Friday, March 15, 2002

BY KARYN HSIAO
SPECIAL TO THE TRIBUNE

In bringing its dispute with the Chinese government to the United States, the Falun Gong spiritual movement has nudged some Utah leaders into the realm of foreign diplomacy.

Late last year, the Falun Gong asked Gov. Mike Leavitt and Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson to sign proclamations supporting the movement as peaceful and beneficial. They agreed, and Leavitt decided to declare Jan. 8 "Falun Gong Day" in Utah.

But after meeting with Chinese officials, the governor did neither, citing the importance of Utah's neutrality on the issue in light of February's 2002 Olympic Winter Games.

Anderson stands by his decision to sign a proclamation, unlike the mayors of Baltimore, Seattle, San Francisco, Decatur, Ill., and Westland, Mich., who rescinded theirs under pressure from Chinese officials.

Anderson's spokesman, Josh Ewing, said Wednesday the mayor's office has received thousands of thank-you letters for protecting the Falun Gong's First Amendment rights as members protested, held vigils and distributed literature during the 17 days of the Games.

"We met with members of the Chinese government who expressed concerns about the Falun Gong, and we said, 'Hey, we are not going to allow anyone to do anything dangerous, but we are going to let them get their message across and not censor them,' " Ewing said.

Some 400 Falun Gong followers from around the country joined about 100 of their Utah counterparts during the Games, calling the Olympic spirit of global unity a complement to the movement's philosophy.

Falun Gong members have filed federal lawsuits claiming Beijing Mayor Liu Qi violated human rights and resorted to torture in quashing the movement in China's capital. Qi was served the suit in San Francisco as he was traveling to Salt Lake City to head China's Olympic delegation.

For its part, the Chinese government, which banned the Falun Gong in 1999 [...] has urged American mayors and governors to offer the movement "no recognition and support in any form."

[...]

"Falun Gong is a practice that allows us to cultivate the values of truthfulness, compassion and forbearance through meditation, abstention from alcohol and drugs, and tai-chi-like exercises."

Mei also vehemently rejected suggestions that Falun Gong protesters pulled a fire alarm during a Chinese New Year's celebration on Feb. 1 at the University of Utah, sending nearly 1,000 revelers into the midst of protesters outside.

The same thing happened last year at a Falun Gong convention in San Jose, Calif., and a San Francisco City Council hearing, Mei said. "Someone is trying to link us to fire alarms and public disturbance, and this is something we definitely want cleared up."

The Falun Gong has an estimated following of 100 million worldwide, and its leader, Li Hongzhi, has been living in the United States since 1995.

http://www.sltrib.com/03152002/utah/719473.htm

Posting date: 3/16/2002
Original article date: 3/16/2002
Category: News & Media Reports

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