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Cleveland Plain Dealer Editorial: Brutal efficiency 08/18/01 More than two years ago, China set out to crush the Falun Gong spiritual
movement. [...] Most outside
observers believe the danger Beijing perceives is that the nonviolent Falun
Gong is independent of the Communist Party and thus a threat to its monopoly
on power. President Jiang Zemin's campaign against the Falun Gong initially
had little success. Many local officials did not share Beijing's alarm and
ignored directives to harass Falun Gong practitioners. [...] And war it has been. As the Post detailed, Beijing uses torture,
propaganda and brain-washing to attack the Falun Gong. Falun Gong followers
say they have been subjected to beatings, electric shocks and physical
pressures such as being forced to squat on the floor for days at a time. The
organization claims that more than 250 members have died in custody since
the crackdown began. Beatings are typically followed by brain-washing. At "re-education"
camps, adherents to the movement are bombarded with attacks on the teachings
of Falun Gong leader Li Hongzhi. These sessions last until members renounce
Li with sufficient fervor to satisfy their captors. Finally, in order to isolate the Falun Gong from mainstream society,
popular media now regularly attack the group. After five purported Falun
Gong members, including a 12-year-old girl, set themselves on fire in a
Tiananmen Square protest Jan. 23, state television broadcast footage of the
self-immolations daily for weeks. Local officials must display a "proper
attitude" toward Falun Gong to be promoted. One government adviser told the Post that the campaign against the
Falun Gong is a synthesis of what Beijing has learned in 52 years of
repression. Physical fear, pervasive propaganda and a strong element of a
"re-education" are each critical. "You need all three," the adviser said.
"That's what they've figured out." The United States and other countries have protested the crackdown,
adding it to the lengthy list of China's human rights abuses. But Jiang and
his inner circle insist those complaints are off base. Adopting
western-style democracy would plunge China into chaos, Jiang told the New
York Times last week. "Should that happen," he said, "it will not be
conducive to world peace and stability." No one wants to see rampant disorder in a land of 1.2 billion
people. But neither should China expect silence or indifference when it
embarks on its persecutions. As much as we may want to see rapid expansion of trade and other
ties with China, America must not stand by wordlessly while Falun Gong
adherents are tortured, while Christians and other religious groups are
harassed, or while scholars are jailed or expelled on specious charges of
espionage. Posting date: 8/21/2001 |