March 6, 2001

BEIJING -- Despite a brutal crackdown and a tireless propaganda campaign, the Chinese government continues the war for public opinion against the spiritual movement Falun Gong

The government has banned Falun Gong Authorities have arrested thousands of followers, and dozens have died in police custody after being beaten and tortured, human rights groups say.

The government clearly views Falun Gong as a threat to its very survival at a time of wrenching economic and social change in China. The country's [party's name omitted] leaders cannot abide the idea of a massive well-organized group outside their control ... Falun Gong followers say they pose no threat and their beliefs promote good health and clean living.

But even as the Chinese government's campaign against the group makes headway at home, it is damaging the country's reputation abroad at a crucial time:

* Olympic officials last month toured Beijing to decide whether to award the city the 2008 Games; China's capital lost a chance to host the 2000 Games to Sydney, Australia, partly because of criticism of repression of political dissidents and independent religious groups. A decision is due in July. ''If the government fails to get a peaceful resolution (of its conflict with Falun Gong), there is no way we will get the Olympics,'' says Dai Qing, an independent Beijing journalist.

* The Bush administration plans to push a resolution this month at the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva condemning China's human rights record. Secretary of State Colin Powell specifically criticized the China's rough tactics against Falun Gong.

It's getting worse, report says

In its annual human rights report released last week, the U.S. State Department said China's record deteriorated further in 2000. The report condemned China's crackdowns on underground Christians, Tibetan Buddhists and the Falun Gong spiritual movement and harsh treatment of political dissent.

The Hong Kong-based Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy reported recently that 112 Falun Gong followers have died in police custody in China since the crackdown began.

Chinese officials defend their record. ''China has its own human rights values. It is somewhat different from Western culture,'' Beijing Deputy Mayor Liu Jingmin says.

Why is China so determined to break Falun Gong? The country's [party's name omitted] rulers keep a tight grip on civil society, distrusting organized groups they can't control. Falun Gong is a big one. By some estimates, it outnumbers the 60 million strong [party's name omitted] Party in China and attracts followers from within the party.

A simmering conflict boiled over after April 25, 1999, when Falun Gong quietly assembled 10,000 followers in front of the Chinese leadership compound in Beijing to protest the group's treatment by officials in nearby Tianjin. The demonstration ended peacefully, but the speed with which it was organized alarmed Chinese President Jiang Zemin. Three months later, the group was banned. [Editor's note: On April 25, over 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners voluntarily went to Zhongnanhai to appeal. It was not an organized demonstration.]

Think better, do better

Lo Ping Lam certainly doesn't look like a threat. Dressed in a yellow sweatshirt and sweatpants, the retired firefighter is up before dawn as mist circles the hills overlooking central Hong Kong. He sweeps a spot in the northeast corner of Victoria Park, carefully puts down a plastic mat and sets up a small speaker. Lo is soon joined by nine other people, most in their 50s and 60s. They quietly form a circle, stretching their arms and making graceful arcs with their hands. Then they stop to meditate. From the speaker comes soothing music and a man's voice.

These are members of Falun Gong, and the voice on the tape belongs to Li Hongzhi, the former Chinese soldier who founded the group in 1992 and now lives in exile in New York. They come here every morning for two hours of exercise and meditation.

In the park, the Falun Gong followers look considerably less dangerous than the little old woman doing vigorous martial arts exercises with a wooden sword nearby.

Falun Gong translates roughly into ''practice of the wheel of law.'' Followers believe that the group's founder, Li, has installed in their abdomens an invisible wheel that expels bad energy and draws in good energy. By living moral lives and doing a set of five simple exercises, followers believe they can improve their health. They believe the exercises help distribute good energy throughout the body.

Falun Gong gatherings tend to be low-key affairs. Followers gather for an hour or two of daily exercises and then go home or off to work. Most of the practitioners in Victoria Park don't even know each other's names. Some followers meet in the evenings to read and discuss Li's teachings.

They say the practice produces powerful results. They tell stories of the sickly regaining their health and the grouchy finding good humor and civility after turning to Falun Gong. Some say they no longer need medical treatment. ...

Despite the danger, followers continue to make their way from China's far-flung provinces to Tiananmen Square in the heart of Beijing to unfurl banners and protest the crackdown before they are arrested and hauled away in police vans. They say they have no choice. They won't give up their beliefs. ''When we look at the propaganda of the Chinese government, we laugh,'' says Shelley Lo, 43, a Chinese-born Falun Gong practitioner in Sydney. ''We are normal people. We are good people. We are good wives and husbands. We know it is totally propaganda.''

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