When interviewed by a reporter from the Hong Kong-based Wen Hui Pao, a responsible member of the Information Office of the State Council pointed out that we have won a decisive victory in the struggle against the cult organization of the "Falun Gong". Li Hongzhi and his like, instead of accepting their defeat, however, continued to make trouble. This year, in particular, the heretical "Falun Gong" organization has collaborated with international anti-China forces, being a political tool by anti-China forces, and constantly carried out anti-China activities. The fight against the "Falun Gong" will be a long, intense, and complicated struggle in the days to come.
Following are the main points of the member's answers to the reporter's questions:
Q: Last year, the government banned the cult organization of the "Falun Gong" according to the law, exposed the true nature of Li Hongzhi and his gang, and educated "Falun Gong" practitioners. Could you say something about this?
A: In handling and solving the issue of the "Falun Gong," the principle adopted by the government is to unite, educate, transform, and extricate the majority of the "Falun Gong" practitioners from the cult organization, who were deceived by Li Hongzhi, and punishes the handful of criminals in the group who had ulterior motives and intentionally disturbed social order.
I have three figures with me here:
First, there were more than 2 million "Falun Gong" practitioners in China. Now more than 98 percent of them have had a clear understanding of the true nature of the "Falun Gong" and have cut themselves off from the cult organization after the patient education by the society, their families and their work units which also showed their concern for them in their political life, in their work, and in their daily life.
Second, the cult organization of the "Falun Gong" has caused deaths to over 1,500 practitioners, more than the 1,000-odd deaths induced by the "Movement for the Restoration of God's Ten Commandments," a heretical cult in Uganda. On April 5, this year, there was a "Falun Gong" practitioner in the city of Jiutai of Jilin Province, who burn himself death after leaving a note to his wife saying that he had gone in quest of "Falun Dafa" (Great Doctrine of the Wheel of Law). In addition, there were more than 600 people who were diagnosed by doctors as suffering from mental disorders, a result of practicing the "Falun Gong."
Third, the handful of the "Falun Gong" organizers, plotters and core members, who are still continuing illegal and criminal activities under the organization's name, should be resolutely punished according to law. By March 25, 2000, the people's courts at various levels throughout China had tried and concluded 91 cases concerning the "Falun Gong" to the first or second trial, and verdicts were made on 99 cases. Of these, 84 were given criminal sanction while 15 were exempted from criminal sanction.
Generally speaking, we have won a decisive victory in the struggle against the "Falun Gong" organization. Li Hongzhi and his gang, however, not reconciled to their defeat, have continued to make trouble. Especially since the beginning of this year, the cult organization has worked with international anti-China forces and constantly carried out anti-China activities. Our fight against the "Falun Gong" will be a long, intense, and complicated struggle.
Q: Sometimes people saw police patrol wagons at Tiananmen Square and members of the "Falun Gong" being taken away from the square. Is it true that members of the "Falun Gong" often went to protest there?
A: Since July 22, 1999, when the government department declared the "Falun Gong" an illegal organization and banned it, almost everyday the "Falun Gong" practitioners gathered at Tiananmen Square and its vicinities to protest in accordance with Li Hongzhi's requirements of "carrying on his teachings," "promoting themselves to a higher level," and "attaining final enlightenment." Their numbers increased markedly on occasions of important festivals and state activities, such as the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year), meetings of the National People's Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and visits of important foreign guests. Some of them went there to "preach Li's teachings" or practice "Falun Gong," some carried banners with slogans or shouted slogans, others attempted to blow up homemade explosive devices. On the morning of April 5 this year, a man practitioner surnamed Li from Hebei Province went to Tiananmen Square with explosives tied up onto his body and attempted to blow himself up among the crowds. He was found by police on duty at the square, and a disaster was avoided.
As reported, some thousand "Falun Gong" practitioners gathered at Tiananmen Square on the eve and the first day of the past Spring Festival, trying to carry out activities to "defend 'Falun Gong' on New Year's Day of the new millennium in the Chinese lunar calendar." Investigations conducted by Beijing's public security organs showed that these demonstrations were planned and carried out by the core members of the "Falun Gong" in China and abroad. Acting in accordance with the instruction of Li Hongzhi and his like, the handful of "Falun Gong" core members in China spread rumors and deceived practitioners, saying that the "root of evils" was on the rostrum of Tainanmen Gate and that Li Hongzhi would reveal himself on the rostrum on New Year's Day. They also said that after that date there would be no more chance for the practitioners to "attain final enlightenment" and the practitioners would lose the "supernatural power" they had acquired should they fail to go to Beijing and "promote 'Falun Gong'." Spring Festival is the most important national holiday of the Chinese people. Li Hongzhi and his gang took advantage of the occasion to disturb the festive mood. Their attempt could not win popular support.
Q: People still remember that, on many occasions, Li Hongzhi expressed he had "no intention to be involved in politics." But you mentioned just now that Li and his gang collaborated with and became a political tool of the international anti-China forces. Could you say something about this in detail?
