Lori Hinnant, Associated Press

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) A group of Falun Gong followers protesting the Chinese government's crackdown on the spiritual movement planned to rally in Trenton on Monday before continuing their walk to the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.

Adherents to the practice say its exercises and philosophies promoting good health and moral living are drawn from [...] Li Hongzhi, the group's U.S.-based founder.

[...]

Falun Gong followers say the movement has caused no deaths, and claim that nearly 200 followers have been tortured to death in police custody.

Among those, followers say, are some imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners at a labor camp in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang who died in June.

Chinese officials offered conflicting numbers, with some saying three deaths and others 14. [...]

Falun Gong says its teachings prohibit suicide and insisted Chinese authorities beat 15 inmates to death.

China's government fears Falun Gong's organizational abilities the group was once estimated to have up to 100 million followers in China. The [party' name omitted] Party has 64.5 million members.

Because the [group] has no formal membership, it is hard to gauge the number of practitioners worldwide. Taiwan is believed to have the biggest following outside China, with 100,000 adherents.

Falun Gong says it has about 500 members in Hong Kong, 3,000 in Australia, 10,000 in the United States, 1,000 in Singapore and 3,000 in South Korea. There are also small communities in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Japan.

On the Net: Falun Gong Information center: http://www.faluninfo.net Walk to Washington: http://www.walktodc.org

http://www.boston.com/dailynews/190/region/Falun_Gong_followers_hold_prot:.shtml

Posting date: 7/10/2001
Original article date: 7/9/2001
Category: News & Media Reports

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