crackdown. In them, he encouraged followers to
persevere through what he called ''evil-wrought tests''.
''Using extremely poisonous words to attack the Communist Party
leadership and our country's socialist institutions has totally
exposed his ugly face as a running dog of Western enemy forces,''
The People's Daily said.
The commentary ran through a list of the government's accusations
against the group: it said Falun Gong caused 1,500 deaths, cheated
followers of money and harboured political ambitions. The newspaper
also accused Li Hongzhi of living in a lavish new home.
Falun Gong preaches a blend of slow-motion exercises, meditation
and self-improvement that practitioners say promote health, moral
living and, at advanced levels, supernatural powers. After founding
the group in 1992, Mr Li, an ex-government grain clerk, built up a
multi-million-member following.
The People's Daily said the government's crackdown and public
education campaign about Falun Gong's ills caused most practitioners
to abandon Falun Gong, leaving Mr Li with a dwindling hard-core of
followers.
He was now trying to stir them up ''to achieve his political
goals of disturbing the social order and undermining social
stability''.
At different points, the commentary likened the Falun Gong to a
''rat crossing the road'' and Mr Li to a ''dog baying for his lost
home''.
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