A: Yes, Li Hongzhi said he would not take part in politics, not do anything against the government, and not give himself up to any political forces. All this is camouflage, aimed at deceiving people. Not long ago, Li and his men ganged up with overseas anti-China forces and carried out activities in coordination with the anti-China motion put forward by the United States at the 56th Session of the UN Commission on Human Rights. This is a fraud they laid bare themselves. It is reported that, on March 2, this year, the "Falun Gong" and ten "democratic movement" and "Tibet independent" organizations in Canada held a press conference to spread slanders against the Chinese government and urge Canada to sign on the US motion to the UN human rights meeting. In addition, they related the Canada-Chinese trade with the human rights conditions in China. On March 16, Li Hongzhi sent his assistant Zhang Erping to join Wei Jingsheng, Henry Wu, and others in attacking the Chinese government at a hearing on the "issue of religious freedom in China" sponsored by the US International Committee for Religious Freedom and providing "cannonballs" for the United States' anti-China motion. When the 56th UN Human Rights Meeting was convened in Geneva on March 20, Li Hongzhi mustered around himself some members of the "Falun Gong" organization at a press conference to carry out signing-in, "accusations by sufferers," and other activities, making an all-out effort to clamor for the United States' anti-China motion. On several occasions, when Chinese leaders made state visits to other countries, members of the "Falun Gong" held demonstrations to protest with the Dalai Lama clique and members of the "democratic movement." All this clearly shows that Li Hongzhi and the "Falun Gong" have overtly given themselves up to the international anti-China forces.
Q: The "Falun Gong" members said that they believe in "truthfulness, benevolence and tolerance" and try to be honest persons. But people alleged that they despised the law. What 's your comment?
A: Showing contempt for the law is one of the characteristics of the "Falun Gong" heretical organization. By means of spiritual control, Li Hongzhi made a small number of the practitioners who were deeply affected by "Falun Gong" obsessed with his heretical ideas. They took "defending 'Falun Gong'." "promoting themselves to a higher level," and "attaining final enlightenment" as their guide to action. Li and the core members of "Falun Gong" talked sheer nonsense that the "Falun Gong" was in compliance with "Falun Dafa" (Great Doctrine of the Wheel of Law) and could ignore laws in the human world and that the disciples of "Falun Gong" are bound by no human world laws. The core members who instigated others to challenge the law, in fact, did not believe in this protection by the "master" as Li Hongzhi advocated and were afraid of being punished according to law. They never showed up at the protests they organized and instead pushed the "Falun Gong" practitioners onto the stage to be their "cannon fodder" and "victims." Last August, when a number of "Falun Gong" practitioners were having an illegal gathering in Wanlu Park of Haikou City, Hainan Province, the organizers were already aboard an airplane leaving Haikou. During the Spring Festival this year, when the "Falun Gong" practitioners gathered at Tiananmen to carry out "defending 'Falun Gong' on the New Year's Day of the new millennium," the organizers hid themselves behind the scene and kept their watch in secret at the deceived practitioners.
It must be pointed out that there are a few "Falun Gong" practitioners residing abroad who are against current Chinese laws and attempt to enter China to create trouble. Australian Zhang Cuiying has been seized four times by Chinese departments for attempting to enter China illegally, despite repeated education. On February 4, last year, a Chinese-American by the name of Tracy Zhao was taken away and detained according to law when carrying out illegal activities at Tiananmen Square. On February 10, Zhao was deported. Foreigners coming to China must abide by Chinese law, and any lawbreakers must be punished accordingly.
Q: Some people said that Li Hongzhi had neither spread that "the earth is going to blow up," "the doomsday of the human world" nor "there is no need to take medicine for illnesses." All this is imposed on him. Is it true?
A: All the absurdities mentioned above were not whispered privately but spread by Li Hongzhi in public. They can be found in both the books and video tapes he sold. I'll give you a few examples:
In Falun Fofa - Preaching at a Ceremony in Switzerland, Li Hongzhi wrote, "The earth we live on is not the only planet with life. The earth exists not only once. Here, I mean there were other earths where this earth is positioned. They were abandoned, and some of them were exploded. The earth exists many times. The number of times of its existence is considerably large."
In another book entitled Zhuanfalun, he wrote, "I made a careful examination and found that the human world has been in the state of complete ruin for 81 times, and each time only a few survived who carried on the previous civilization into the next period and led a primitive life. New civilization appeared as the survivals have multiplied. I have not found the end of the human world yet after the 81 periodical changes."
In Falun Fofa - Sermons in the United States, he said, "It is not in conformity either to the logical thinking of the common people nor to reasons of the human world if an ordinary person does not go to see the doctor and take medicine when he or she is ill." "But as a 'Falun Gong' practitioner, you should not be identified with the ordinary person. To speak seriously, you are no longer a human being." "I tell you that it is not illness when some of us, the practitioners of 'Falun Gong,' do not physically feel well."
On many occasions, Li Hongzhi made similar remarks. They are put down in black and white and allow of no denial. Li's denial, a result of his guilty conscience, should serve as something to sober up those infatuated with "Falun Gong" and help them see clearly the falsehood of "Falun Gong" and its fallacies.
(Excerpts from a Xinhua News Agency dispatch, April 19, 2000)
