DATE=7/22/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=CHINA-FALUN GONG (L)
NUMBER=2-264683
BYLINE=LETA HONG FINCHER
DATELINE=BEIJING
CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: More than a hundred protesters from the Falun 
Gong spiritual movement have been arrested in 
Beijing's Tiananmen Square (Saturday morning), as they 
marked the first anniversary of China's ban on their 
group. VOA's Leta Hong Fincher in Beijing watched many 
of the arrests being made. 

TEXT: Small groups of protests broke out continuously 
throughout the square, only to be suppressed almost 
immediately by the hundreds of plainclothes and 
uniformed police looking for any sign of trouble.  

However, one group of at least a dozen men and women 
unfurled a long yellow banner with red Chinese 
characters from the Falun Gong movement.  They held 
onto the banner for several minutes as they struggled 
with police, before being shoved into a waiting van 
with the window shades pulled down.  

Another group of half a dozen middle-aged women sat 
together in the lotus position until they attracted a 
small crowd of onlookers.  Two police vans drove up 
swiftly, with a megaphone blaring "Move on!"  One of 
the women called out, "I'm not doing anything!" as two 
plainclothes policemen grabbed her by the arms.  
Another plainclothes officer pulled a young man by the 
hair for about 20 meters to the nearest police van.

Police constantly stopped middle-aged visitors to the 
square and in the underground walkways nearby, asking 
them questions and searching their bags.  For the last 
week, protesters have been converging on Beijing from 
all over the country to mark the first anniversary of 
the government crackdown on their group.  

Several government-run newspapers ran a lengthy front-
page editorial Saturday, calling the Falun Gong a 
poisonous torrent and an evil force, which is anti-
humanity.  The editorial, which reflects the official 
view of the Communist Party, warns that the campaign 
against the Falun Gong will be long-term, tortuous and 
complicated.   (signed)
 
NEB/LHF/PLM 



22-Jul-2000 04:08 AM EDT (22-Jul-2000 0808 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
.