Police Move on Falun Gong

Saturday, 22 July, 2000, 04:38 GMT 05:38 UK

Police drag away one of the protesters

Chinese police launched a massive security operation to remove members of the Falun Gong sect from the streets of Beijing.

Our correspondent in Tiananmen Square estimated that between 80 and 100 practitioners were taken away by police on the first anniversary of the government crack down on the movement.

The group had been carrying out silent demonstrations in the square, many sitting on the ground meditating.

Uniformed and plain clothes police picked up Falun Gong members and threw them into vans to be taken into detention.

Films torn out

A number of members were kicked and punched as they were taken away. At least one protester is reported to have been injured during clashes with police.

One man, in his 20s, escaped from a police van, blood streaming from his head, shouting "Falun Dafa (Falungong) is good."

One group of about 25 demonstrators managed to get a banner unfurled, and that brought a flurry of kicks and punches from furious security officers.

Some policemen were seen taking cameras from Chinese tourists near the scene, tearing out the films.

Security had been tight in Beijing leading up to the first anniversary of the banning order on the group.

A Communist party official says police have detained about 200 Falun Gong followers daily in recent weeks.

The BBC correspondent in Beijing says the government's campaign against Falun Gong, which it calls a dangerous cult, has been less than successful, adding that the group's protests are likely to continue.