December 4, 2001 Tuesday

Former Higganum resident Alejandro Centurion says he was detained for almost a full day and assaulted last month after Chinese police stormed a peaceful protest in Tiananmen Square.

Centurion, a neurology resident at Stanford University, said he was among 35 practitioners of Falun Gong from 10 nations who flew to China last month to ask the government to end the oppression of "tens of thousands" of practitioners.

Falun Gong is a tai chi-like exercise that practitioners say provides health benefits.

The Chinese [party's name omitted] Party, antagonized by the millions who practice Falun Gong, began a crackdown over two years ago that has sent tens of thousands of practitioners to labor camps and so-called transformation centers, where violence and terror reigns, Centurion charged. The [Jiang Zemin's] government has denied such charges.

Now back in California, Centurion, reflected Monday on the ordeal that began during the Nov. 20 sit-in.

Centurion said he flew to China thinking there was no way the government would harm foreigners hoisting a banner during a peaceful sit-in on the square. He soon realized how wrong he was, as police swooped down on the protestors seconds after the banner was raised.

Centurion was detained by police for 19 hours and punched in the face by an officer during his lengthy interrogation, he said.

"It was a pretty hard punch," said Centurion, who was sitting in the front row during the short-lived protest.

The group had hoped to make their point peacefully during a 15-minute protest, but Centurion said police cars encircled the members within 15 seconds.

"We were all forcibly dragged off in the van," Centurion said, noting that an Australian practitioner suffered a broken hand and a Canadian sustained a broken nose.

Centurion said he was transported to the Tiananmen Square police station and held about eight hours, then moved by police to a second facility at a hotel.

It was there that Centurion said he was asked to sign a statement in Chinese which he didn't understand. He initially signed it, but then crossed out his signature, resulting in the punch to his face. He then was escorted back to his room, where he picked up his belongings and was taken to the airport to his return flight.

Centurion said the violent behavior by police reflects how the government mistreats practitioners of the ancient practice introduced to the public in 1992 by [...] Li Hongzhi.

[...] Falun Gong members practice [...] exercises and adhere to [the principle] of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance.

By 1998, the government became alarmed by Falun Gong's popularity. It claimed 100 million followers, far exceeding the 64.5 million members of the Chinese [party's name omitted] Party.