February 12, 2002
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BEIJING (AP) -- China has expelled an American who was detained in a protest on behalf of the outlawed Falun Gong [group], the U.S. Embassy said Tuesday.

Levi Browde and a Canadian man were arrested Monday on Beijing's Tiananmen Square after unfurling a banner and shouting the group's name. Their protest was aimed at a Chinese campaign that had blamed Falun Gong for a fiery group suicide attempt a year ago.

The protest came on the eve of the lunar New Year. Last year on the holiday, five people set themselves on fire on the square last year. Authorities say two of the five died.

In a press conference before Monday's protest, Browde said he was a 29-year-old software expert from New York City. The other man identified himself as Jason Loftus, 22, an engineering student from Barrie, Ontario. Both said they were Falun Gong members.

No one answered calls at the Canadian Embassy on Tuesday night.

Chinese authorities used the Jan. 23, 2001, suicide attempt to discredit the spiritual group. Falun Gong activists abroad deny those involved were followers and suggest that Chinese officials staged the event.

Monday's protest was the third in Tiananmen Square by Western followers. Thirty-five were expelled in November, and a Canadian woman was expelled last month after staging a lone protest.

[...]

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-China-Banned-Sect.html