This Response provides information regarding Falun Dafa (Falun Gong, Falungong) in the province of Liaoning, and its relationship with the Chinese authorities.

On 31 December 1996 Falun Dafa adherents staged a demonstration at the Liaoning provincial government building in Shanyeng (Xinhua 15 Aug. 1999). Chen Shasa, a former leader at the Falun Dafa training centre in Shenyang, the Liaoning provincial capital, later broke with the group, and stated to the media that the group's leader, Li Hongzhi, had urged adherents of Falun Dafa to apply pressure on governments (Xinhua 10 Aug. 1999a). Li [Chen] Shasa and Liu Lanbin, another leader at the Shenyang training centre, stated to the media that the demonstration in Shanyeng had been prepared in advance by the Research Society of Falun Dafa (ibid. 15 Aug. 1999). Another former Falun Dafa leader in Anshan, Liaoning, reported that Falun Dafa was well organized, and that adherents received orders from their leaders by telephone and computer (ibid.). Following her break with the organization, the former head of Falun Dafa in the Liaoning city of Dalian, Jin Ming, alleged that Li Hongzhi had defrauded Falun Dafa adherents (ibid. 10 Aug. 1999b).

On 7 April 1998 the local authorities in the city of Chaoyang in Liaoning arrested a group of Falun Dafa leaders who had staged an unauthorized gathering (Xinhua 4 Aug. 1999). The group were arrested and punished under the "Regulations Governing Offenses Against Public Order" (ibid.).

Xinhua news agency reported on 22 July 1999, in the context of a feature article on Falun Dafa, that Falun Dafa adherent Liu Pinqing of Donggang in Liaoning had died on 27 April 1999 after he jumped into a well. He had been under the delusion that Falun Dafa master, Li Hongzhi, who wanted him to become "Buddha in the well," would protect him from death if he did so. In February 1999 Liu Pinqing had attempted to burn himself and refused to take medication when he was subsequently hospitalized, saying that thanks to Li Hongzhi's protection he did not need medication (ibid.). Xinhua reported on 2 August 1999 that 13 adherents of Falun Dafa in the city of Shenyang in Liaoning had been admitted to psychiatric hospital since December 1998. Ten Falun Dafa adherents were admitted to a psychiatric hospital in the city of Anshan in Liaoning, for disorders caused by Falun Dafa, according to doctors at the hospital (Xinhua 9 Aug. 1999a).

On 20 July 1999, in the city of Dalian, in Liaoning, 2,000 Falun Dafa adherents staged a demonstration at the offices of the local government, in protest against the Chinese authorities' arrest of several leaders of the group nationwide (AFP 20 July 1999). A Falun Dafa adherent told the media that seven Falun Dafa leaders were arrested in Dalian and that other adherents were beaten by police during the demonstration (ibid.; South China Morning Post 21 July 1999).

On 23 July 1999 a Chinese government representative stated that Falun Dafa adherents had been going to Beijing in recent days, mostly from Hebei and Liaoning (Xinhua). The representative said that most of the adherents had been tricked into going to Beijing and that the government was providing accommodation for the adherents who had come from out of town and was explaining the truth to them (ibid.).

On 28 July Xinhua reported that the Chinese authorities had confiscated 1.55 million "illegally published books and materials" on Falun Dafa, and that 300,000 volumes had been destroyed by the Beijing municipality. The report added that other local governments, including Liaoning, Guangdong, Shandong, Hebei, Shanghai Sichuan and Shaanxi, would also destroy Falun Dafa publications (ibid. 28 July 1999). On 29 July 1999 the Liaoning provincial government delivered 180,000 Falun Dafa publications to paper factories for destruction, of which 120,000 were confiscated in the city of Dalian (Xinhua 29 July 1999).

On the night of 2 August 1999 six employees and the manager of a printing plant in the city of Dandong in Liaoning were arrested for allegedly printing illegal books about Falun Dafa, according to local police (AFP 3 Aug. 1999). The Liaoning Daily reported that the manager of the factory, Pu Yuntao, would be charged with "printing illegal materials," for his efforts to carry out his commission to print 5,000 Falun Dafa books; he had received the commission to print the books before Falun Dafa was banned (ibid.).

Xinhua reported on 9 August 1999 that the police in the city of Anshan, Liaoning, had staged a raid on vendors of Falun Dafa material and seized about 50,000 yuan worth of books and audio and video tapes (9 Aug. 1999b).

In Shenyang, employees of the Anshan Iron and Steel Company reportedly broke with Falun Dafa and accepted materials from the local government designed to help them eschew "superstitious ideas" (Xinhua 14 Aug. 1999). The Beijing publication Renmin Ribao reported on 17 August 1999 that the majority of Falun Dafa adherents in the main centres in Liaoning, including Shenyang, Dalian and Anshan, had publicly stated that they had broken with the group.

The Hong Kong-based human rights group, the Information Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Movement in China, reported that the Chinese authorities had carried out a series of raids in which "at least 300" Falun Dafa adherents were arrested throughout the country, including the Liaoning cities of Shenyang and Dalian (AFP 19 Sept. 1999). The Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Movement in China linked the arrests to extra security measures in preparation for the upcoming celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of communist rule in China (ibid.).

The Information Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Movement in China reported that "at least 500" adherents of Falun Dafa were arrested in Shenyang, Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Chengdu, Chongquing, Jinzhou, Changchun, Changsha, Harbin and Wuhan in the first three weeks of October 1999 (AFP 21 Oct. 1999).

