Alberto Cabezas, EFE - 10/26/2002
LOS CABOS, Baja California Sur - As leaders began arriving for the Asia-Pacific summit, supporters of Falun Gong demonstrated Friday in this Mexican resort town to protest Beijing's harsh repression of the [movement].
Around 20 people gathered in Los Cabos to protest the Chinese government's persecution of Falun Gong, which supporters of the spiritual movement have likened to small-scale genocide, pointing out that tens of thousands of its [practitioners] in China have been killed or imprisoned.
"We want (Chinese) President Jiang Zemin to end the persecution against religious groups," said Lourdes Noriega, a Mexican living in San Francisco, who participated in the demonstration near the row of luxurious resorts in Los Cabos.
Jiang was expected to arrive in Los Cabos on Saturday to take part in the two-day summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
Without disturbances or fanfare, the demonstrators went through the Falun Gong routine of traditional breathing exercises and demanded world leaders take note of the plight of their movement's followers in China.
Noriega told EFE the protest was aimed at criticizing the Chinese government's repression, which has led to at least 500 deaths of jailed Falun Gong practitioners since Beijing declared the movement illegal in 1999.
Considered an [...] by the Chinese government, Falun Gong was declared illegal by President Jiang after an official investigation found that 100 million people subscribed to the group's beliefs, outnumbering members of the Communist Party.
Noriega said 100,000 Falun Gong followers have been detained by the Chinese government, whether in jails, mental institutions or forced labor camps.
"Many have been tortured," Noriega said, explaining that followers of the movement do not consider Falun Gong a religion, but rather a discipline.
She stressed however, that members are persecuted in China because of their beliefs, in the same manner as Tibetan Buddhists and some Christian denominations.
Noriega said Falun Gong is based on an ancient practice - similar to Tai Chi or yoga - in which practitioners strive for balance through exercises and the teachings of Master Li Hongzhi, who made the movement public in 1992.
The exercises, which sparked the curiosity of Mexican motorists driving by the Friday protest, can last up to two hours per day, but each practitioner is encouraged to adapt their own routines to channel the universal energy from nature into their lives.
Fidel Barrera, an Ecuadorian resident of New York who follows Master Li's teachings, said Mexican authorities did not hassle demonstrators.
"We haven't had any problems with immigration authorities. Jiang Zemin has a black list for travelers, but we haven't had any difficulties in Mexico because they know we are peaceful people," Barrera said.
According to unofficial reports, Falun Gong has some 60 regular practitioners in Mexico City, a number that doubles after taking into account those who follow the spiritual movement without strict adherence.
http://www.thenewsmexico.com/noticia.asp?id=38423