Radio Prague: Falun Gong Followers Persecuted in China

August 14, 2001

PRAGUE, Aug 14, 2001 -- (Radio Prague) A group of followers of the Chinese Falun Gong meditation practice gathered on Prague's Namesti Miru and Tylovo squares on Monday.

Surrounded by photographs of the persecution of Falun Gong followers, the group travels around democratic countries to raise awareness of human rights violations in China. Falun Gong has become quite popular in the country, enjoying some 70 million followers.

A Falun Gong gathering in China in April [1999] was the largest public gathering since that of the Tien An Men massacre in 1989, and its participants believe that the Chinese government has come to fear the movement due to its popularity.

The Czech-born, Michaela Haluzova, now called Misha Halu, is part of the group that's currently in Prague and told reporters that the Chinese government tries to arrest Falun Gong followers and discredit their practices. Believers claim that Falun Gong is simply about leading a better, more tolerant and healthier life.

http://www.europeaninternet.com/support/article.php3?id=593833