SF Examiner: One man celebrates Falun Gong in China

By Christopher Bodeen
Associated Press

ááááBEIJING -- The French computer engineer sent a final e-mail to friends back home, then headed to Tiananmen Square. Seconds after pulling out a banner and shouting his support for the Falun Gong movement, police bundled him into a van.

ááááThe man, identified as 34-year-old Martial Bachoffner, was the only known Falun Gong [practitioner] arrested in China on Monday -- the 10th anniversary of the [group's] founding -- for protesting the ban on the group.

áááá[...]ááááá

ááááThousands of [practitioners] have been detained in the frequently brutal crackdown, and supporters abroad say at least 400 have been killed. [...]

ááááChinese [practitioners] have since shifted to underground agitation, spreading their message by Internet and fliers posted in secret. Supporters have broken into cable television systems in at least three Chinese cities to show protest videos.

ááááDozens of green-uniformed and plainclothes guards patrolled Tiananmen Square on Monday under a light rain and searched tourists' shoulder bags. A gray-haired man in a blue Mao suit chuckled as he showed them that his bulky bag held a folded raincoat.

ááááThe detained Westerner had been stopped earlier by police who searched his bag but apparently failed to find his banner. He later waved it and, using another name for the group, shouted in Chinese, "Falun Dafa is good!" Observers were too far away to see what was written on the banner.

ááááFalun Gong supporters in Paris released a statement saying the man was Martial Bachoffner, a 34-year-old French computer engineer who has lived in Montreal since 1995.

ááááAlain Tong, a Falun Gong spokesman in Paris, said Bachoffner began practicing Falun Gong in 1999 and arrived in Beijing on May 2.

ááááTong said Bachoffner e-mailed friends late Monday morning saying he was about to go to the square. He said the French Embassy in Beijing has been informed of Bachoffner's detention.

ááááThere was no immediate comment from police or the French Embassy.

ááááFalun Gong supporters overseas said events were planned in Tokyo, Sydney and other cities. [practitioners] in Hong Kong lined up to form the Chinese characters for "Falun Gong is good."

áááá[...]

http://www.examiner.com/headlines/default.jsp?story=n.falungong.0514w

 Yearly Archive   Printer Version