CHINA CRISIS NEWS BULLETIN #13

OCTOBER 29, l999

Monitoring News of the Persecution of Falun Gong

Contact: Gail Rachlin at Rachlin Management and Media Group: 212-501-8080


MEMO TO THE MEDIA: We appreciate continuing,fair and accurate coverage.

Please do not recycle Chinese Government propaganda by referring toFalun Gong as a "sect," "cult" or "mishmash." Falun Gong/Falun Dafa is a spiritual practice or cultivation practice.

REPRESSION IN CHINA ESCALATES AS JIANG TOURS EUROPE
New Laws, Trials and Arrests...and Deaths

TIANANMAN SQUARE ONCE AGAIN SCENE OF PROTESTS:
A non-violent battle for justice continues despite all odds

PROTESTS CONTINUE THIS WEEK AT THE UNITED NATIONS
"If the UN won't help, who will?" asks a practitioner's vigil

BBC REPORTS: NEW TRIALS FOR FALUN-GONG "SPYING"

As China's President Jiang Zemin toured Europe, and was feted by the governments of England and France, Chinese authorities accused leaders of the Falun Gong spiritual movement of posting state secrets on the internet.

The official news agency, Xinhua, said 13 of the movement's leaders had illegally obtained classified material and published it on the net. Earlier, Chinese police arrested several dozen followers of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement who were protesting in Tiananmen Square. Beijing police officials confirmed the arrests but gave no indication of how the detainees would be treated.

Reports said the Falun Gong followers gathered around the Great Hall of the People, where Chinese legislators were beginning discussions of a draft law against cults. As in previous protests, they stood in silence and carried no banners. But when they were spotted by police and bundled into a bus, some of them reportedly chanted "Falun Gong is good!" The proposed new law urges increased vigilance by law enforcement against cults and calls on local governments to deal leniently with rank-and-file members while singling out "a small number of cult leaders" for punishment.

ANOTHER MURDER IN CHINA: PRACTITIONER JUMPED FROM TRAIN

BEIJING (Reuters) - An 18 year-old adherent of the Falun Gong spiritual movement banned by China has died in custody, police said Wednesday in the first official confirmation of a death of a Falun Gong member in custody. Chen Ying died from injuries sustained after jumping from a train bound for the northeastern province of Heilongjiang in August, an officer said by telephone from the provincial city of Jiamusi. Chen, a student at Shuren High School in Jiamusi, had traveled to Beijing to join fellow practitioners and petition authorities after the government banned the movement in July. She was detained by police and was being taken home by train. A U.S.-based spokesperson for Falun Gong said Chen jumped because police "abuse apparently became so severe..." But the police officer denied the allegation. "She was not abused," the officer said.

10,000 CHINESE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS FACE EXPULSION FOR PRACTICING FALUN GONG

HONG KONG, Oct 26 (Reuters) - An estimated 10,000 Chinese university students face the threat of expulsion if they do not quit the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement, a Hong Kong-based human rights group said. Six students of Beijing's Qinghua University on Monday received notices from the university that they were suspended for two months because they practised Falun Gong, the Information Centre of Human Rights & Democratic Movement in China said. The notices told the students they would be dismissed if they did not correct themselves. On October 21, police detained 34 Falun Dafa members ¬C including university students -- who gathered in Qinghua University to discuss their experiences in practicing Falun Gong. Only 13 of them have since been released and the status of the rest is still unknown.

PROTESTS IN TIANANMAN SQUARE CONTINUE

Wire Service Reports: The Falun Gong spiritual movement staged a second day of bold protest in Tiananmen Square on October 26 as China's parliament reviewed a bill curbing religious cults. Police detained several dozen members who sat quietly in the centre of the square. Most protesters, ordinary middle-aged or elderly citizens, freely admitted to police they were Falun Gong practitioners and were herded peacefully into police vans. But police scuffled with one man who appeared to start practicing Falun Gong exercises.

"Okay, come and get me!" shouted the man. Plainclothes police then bundled him into a van already holding 15 others. Another Falun Gong member, Li Yuling, narrowly escaped detention after she shook off police, screaming: "What crime have I committed? Show me some evidence and I will go with you... I came here to enjoy myself. Even if I am a Falun Gong member, is that a crime?" On Monday, police detained dozens of Falun Gong members who protested in the vast square.

MORE PROTESTS AND VIGILS PLANNED IN NEW YORK
PRACTITIONERS WILL RETURN TO THE UN TO PRESS FOR ACTION

Hundreds Falun Gong practitioners will be returning to the United Nations to encourage the international organization to finally get involved and try to resolve the crisis. They will be delivering a letter to Secretary General Kofi Annan that was written in China and carries thirteen pages of signatures by Chinese practitioners. "Just think how brave these people are to risk their lives to speak out for justice," says spokesperson Gail Rachlin. "We hope that those media outlets who have been ignoring these dramatic developments will cover the crisis before there are more tragic consequences."

Practitioners will be gathering and doing group practice over the next few days from Oct. 27 (Wed) through Oct. 31 (Sun) at:

Dag Hammarskjold Park (located at 47th Street & 1st Ave.) 9am -6:30pm; Ralphbunche Park (located at 42nd Street & 1st Ave.) 7:30am -6:00pm.

For information on interviews and photo opportunities:
Call Gail Rachlin 212 501-8080

Moving accounts by Chinese practitioners are posted on the internet at:
http://www.minghui.ca/eng/latest.html.
www.falundafa.org


Watch for our docu-video: "Falun Gong: The Real Story" on Manattan Neighborhood Network.