|
|
 | Tuesday, April 18, 2000, updated at 10:44(GMT+8) | ||||||||||||
|
Opinion | ||||||||||||
|
Cult Leader Becomes Anti-China ToolOn April 13, more than 100 "Falun Gong" activists held an illegal gathering on Tian'anmen Square in the center of Beijing, but they were immediately stopped by people and police on the spot.Shortly afterwards, the overseas media reported the event based on exaggerated reports faxed by the so-called "Information Center for Human Rights and Democratic Movement in China" in Hong Kong, which claimed that more than 200 "Falun Gong" practitioners protested and were arrested in Beijing's Tian'anmen Square, and linked it to the issue of human rights. Since April 25, 1999, when "Falun Gong" followers held a large-scale gathering in Beijing, the Li Hongzhi-led cult group has never halted their confrontation with the government and law, consistently organizing and agitating "Falun Gong" believers to hold illegal gatherings around the country. Last Thursday's illegal gathering was nothing new, and is but another law-defying and anti-government activity, though it was better organized and planned this time. However, what was unusual this time was the speed with which the foreign media exaggerated their reports of the event. Now, some "Falun Gong"-sponsored overseas websites have exposed the secret that the United Nations Commission on Human Rights is planning to vote on a U.S.-raised proposal to condemn China. These people have forgotten Li Hongzhi's pledge that Falun Gong organizations will "never be involved in politics, never oppose the government, and never throw in their lot with any domestic or foreign political force." These days, the United States Commission on Human Rights has been holding its 56th session in Geneva, Switzerland. Some Americans who are making irresponsible remarks on the pretext of "human rights" have made Falun Gong an important part of their anti-China proposal. Anti-China forces in the United States are paying much " attention" to the Falun Gong cult and they have valued lies such as, the Chinese government has suppressed "civilians" and " persecuted Falun Gong practitioners on a large scale," all fabricated by the cult leader and his followers. However, they have not paid the least "attention" to the fact that many Falun Gong practitioners have suffered from the cult, with over 1,500 losing their lives and over 600 developing serious mental illnesses. This is not because the anti-China elements in the United States love cults, but because the Falun Gong cult still is somewhat capable of raising the devil in China. In this year's anti-China proposal to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Li Hongzhi and his cult have become a new tool for anti-China elements in the United States. This tool has been used by anti-China forces in the United States on several occasions. On March 2, a Chinese-American Falun Gong follower spread rumors at a hearing on "Human Rights Issues in China and Tibet" held by the U.S. Congress Foreign Relations Committee. The speaker, who claimed he was detained for eight days in Beijing a month before for "protecting Falun Gong," won the appreciation of some members of the committee. On March 16, Zhang Erping, a close aide to Li Hongzhi, and Wei Jingsheng attended a hearing on "Religious Freedom in China and Tibet" held by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. In his speech, Wei urged foreign countries concerned to block China's entry into the World Trade Organization. On March 20, when the 56th session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights was inaugurated, Li Hongzhi held a news conference and publicized a "news announcement" claiming they were very happy to see that the U.S. government was preparing to raise a proposal criticizing China's human rights record in 1999 at the session, and that human rights violations must not be regarded as an internal affair. So far, at this session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Li Hongzhi, Wei Jingsheng, and other advocates of "Taiwan independence," "Tibet independence," and a "democratic movement," have been lobbying for the U.S.-sponsored anti-China proposal. Why did Li Hongzhi and his ilk decide to give up their cloak of "not interfering in politics, no opposition to the government, and no seeking refuge with political forces at home or abroad" and then do all they could to serve as a pawn of anti-China forces? The reason is very simple: they hope to sustain the declining fate of the Falun Gong cult, the article said. Since April 25, 1999, and especially since July 22, 1999, Li and his like never stopped organizing the core members of the cult to stir up trouble. However, all of their schemes failed, and the majority of Falun Gong practitioners who had been deceived into believing saw through the evil essence of Li and broke away from the organization. Li and his followers residing abroad attempted to ask some governments to exert pressure on China. But there was no positive response. To prolong their existence, they shifted their strategy and tried to seek some political forces which hoped to use them to sabotage China's social and political stability. To meet the needs of the anti-China forces, Li and his like often defamed the Chinese government as one which violated human rights and interfered in religious freedom. At the same time, the anti-China forces in the U.S. also showed their increased interest in Li, and some even began to voice their support of the cult. For example, a few U.S. congressmen made public their displeasure with China's move against the Falun Gong cult, and a month later, some congressmen asked the U.S. administration to publicly censure China for its crackdown on Falun Gong. In October 1999, Amnesty International made public their support of Falun Gong. A month later, the immigration authorities in San Francisco speedily granted political asylum to a Falun Gong practitioner. On December 6, 1999, a high-ranking official in the U.S. administration said publicly for the first time that the U.S. was worried about the Chinese government's ban on Falun Gong. By then, the anti-China forces had accepted, for their own political needs, Li Hongzhi and the Falun Gong cult. Incidents of the past several months show that Li Hongzhi and his ilk had political ambitions and tried to confront the Chinese government. Now, they have given them up to the anti-China forces, and have become the tools of anti-China activists. Also, it seems that Li and his like are not satisfied with their ugly performances, and will continue their attempts to oppose the government and people. On April 16, a leading member of the Falun Gong cult organized some members to make trouble in Victoria Park in Hong Kong to show their support for Li's activities in Geneva. In addition, Li and his followers approached the Dalai Lama clique, which also showed interest in Falun Gong. These two groups of political forces also joined hands in Geneva to work for the U. S. anti-China motion. It's a pity that Li has degraded from a cult leader of omnipotence to a pawn of international anti-China forces. It's even more lamentable that history has proved time and again that persons who have become the enemies of the country, people and nation will be eventually doomed.
 In This Section 
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Copyright by People's Daily Online, all right reserved | | Mirror in U.S. | Mirror in Japan | Mirror in Edu-Net | Mirror in Tech-Net | |
