January 14, 2003 Tuesday

A small group of Falun Gong protesters braved chilly temperatures Monday to publicize new allegations of the Chinese government's harsh crackdown on the group.

About 10 supporters of the [group] protested in front of the Chinese consulate on 6th Avenue S.W., silently holding banners accusing former Communist Party chief Jiang Zemin of the murder of thousands.

The protest is part of a campaign by Falun Gong followers worldwide after its information centre released details of the deaths of 43 practitioners it says have been murdered by Chinese authorities since November. Local Falun Gong practitioner Andrea Hayley read a statement in which she appealed to Jiang to stop the violence against peace-loving people.

"This is a persecution against the best of human nature," Hayley said. "It is targeted at moral values, our sense of right and wrong, our desire for justice and the dignity of human life."

Hayley said there are 537 documented cases of Falun Gong followers killed since 1999. She believes the actual number is several times higher.

The information centre report cites beatings, strangulation, electric shock and force feeding, all intended to make victims recant their beliefs.

Jiang was replaced by Hu Jintao as Communist party boss in November. Jiang still retains much of his power, including his post as chairman of the Central Military Commission.

"It's jealousy by Jiang of a movement that teaches people to be good," said protest organizer Ian Oliver.

Falun Gong, or Falun Dafa, is a spiritual movement based on [five sets of gentle exercises and the teachings of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance].

It has grown rapidly to about 100 million followers in China in the last decade. The Beijing government, fearing the group's growing momentum, outlawed it in 1999 [defaming Falun Gong with fabricated stories].

The door of the Chinese consulate was locked Monday afternoon and there was no answer to repeated telephone calls.