People's Daily Editorial on Falun Gong Ban ����People's Daily's editorial on July 23 supports the Chinese government ban on Falun Gong activities. ����The editorial says that Party members, government officials, and the people as a whole should understand that this is a serious ideological and political struggle which has bearing on the fundamental beliefs of Party members, on the basic ideological foundation for the Chinese people's cause and unity, and on the future of the Party and state. ����The Communist Party of China Central Committee has issued a circular prohibiting Party members from practicing Falun Gong and the Ministry of Civil Affairs has outlawed the Research Society of Falun Dafa. The Ministry of Public Security has issued a notice to prohibit pro-Falun Gong activities and published an article on the life of Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong, and about how he made Falun Dafa up to destroy people's minds, disturb public order, and disrupt social stability, it says. ����The editorial emphasizes that priority should be given to understanding the political nature and serious problems of the Falun Gong organization. Li Hongzhi has malicious fallacies about doomsday approaching and himself being the only savior. He managed to develop Falun Gong into a nationwide organization that penetrated some of the Party and government organizations and even attempted to create a political force that challenged the Party and the government. ����Falun Gong got its practitioners to attack press organizations and Party and government institutions when stories about the damage caused by Falun Gong appeared, it says, and if people fail to see the political nature of Falun Gong and don't take appropriate steps to deal with the problem, they are bound to make historic mistakes. ����However, it says, the overwhelming majority of Falun Gong practitioners took part in the practice in the hope of improving physical fitness and don't understand the ulterior motives of Li and a handful of people. They should be given help to understand that the government ban on Falun Gong is beneficial to the fundamental interests of the Chinese people, including themselves. People who voluntarily separate themselves from the Falun Gong organization will not be investigated or penalized. ����It says that a distinction must be made between normal physical exercises and superstitious activities that are disguised as physical exercises, between ordinary Falun Gong practitioners and a few plotters and organizers of activities which violate the law, and between normal religious belief and legitimate religious activities and activities organized by Falun Gong. ����Stability is the paramount interest of the State and the people, it says, and nothing can be done successfully without it. So an early resolution of the Falun Gong issue will help safeguard stability and unity in China and allow the Chinese people to concentrate their efforts on pushing ahead reforms, the opening-up, and the socialist modernization drive. ����It says that an overwhelming majority of Falun Gong followers, after seeing the true face of Li Hongzhi, will no doubt take steps to help maintain social stability and will do nothing to harm unity and stability. ����Those few people who tried to spread superstition and heretical ideas and deceive the public under the pretext of practicing and propagating Falun Gong and who deliberately created disturbances and instigated insurrection must be penalized in accordance with the law, it says, pointing to the importance of the role of all Communist Party members and organizations in handling the issue. ����Party members need to take a firm stand and follow the guidelines and measures of the Communist Party of China Central Committee in thoughts and deeds, it says, and the Party members involved in Falun Gong practices must completely break away from Falun Gong's ideological influence and quit Falun Gong organizations and return to the correct stance of the Party. ����It says that no Communist Party member should practice Falun Gong, participate in any Falun Gong activities, hold any post in a Falun Gong organization, distribute any Falun Gong materials, or provide funds or a site or other facilities for Falun Gong activities. ����Party members need to take the lead in exposing Li Hongzhi and criticizing him and his Falun Dafa and to make an effort to help Party organizations and government departments explain this to non- Party members, it says, and asks Party organizations at all levels to use strict discipline with Party members and to earnestly shoulder political responsibilities during this serious ideological and political struggle. ����Party organizations need to continue to educate Party members in Marxist materialism and atheism extensively and help them continue to increase their Party spirit, political awareness, and ability of judgment, and infuse them with Communist ideals and a firm belief in the cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics, it says. ����With the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Jiang Zemin at its core, and with the solidarity of people of all ethnic groups, and with the scientific truth of Marxism, the Falun Gong issue can be successfully resolved and the current struggle won, it concludes. Opinion 1999-07-23 Page1 Full Story in Chinese