China: October 31, 1999

Archives

The government is arresting more and more Falungong members who show up in Beijing to silently protest the banning of their group. A new law proscribes groups similar to Falungong, and as a result police have rounded up the leadership of the Guogong sect. What frightens the government is that throughout history groups like this, that appeal to a wide range of people, are extremely difficult to suppress and have sometimes brought down the government. Police action to date does not appear to have shut down Falungong, and this does not give comfort to a government already best by popular unrest over corruption officials. The government plans public trails sect leaders, and if this backfires, the situation in China could become very unstable.