DATE=11/22/1999 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT TITLE=FALUN GONG/SHENZHEN NUMBER=2-256430 BYLINE=AMY BICKERS DATELINE=HONG KONG INTERNET=YES CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: Chinese authorities have reportedly charged a suspected leader of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement with organizing protests in the Southern Chinese boomtown of Shenzhen, near Hong Kong. As Amy Bickers reports from Hong Kong, some see the move as a warning to Falun Gong practitioners in the Chinese territory. TEXT: According to the Hong Kong based- Information Center of Human Rights and Democratic Movement in China, Li Jianhui (PRON: Jee-on-way) was formally charged Monday by a court in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. Chinese authorities reportedly accused Mr. Li of using an evil cult to violate the law. The charge comes more than two months after Mr. Li was detained by police for allegedly organizing demonstrations. The Chinese government outlawed Falun Gong in July and has pledged to wipe it out. Beijing views the popular group as a threat to society and to the Communist government. It has ordered millions of Falun Gong followers to renounce their beliefs or face arrest. More than 100 Falun Gong leaders have been formally arrested. Many more are said to be in detention or labor camps, where they are not subject to judicial proceedings. Hundreds are reportedly awaiting trial. The charges brought against Mr. Li are viewed by some Hong Kong activists as a warning to Hong Kong Falun Gong members. In Hong Kong, the group remains legal, because of the territory's special autonomous status within China. But Chinese authorities are said to be concerned about growing numbers of Hong Kong-based Falun Gong practitioners who are traveling to Beijing to protest the ban. Last week, police seized four Hong Kong women who carried a pro-Falun Gong banner in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. (SIGNED) NEB/AB/FC/KL 22-Nov-1999 07:10 AM EDT (22-Nov-1999 1210 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .
