Beijing, Falun Gong in New War of Words

BEIJING, Jan. 5 (AP) - China on Friday accused the outlawed Falun Gong group of growing more ``disruptive'' in its protests, days after its leader made a rare appeal to followers to escalate their struggle against Beijing.

An article in several state-run newspapers blamed sect leader Li Hongzhi for inciting members to extreme acts that upset public order and provoked clashes with police.

``Recently, Falun Gong has become more and more disruptive and noisy, fully displaying Falun Gong's true nature as an evil cult,'' the article said.

``Some extreme elements of Falun Gong have even gone so far as to try to commit suicide on Tiananmen Square, to try to make a big impact and soil the image of the motherland,'' the article said.

The article also accused the group of resorting to novel methods to spread its ``illegal propaganda,'' saying police seized 16 pigeons that sect members had intended to release on Tiananmen Square.

Beijing has been alarmed by Falun Gong's ability to keep staging protests in Tiananmen Square - China's most politically symbolic public monument - despite an 18-month crackdown.

If anything, the sect in recent months appears to have stepped up protests, which have taken place almost daily on the Square in central Beijing where Mao Zedong declared the founding of the People's Republic in 1949.

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