Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung ( 26.4.2000)---Frankfurter Newspaper
[Frankfurt] It is widely witnessed that the persecution of Falun Gong has become the largest political campaign of China in the past 10 years. In the past year, the media under the government control continuously " disclosed" all kinds of faults about Falun Gong. The Chinese government requires all organizations to keep a distance from Falun Gong and the Chinese Communist Party members are forbidden from practicing Falun Gong. However, the government campaign failed to achieve its goal. On the contrary, the persistence and courage of Falun Gong practitioners to resist the persecution of the Chinese government keep increasing.
Moreover, Falun Gong practitioners come from all levels of the society. Before the Chinese government declared a ban against Falun Gong, many Chinese Communist Party members also practiced Falun Gong. A large number of Falun Gong practitioners, many of whom are elderly people, were stunned by the governments persecution. They only want to practice Falun Gong peacefully and to be good people according to the teaching of Falun Gong. Even now, many people still cant understand why the Chinese government opposes Falun Gong.
Hamburger Abenblatt( 26.04.2000)--- Hamburger Evening Newspaper
[Beijing/Hamburg] Their protests are non-violent. The message they hope to deliver is " Zhen-Shan-Ren (Truth-Compassion-Forbearance)". Despite this, Falun Gong practitioners are treated as the largest enemies of the government in China.
At the anniversary of April 25th, there were Falun Gong practitioners who protested yesterday in Beijing. They scattered in the vast Tiananmen Square of the capital of China, opened up banners or sat on the ground to do meditation. The Chinese policemens reaction was as usual. They arrested around 100 people.
The Chinese government ignored all appeals from western countries, including the appeals from German politicians and non-government organizations.
Deil Welt Comment (Sophie Muehlmann, 21.07.2000)---World Daily Newspaper
Now it is the time for the Chinese authorities to inspect their own behavior. China, as a large and decent nation, should do some respectable things instead of making full use of the governments power to oppose its people who only want to improve their own body and mind. The Chinese government should spend more time thinking about how to democratize its politics rather than attempt to control peoples thoughts with force and violence.
Berliner Morgenpost, report on July 28th, 2000 ---- Berlin Morning Post
[Beijing] According to the news from the Hong Kong-based Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy, one member of Falun Gong--- the banned spiritual group in China, a 50-year old primary school teacher, Ms. An Xiukun was suffocated to death while being force-fed by policemen after she went on a hunger strike for 6 days in the detention center of northern city Henshui. The local police claimed they knew nothing about it. The colleagues of Ms. An confirmed her death but didnt reveal more information.
It is said by the Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy that Ms. An Xiukun was arrested on Tiananmen Square in early June. There are Falun Gong practitioners who protest the crackdown of Falun Gong by the Chinese government almost everyday. In the detention center, Ms. Ans feet were put in shackles. She then started a hunger strike to protest. After Ms. Ans death, her husband went to the relevant government offices many times to request that the murderers be punished. Because of this, he was sentenced to labor camp for three years without any legal procedure.
To date, there have already been 25 Falun Gong practitioners who have died in custody. The Chinese government claimed these people have committed suicide or died of natural death.
Focus, Issue 31, 2000, Page 194-195---the Journal of Focus
There are also many Chinese Communist Party members and officials who practice Falun Gong. These people were sent to forced labor just as during the time of Chairman Mao Zedong.
The government authorities fear of losing power also got other Qigong schools in trouble. Early this year, the Chinese government banned the Zhonggong that is said to have 20 million members. This May, the government stipulated that all of about 1000 Qigong schools had to establish a Chinese Communist Party organization and should have at least 3 Communist Party members. The underground churches such as Catholic Church, also cause anxiety to the Chinese government. The church expert said the number of the arrested priests is increasing.
The newspaper in Hong Kong speculates that the reason behind the brutal crackdown of Falun Gong by the Chinese government may be the political fights within the Chinese Communist party. The conservative faction hopes to weaken the power of the reformation faction through Falun Gong issue.
Falun Gong practitioners communicate through the Internet and try to avoid the Chinese governments control. The Chinese government wouldnt allow even this to be without interference. They established filter software to block Falun Gong web sites. Besides, "the Chinese government has repeatedly tried to destroy our web page", Minghui said. (Minghui is one of Falun Dafa web sites.) But these attackers hired by the Chinese government didnt succeed. After one web site is blocked, a new one would be constructed right away.
