Lone Frenchman sole arrest on low-key anniversary of Falun Gong founding

May 13, 2002

BEIJING (AP) - The French computer engineer sent a final e-mail to friends back home, then headed to Beijing's Tiananmen Square to stage his protest. Seconds after pulling out a banner and shouting slogans supporting the banned Falun Gong meditation movement, he was bundled into a van by police.

The man was the only known Falun Gong follower arrested in China for protesting against the ban on the group on Monday, the tenth anniversary of Falun Gong's founding.

The day's low-key passing in Beijing seemed to show how much the Communist Party's relentless pursuit of the group has decimated its public membership and willingness to protest openly.

In the first years after Falun Gong was banned in July 1999, May 13 brought dozens of protesters to Tiananmen Square. They were assaulted by police and quickly detained.

The date marks the birthday of Falun Gong founder Li Hongzhi and the day he began the group in 1992. Chinese officials say records show that Li was actually born on July 7, 1952.

Falun Gong drew millions of followers with its slow-motion exercises and doctrines drawn from traditional Chinese beliefs and Li's own unorthodox teachings. Li, a former Chinese government clerk, now lives in the United States.

Thousands of followers have been detained in the frequently brutal crackdown, and supporters abroad say at least 400 have been killed. Authorities deny mistreating anyone, but say some detainees have died on hunger strikes.

Chinese members have since shifted to underground agitation, spreading their message by Internet and fliers posted in secret. Supporters have broken into cable television systems in at least three Chinese cities to show protest videos.

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