The People Daily is urging the careful education and transformation of the majority of Falun Gong practitioners in a bid to win a complete victory in the struggle against the cult.

In a commentary to be published on November 11, the leading newspaper in China says that education "is needed in the struggle, is one of the important goals of the ongoing struggle, and is a substantial part of the Party's mass line."

Only by insisting on educating and transforming the majority of Falun Gong practitioners can the small number of hard-core elements in the cult be effectively isolated and beaten, the commentary says, adding that isolating and beating the minority is also aimed at uniting the majority.

The commentary asks the public to differentiate between the various people involved in Falun Gong.

Those who practiced Falun Gong in order to keep fit, without any knowledge about the evil nature of the cult, are victims and should not be treated with a bias, the paper says.

It explains that Falun Gong practitioners who quit the practice after the government ban should not be regarded as cult members, and they are welcome to participate in the campaign against the cult.

The commentary calls Falun Gong a complicated issue that involves a large number of people. As a result, it stresses, Falun Gong should be handled with a firm attitude and stand, as well as with great care.

The education of Falun Gong practitioners who are not cult members should be carried out in a selective manner so as to avoid a simple, rough solution, the paper says.

Carefully carrying out the work of education and transformation will achieve a complete isolation and strike the hardest possible blow against a handful of stubbornly resisting elements, it says.

The commentary points out that the current anti-Falun Gong campaign has acquired a legal basis following the recent resolution by the National People's Congress outlawing all cults in the country, and a joint statement by the Supreme Court and Procuratorate interpreting the use of law in dealing with cults.

The paper calls for a heavy hand in dealing with the few organizers and planners and those who have worked behind the scenes and have political motives. It invites the majority of Falun Gong practitioners who have been educated and transformed to join the people in criticizing the cult. (Xinhua)