20 February 2001

LOS ANGELES: More than 1,000 people joined protests on the weekend against alleged mainland human-rights violations targeting the Falun Gong [group].

The peaceful demonstrations came as Falun Gong [practitioners] called for an independent investigation into mainland claims that a 25-year-old follower had set himself on fire in Beijing on Friday.

A statement by international Falun Gong [practitioners] read at the protests said they were ``extremely sad and shocked'' by news of Tan Yihui's death but could not verify reports by mainland state media that he was a member of the meditation [group].

``The Chinese government has long seen the peaceful Falun Gong movement as a threat to its communist ideology and rule,'' said Sherry Zhang, a California engineer who practises Falun Gong.

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