Falun Gong raid shocks followers

By I. Wibowo

BEIJING (JP): The temperature in Beijing reached a record 42 degrees Celsius. The main streets and the popular commercial district of Wangfujing were deserted. People simply could not stand the heat. Only construction workers endured their work, oblivious to the dangers of sunstroke.

But the silence did not dampen economic activities. The six- story Xin Dong Fang Shopping Mall, the largest in Wangfujing, was crowded with citizens of Beijing and noncitizens alike. There was no danger of sunstroke in the air-conditioned shopping mall, of course. Here, shops and restaurants were full of people. The same went with the mall's beautifully designed benches.

An old lady, taking a deep sigh, started a conversation with her companion. "Why does the state ban Falun Gong?"

This was a critical question. Only the night before, zhongyang dianshi tai, (national television) spent four hours explaining why it was dangerous. And, the following morning, all the newspapers published the government announcement printed on their front page with big and bold letters.

The old lady, perhaps one of the followers, argued that the state should not be afraid of Falun Gong because they did not have weapons. "Good argument," I told myself. What was considered dangerous by the government was a group of people who practiced meditation, rooted in the Chinese tradition of qi gong (breathing exercise). They did that mostly at sunrise, accompanied by the soothing sounds of traditional Chinese music. It started with the elderly, but soon attracted others of all ages. People of different walks of life took part in the exercise: businessmen, professors, bureaucrats, students, including military men.

One simple explanation to this phenomenon was as capitalism gained momentum in China, more and more people felt they were on the losing side. The rich were getting richer, and the poor were getting poorer. This can be observed not only in Beijing or Shanghai, but in all the other cities of China. In the countryside, beautiful houses owned by the affluent have sprung up but, at the same time, ordinary peasants have stayed poor. Most are driven from their villages to seek a better life in the cities, and combined with laid-off workers, form a large block of proletariats.

To these people, Falun Gong was a way to rid themselves of the unbearable stresses of life. The slow movements, very similar to that of tai ji quan (traditional Chinese exercise), produce a sense of calm. The accompanying Chinese classical music further helps them reach relaxation.

The Chinese state, however, argued that Falun Gong was a dangerous practice. First, it misled the public, it said. The television report showed how people hanged themselves in suicide bids because of their belief in Falun Gong. Also shown in example was a woman and man who died because they refused to take medicine and another man who killed the members of his family. The message was clear: Falun Gong will cause you harm.

The propaganda clearly attempted to paint Falun Gong as irrational and "unscientific". Their leader, Li Hongzhi, was depicted as one who had a negative background. According to the news, he changed his date of birth to adjust it to that of Buddha's. A picture of Li sitting on top of a lotus flower with an aureole around his head was also shown.

But, secondly, the state also argued that Falun Gong was undermining the authority of the Communist Party. The evidence supplied was that it had 100 million members and these members were neatly organized. Li was at the top and the organization spread down throughout China, from cities to villages. As such, it was detrimental to "the political stability which was badly needed in China". This argument came after the first long explanation.

Many said this last argument laid at the core. In April, the secret agency was surprised when about 10,000 members of Falun Gong were sitting around Zhong Nan Hai, a large compound next to the Forbidden City, where all the top leaders of the Chinese Communist Party resided and no ordinary citizen was allowed to enter. The fact that the members of Falun Gong were able to approach the area without the guards noticing, shocked the leaders. There was no doubt that this incident prompted the communist leaders to take drastic action.

It must be noted that the members of Falun Gong at that time were not involved in a demonstration. There was no shouting or yelling, no banners or posters. They just sat and kept silent. As the elderly lady said, they did not bring any weapons. This kind of action was repeated again on July 21 when they went to the Ministry of Communication.

The crackdown on Falun Gong was definitely the most intensive and largest mass campaign in the post-Mao Zedong era. Many different sorts have taken place in China since 1978, but this latest campaign was undoubtedly the biggest. Books and pamphlets were confiscated, publishers which printed books on the subject were closed. Videos which contained Falun Gong material were also confiscated. Citizens were demanded to hand over books or videos on Falun Gong or face heavy punishment. Police rounded up people who were suspected to be leaders. So far, some 5, 000 people have been arrested.

By taking such action against Falun Gong, the Chinese Communist Party has retrieved its old arsenal, namely victimization. In his heyday, Mao Zedong used to divide the citizens into two groups: the people and the enemy of the people. The latter were simply victimized, ostracized and discriminated against. Millions of Chinese have suffered because of this Maoist strategy. Deng Xiaoping, right after he was rehabilitated in 1977, abolished this. But, the leader of the third generation under Jiang Zemin used it again with impunity.

This certainly has shocked the younger generation who have never experienced such a systematic and fierce offensive. But, this should not surprise anybody who knows about the character of a Leninist state like China. Any action or movement, even without weapons, is invariably considered a threat to their power. As power is monopolized by one group, other groups have to be crippled.

Next October, China will celebrate its 50th anniversary of the founding of the republic. People are only reminded that, political-wise, nothing has changed since then.

The writer is the head of the Center for Chinese Studies, Jakarta.