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Press Statement: Who's Behind Tiananmen Self-immolation

February 01, 2001 |  

PRESS STATEMENT FROM FALUN GONG (FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, 2/1/2001)

It's obvious to anyone who has any knowledge about Falun Gong that last week's attempted suicides in Tiananmen Square were not the actions of Falun Gong practitioners. Killing and suicide are simply against the teachings of Mr. Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong. The past 18 months have demonstrated that all the public appeals by Falun Gong practitioners on Tiananmen Square have been peaceful and non-violent.

The question that immediately arises is then, what is really going on, and who is behind it?

It is troubling to us that the Party line from the PRC mouthpieces, Xinhua News Agency and CCTV, is being given so much airtime, and so much credibility, by the foreign press. Xinhua and other state-run media outlets are generally never considered credible sources, as even they openly admit that their function is to disseminate propaganda for the Chinese regime. In fact, Xinhua is the Party line. There is so much that remains unclear and unknown about the circumstances surrounding the incident. And no one knows what occurred in the week after the actual event and before the Chinese media outlets finally released its fully engineered news articles and television programs. We must remember that the Chinese regime is so tightly controlling every aspect of this case that none of Xinhuas claims have been corroborated by independent sources.

As a result, we have noticed many inconsistencies in the Party version of events. We will share a few of them here:

"One badly burned victim lay on the ground waving his or her hands as police looked on, offering no help. About 25 minutes after the incident two ambulances arrived and took the victims away. One appeared to be a woman, and was left on the pavement the longest -- possibly indicating that she was dead."
There are many other questions that remain unanswered. Why were the details of the story held secret until over a week after the event? And why would the authorities confiscate CNNs video footage of the incident and then release a fully prepared feature program a week later? Did they use CNNs footage, or could it be that they manufactured their own? According to a professional cameraman, some of the footage could not have been from the video surveillance cameras in the Square. We will never know the truth of this incident until an independent, third party investigation is carried out by international press and human rights groups. Until then, the public is at the mercy of the fabrications of the Chinese regime.

We wish to remind the international press that the propaganda released by the Chinese press is misleading and cannot be trusted. Ultimately, it is the Chinese government that will one day have to answer for this tragic turn of events and for the millions of innocent Falun Gong practitioners who have endured unimaginable hardship and pain throughout these past 18 months.

Misinterpretation in the media of the recent article by Li Hongzhi

Some people, Falun Dafa practitioners and others alike, have interpreted the concept of Forbearance as meaning remaining passive and silently enduring all injustices. By writing his recent article "Beyond Forbearance," Mr. Li Hongzhi explains that exposing the crimes committed by the Communist regime during this crackdown is consistent with the principles of Falun Dafa. For example, it is not against the principle of forbearance to make appeals against unjust persecution, nor is it wrong to actively and non-violently speak out against police brutality, torture, and sexual abuse. Over the past 18 months, Falun Dafa practitioners in China have never once resorted to violence. Their dedication to seeking a peaceful resolution to the crackdown is clear, and that will never change.