Question: What is the Falun Gong?
GMT 18100, 990720 – Falun Gong Crackdown Suggests Beijing Fears Simultaneous Crises
China has reportedly launched a new crackdown on members of the Falun Gong organization. Agence France Presse (AFP) cited Ye Hao, a member of the group and a former Chinese police officer now in the United States, as saying 70 leaders of Falun Gong were detained in China early July 20. In addition, Ye said 2,000 Falun Gong members in Dailan province were beaten by police when they went to the local government offices to protest the detentions. Ye said, "Some of our members have had their bones broken during the beating, while others were hurled against walls." In Hong Kong, Sophie Xiao told AFP that leaders of the organization in several Chinese cities had been warned that the Chinese government would outlaw the organization beginning July 21. Xiao added, however, that the government crackdown, rather than weakening the organization, would instead only serve to make it grow stronger.
Falun Gong came rapidly into the Chinese spotlight on the morning of April 25 when 10,000 members assembled outside Communist Party headquarters, within eyesight of Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The group held a one-day silent demonstration and dispersed peacefully around 9 PM. The move took Beijing off guard, and it was several days before the government crafted a response. Since that time, there have been several instances of smaller government crackdowns on the organization, and warnings by the government for Falun Gong not to threaten social stability. This brings the focus to the true intentions behind the current crackdown.
China's number one concern at the moment is maintaining internal stability, something it has largely accomplished since February this year. However, while China maintained control over the dissidents and students, Falun Gong managed to hold a massive rally on the steps of the Communist Party without any forewarning in the government or security apparatus. This has troubled the Chinese leadership, which has been struggling with finding a way to deal with the group. On the one hand, China does not want to see a group of this size and organization in existence, as it has the ability to rally large numbers of people unannounced. At the same time, China has been concerned about the consequences of cracking down on the organization, which reportedly has 100 million members worldwide.
China's decision to act against Falun Gong at this time may be triggered by a fear of defending two fronts. While Falun Gong has resolutely stated that it is not a political entity and has no desire to see the government of China fall, it still maintains the power to gather large numbers of supporters. The recent arrests demonstrate this, as groups into the thousands have gathered in Chinese cities to protest the detention of Falun Gong leaders. However, with the increase in tensions with Taiwan, China may have decided that now is not the time to have to worry about spontaneous massive public demonstrations. In the interest of maintaining its focus, now squarely on Taiwan, Beijing is attempting to eliminate a major internal irritant. While the decision may give China the ability to concentrate on Taiwan, it risks domestic stability by assuming that Falun Gong members will abide by the mandate and not gather. If the reports about the clash in Dailan are correct, however, the situation does not bode well.
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