AFP: Taiwan Falun Gong Practitioners Condemn Jiang Over Crackdown

TAIPEI, Jul 19, 2001 -- (Agence France Presse) Taiwanese followers of the Falun Gong spiritual [group] on Wednesday denounced Chinese President Jiang Zemin for suppressing the group in China, saying at least 250 practitioners had been killed there.

The Taiwanese group is to hold a vigil in central Taipei on Friday, the second anniversary of the crackdown on Falun Gong in China.

"Over the past two years at least 250 Falun Gong people have been tortured and lost their lives," said Chang Ching-hsi, head of the Taiwanese group.

"It is our obligation to underscore Jiang's evil practices and let the ordeals of the mainland Falun Gong practitioners be better known to the world," he said.

[

Three days after Beijing won the bid to host the 2008 Olympics, Chinese vice premier Li Lanqing vowed to continue the government's campaign against the group, justifying the actions in part by saying the award of the Games showed international approval of China's "social stability".

[] Since then hundreds of Falun Gong followers have been jailed and tens of thousands sent to reeducation camps. Human rights groups say more than 100 have died in police detention. ((c) 2001 Agence France Presse)

http://www.europeaninternet.com/china/news.php3?id=549593