2003-09-03

By Allison Williams
Staff writer

Thai Ton was jailed for 16 hours when he tried to practice Falun Gong during a visit to China.

Staff photo by Tracy Wilcox Augusto Andrade, left, of Sanford and Lo Ton of Durham demonstrate Falun Gong on Tuesday in front of City Hall as part of an effort to pressure China into releasing Charles Li, who has been detained for more than six months.

It gave him a taste of the persecution some Chinese are subjected to because of Falun Gong, which is meditating and exercising in public places. China outlawed Falun Gong in 1999.

So when Ton had an opportunity to raise awareness of the problem in North Carolina, he took a day off work as a biologist at Research Triangle Park. Practitioners of Falun Gong are touring the country to talk about the practice and to gather support for Charles Li, a Chinese-American who is imprisoned in China. Supporters say he is being punished for practicing Falun Gong.

''You say you practice truthfulness, tolerance and compassion,'' Ton said, ''but you must put it into action.''

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They did get to talk to the mayor in Rocky Mount, and earlier in the week, the mayor of Wilmington signed their petition.

''I think I have to tell the truth and raise awareness,'' said Kathy Li, a software engineer at Research Triangle Park. ''Everybody has a right to practice. In China, people have no rights.''

When Li Hongzhi made the movement public in 1992, the Chinese government supported Falun Gong. But within a few years, the number of practitioners outnumbered members of the Communist Party. China outlawed the practice in 1999 and thousands of people have been arrested, jailed, beaten and tortured since. Some of those arrested have been sent to labor camps without trials.

The Chinese government calls the group a cult. Falun Gong supporters deny that accusation. The group has no leaders, formal worship practices, dues or list of practitioners.

Ton says practitioners are trying to improve their character and body through exercise, meditation and by emphasizing three principles: truthfulness, tolerance and compassion.

''It is tragic that people are trying to be healthy and good,'' Ton said, ''and they are tortured to death.''

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