DATE=3/1/2000 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT TITLE=CHINA-HUMAN RIGHTS (L) NUMBER=2-259701 BYLINE=ROGER WILKISON DATELINE=BEIJING CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Mary Robinson is in China to attend a regional human rights workshop and meet with Chinese officials. VOA correspondent Roger Wilkison reports her visit comes as a human rights monitoring group says Chinese authorities are detaining and harassing dissidents and preventing members of the Falun Gong exercise and meditation movement from traveling to Beijing. TEXT: Before arriving in the Chinese capital Tuesday night, Mrs. Robinson said in Hong Kong that she deplores the country's deteriorating human rights situation. But she is not expected to publicly criticize her hosts during her three-day stay in China. At the opening session of an Asia-Pacific human rights symposium Wednesday, the U-N official urged Asian countries to take what she called tangible steps to promote and protect human rights. But her message did not seem to resonate with Chinese Vice-Premier Qian Qichen, who told the workshop that China will not adopt foreign models of democracy and asked fellow Asians not to give into western pressure. Mr. Qian is scheduled to meet Thursday with Mrs. Robinson, who is offering to help China speed up the ratification of two key U-N human rights covenants. Chinese officials say at least one of the treaties could be ratified by the National People's Congress - China's parliament - which begins its annual two-week session on Sunday. The New York-based Human Rights in China monitoring group reports authorities are clamping down on dissidents and Falun Gong believers ahead of the legislative session. It says one activist, Ma Qiang, has been detained by Beijing police three times in the past five days and that his whereabouts are unknown. It says another member of the banned China Democracy Party-Wang Jinbo -- was apprehended eight days ago and that his family was told he would not be released until the legislative session is adjourned. Human Rights in China also reports that Ding Zilin -- a retired professor whose son was killed in the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre and who leads a support group for other victims -- is under 24-hour surveillance. And it says police throughout China have been placed on alert to prevent Falun Gong members from traveling to Beijing to renew their sporadic protests against a government ban on the movement. (SIGNED) NEB/RW/FC 01-Mar-2000 05:03 AM EDT (01-Mar-2000 1003 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .
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