Globe and Mail: Falun Gong backer arrested - Canadian seized by Chinese security while protesting in Tiananmen Square

Thursday, January 24, 2002

A 61-year-old Mississauga, Ont., promoter of the Falun Gong spiritual movement protested against China's ban on the group yesterday and was quickly arrested at Beijing's Tiananmen Square. She is expected to be deported as early as today.

Connie Chipkar, wearing a sash that read "Falun Gong" and "SOS," sang and held out her arms before security agents loaded her into a police van, the Associated Press reported from Beijing.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Reynald Doiron confirmed Ms. Chipkar's arrest and detention. "We are in contact with Chinese authorities and have requested information on her situation and what they intend to do," he said.

Ms. Chipkar was expected to be expelled from China as soon as flights can be arranged. China has deported other foreigners for staging similar demonstrations.

[...]

Ms. Chipkar's son, Joel, also a Falun Gong practitioner, made a similar trip in November and filmed the arrest of Zenon Dolnyckyj, 23, of Toronto, and almost three dozen westerners, who were later expelled. He said his mother arrived in China on Tuesday with the simple goal of informing Chinese citizens that their government was lying to them about the spiritual movement that is practised around the world.

Mr. Chipkar, who held a news conference in Toronto to publicize his mother's arrest, denied that she deliberately provoked the [Jiang's] government to attract media attention.

"It's like you see a child drowning in a river," he said in an interview yesterday. "You don't think twice, man. You jump in and try to save that kid. That's what my mom was trying to do, in her head. She's the sweetest lady you'd ever want to meet. She doesn't even know how to spell the word politics."

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