Singapore Strait Times: US Tells China to Ease Off on Falun Gong

(October 4, 2000)

After the National Day crackdown on the spiritual movement, the US says it is disturbed by Chinese repression of the group's freedom of expression

WASHINGTON -- The United States said it was disturbed by China's latest crackdown on the Falungong spiritual movement, as US-based supporters of the banned group lashed out at President Jiang Zemin.

"We find very disturbing, reports of China's use of increasingly harsh tactics to repress the Falungong spiritual movement,'' said a State Department spokesman. His comment was in response to the crackdown by the Chinese authorities on Sunday against Falungong protests during National Day celebrations.

About 1,000 Falungong practitioners were allegedly arrested as a small army of soldiers and police dragged protesters into police buses. Group members had unfurled banners, stealing the show during celebrations marking 51 years of communist rule in China and humiliating the government more than a year after the group was banned.

"To the best of our knowledge, those detained were engaging in internationally recognised rights to freedom of expression and freedom of conscience,'' the spokesman, Mr Philip Reeker, said.

"We will continue to call upon the Chinese government to uphold its obligations under international human rights instruments to respect those rights,'' he said.

Police clamped tight surveillance on Beijing's Tiananmen Square early on Monday after protests by the group marred celebrations.

US-based supporters of Falungong, meanwhile, lashed out at China's President.

Falungong spokesman Gail Rachlin accused Mr Jiang of launching a personal crusade against the banned movement, out of fears of political insecurity.

"We believe this is a personal vendetta on his part perhaps because his ban has not worked, and he has lost face in front of the leadership for the failure of his policy.''

"He is insecure -- and lashing out,'' she said.

She said in a statement that reports from Falungong practitioners inside China spoke of a ""massive reign of terror, including a dramatic increase in brutality and illegal searches and seizures''.

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