Bangkok, January 19, 2001 (Radio Free Asia)---Mr. Chen, a Falun Gong contact person, told BBC in Thailand that Falun Gong practitioners will be holding a conference in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, this April. Mr. Chen said that the Thai government will not prohibit this conference as Thailand is a free and democratic country and this conference bears no political agenda nor does it breach any Thai laws. The location for the conference has yet to be decided and Mr. Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong will not be attending the meeting. According to Mr. Chen, there are about 1,000 Falun Gong practitioners in Thailand and 400 live in Bangkok.

January 19, 2001