Chinese police on the alert for more Falungong protesters

Sunday, February 6 10:15 AM SGT Channel NewsAsia: Chinese police on the alert for more Falungong protesters

Chinese police are on the lookout for more protesters from the banned Falungong group.

They continued their suveillence well into the evening Saturday, pouncing on anyone meditating, the group's form of public protest.

Hundreds and possibly thousands of the group's members have already been detained, and so far, there has been no news of them.

It has been almost six months since the Chinese government clamped down on the Falungong group, but till today, the movement appears to be strong as ever.

In a clear move to tell the Chinese government that the spirit of the movement lives on, despite the fact that scores of alleged core leaders of the group have been tried and sentenced to up to 18 years in prison, the group staged a massive but peaceful protest, as the nation ushered in the Lunar New Year.

However, like in the past, there was a price to pay; many of them were detained by Chinese police, some by force.

One man was reported to have been beaten unconscious before he was dragged onto a bus.

Squads of plainclothes police were also seen sprinting from the shadows at the edges of the square, to help shove suspected followers onto buses.

Some of the tourists and local bystanders celebrating the Lunar New Year were also affected, some had their films confiscated.

The ruling Communist Party has called the sect the biggest threat to its political power since the 1989 Tiananmen democracy protests.

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