April 25, 2003, Friday

MELBOURNE, April 25-- Melbourne's Falun Gong community held a candlelight vigil tonight to mark the fourth anniversary of a protest they say led to China banning and persecuting its members.

About 80 followers of the spiritual movement gathered outside the Chinese consulate in the eastern suburb of Toorak, from 6pm to 8pm (AEST), meditating and holding candles and banners.

Falun Gong spokesman Michael Pearson-Smith said the vigil marked the anniversary of about 10,000 followers of Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, staging a silent sit-in around Zhongnanhai government compound in Beijing on April 25, 1999.

The Chinese government outlawed the movement the following June.

Falun Gong claims 100 million [practitioners] around the world.

Mr Pearson-Smith said the Chinese government continued to lie about its treatment for Falun Gong practitioners, just as it underestimated the number of SARS cases in Beijing, which this week was revealed to be 10 times greater than first reported.

"They are trying to eradicate Falun Gong completely," he told AAP.

"They are saying they're not, but they are."

Mr Pearson-Smith said the vigil would raise awareness of the movement's plight among consulate staff and the Melbourne community.

"Obviously, it's not what you might call a spectacular, vociferous demonstration or anything," he said.

"It's one of many vigils by which we'll remind people the deaths are escalating."