June 18, 2003, Wednesday

The Chinese spiritual discipline Falun Gong might be forbidden in China, but practitioners are doing their best to make sure New Zealanders know about it.

About 12 people are spending four days traveling the North Island protesting against China's stance on the discipline that includes exercise and meditation. The group was in Palmerston North today, protesting around The Square. It will march on Parliament later today.

Falun Gong practitioner Steven Zhu said that in 1992, the ancient practice became more widely known and is now practised by more than 100 million people in 40 countries.

However, in 1999 it was deemed illegal in China by the now former Chinese president Jiang Zemin.

Mr Zhu said he wasn't sure how many people practised Falun Gong in New Zealand.

Truthfulness, compassion and forbearance were at the heart of the practice, he said.

The group was also calling for Mr Zemin to be sued for genocide and crimes against humanity.