Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=O2/07/02

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-286153

TITLE=CHINA FALUN GONG L ONLY

BYLINE=JIM RANDLE

DATELINE=BEIJING

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: China rejects a report that it violated the human rights of members of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement during a police crackdown that saw thousands of people taken into custody. China's Foreign Ministry says the human rights group that issued the report is "irresponsible" and wrong. V-O-A's Jim Randle reports.

TEXT: Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan says there is no abuse of Falun Gong practitioners in China. Mr. Kong says Human Rights Watch has issued several "irresponsible" reports in the past and this is more of the same.

/// KONG ACT IN CHINESE, ESTABLISH, FADE UNDER ///

Mr. Kong calls the Falun Gong "anti-science and anti-human" and urges its followers to leave the group.

The group combines slow motion exercise with an eclectic mix of Buddhist and Taoist doctrine. Chinese officials banned Falun Gong more than two years ago as "an evil cult."

A new report by Human Rights Watch says China's government abused the human rights of Falun Gong members by arresting thousands of them and sending many to jail or labor camps for practicing their religion. Falun Gong officials outside China allege that hundreds of members have died in Chinese police custody and that officials routinely try to cover up killings, torture and other kinds of abuse.

About a year ago, five people set themselves on fire in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Some of the group died, others were horribly injured in the incident. China's government says the attempted suicides support its contention that Falun Gong is a dangerous group that should be banned as a threat to public safety.

Falun Gong spokesmen say their doctrine bans killing, including suicide. Since the Tiananmen Square incident, the number of public demonstrations by Falun Gong members has declined sharply.

China permits only approved religious groups to operate in the country. Dozens of others are banned, including Falun Gong, apparently because Beijing fears they challenge the authority of the Communist Party. (Signed)

NEB/HK/JR/KPD/PT