In the context of an article on Falun Dafa featuring critiques of the group from various parts of China, Liaoning Party Secretary, Wen Shizhen, and Liaoning Party Committee Law Enforcement Commission Party Secretary, Ding Shifa, are quoted as affirming the importance of exposing the falsity of Falun Dafa and of continuing to wage a political struggle against it (Xinhua 29 Oct. 1999a).

On 28 October 1999 various administrative divisions within the Chinese armed forces, including the Shenyang Military Region, launched a program to engage personnel in discussion of an article that had appeared in the Renmin Ribao, entitled " 'Falungong' Is Undoubtedly A Cult," in order to enhance their ability to participate in the official campaign against Falun Dafa (Xinhua 29 Oct. 1999b).

On 1 November 1999 203 Falun Dafa adherents were reportedly arrested in Liaoning, with smaller numbers arrested in Hebei and Shandong provinces (AFP 1 Nov. 1999). On 3 November 1999 ten members were reported to have been expelled from the Communist Party in the Liaoning cities of Fushun and Jinzhou "for refusing to receive education on the evils of Falungong and admit their mistakes;" Wu Zhanrui, an official in the Fushun local government who committed suicide on 26 July 1999 after "refusing to admit his mistakes" was expelled from the Communist Party posthumously (AFP 3 Nov. 1999).

On 5 November 1999 it was reported that the authorities in Liaoning had announced the recent arrests of several Falun Dafa adherents in Anshan, Dalian and Dandong (AFP). In addition, a special task force to combat Falun Dafa was established under the auspices of the Communist Party in Liaoning, according to the police in Anshan (ibid. ; New York Times 5 Nov. 1999).

Please see the attached documents from Amnesty International, The New York Times, and Xinhua for more information on Falun Dafa.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Agence France Presse (AFP) [Hong Kong, in English]. 5 November 1999. "Falungong Trial Set 7 Nov, Another Arrest Reported." (FBIS-CHI-1999 1105 5 Nov. 1999/WNC)

_____ [Hong Kong, in English]. 3 November 1999. "More on Falungong Crackdown, Journalists Detained." (FBIS-CHI-1999-1103 3 Nov. 1999/WNC)

_____ [Hong Kong, in English]. 1 November 1999. " 'National-Gong' Sect Leader Arrested in Sichuan." (FBIS-CHI-1999-1101 1 Nov. 1999/WNC)

_____. [Hong Kong, in English]. 21 October 1999. "5 Falungong Followers Sentenced Without Trial." (FBIS-CHI-1999-1021 21 Oct. 1999/WNC)

_____. [Hong Kong, in English]. 19 September 1999. "PRC Authorities Arrest 300 Falungong Followers." (FBIS-Chi-1999-0919 19 Sept. 1999/WNC)

_____. [Hong Kong, in English]. 3 August 1999. "Seven Arrested for Illegally Printing Falungong Book." (FBIS-CHI-1999-0803 3 Aug. 1999/WNC)

_____. [Hong Kong, in English]. 20 July 1999. "More on Cracks Down on Falungong Leaders, Detain 70." (FBIS-CHI-1999-0720 20 July 1999/WNC)

New York Times. 6 November 1999. Erik Eckholm. "Now China Suggests Fate of Nation Depends on Defeating Sect." (NEXIS)

Renmin Ribao [Beijing, in Chinese]. 17 August 1999. "Renmin Ribao Hails Collapse of Falungong." (FBIS-CHI-1999 0817 17 Aug. 1999/WNC)

South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]. 21 July 1999. Michelle Chak. "Falun Gong Leaders Arrested." (NEXIS)

Xinhua [Beijing, in Chinese]. 29 October 1999a. "Cadres, Scholars on Exposing, Condemning Falungong Sect." (FBIS-CHI-1999 1101 29 Oct. 1999/WNC)

_____ [Beijing, in Chinese]. 29 October 1999b. "PLA, Armed Police Study Renmin Ribao Article on Falungong." (FBIS-CHI-1999 1029 29 Oct. 1999/WNC)

_____ [Beijing, in English]. 15 August 1999. " 'Key Members' of Falun Gong Reveal Sect Secrets." (BBC Summary 15 Aug. 1999/NEXIS)

_____ [Beijing, in English]. 14 August 1999. "Former Falungong Practitioners Said 'Repenting.' " (FBIS-CHI-1999 0814 14 Aug. 1999/WNC)

_____ [Beijing, in English]. 10 August 1999a. "Denunciation of Falungong Continues Across Nation." (FBIS-CHI-1999 0810 10 Aug. 1999/WNC)

_____ [Beijing, in English]. 10 August 1999b. "Former Falungong Station Heads Exposing Li Hongzhi." (FBIS-CHI-1999 0810 10 Aug. 1999/WNC)

_____ [Hefei, in English]. 9 August 1999a. "Falun Gong Causes Practitioner's Death." (NEXIS)

_____ [Beijing, in English]. 9 August 1999b. "PLA Publishing Houses Release Books Exposing Falun Gong." (NEXIS)

_____ [Beijing, in Chinese]. 4 August 1999. Wang Leiming. "Article on Truth of Falungong Gatherings." (FBIS-CHI-1999 0809 4 Aug. 1999/WNC)

_____ [Beijing, in English]. 2 August 1999. " 'Thousands' of Practitioners Severing Ties with Falun Gong." (BBC Summary 2 Aug. 1999/NEXIS)

_____ [Beijing, in English]. 29 July 1999. "Localities Destroy Confiscated Falungong Publications." (FBIS-CHI-1999-0729 29 July 1999/WNC)

_____ [Beijing, in English]. 28 July 1999. "China Confiscates 1.55 Million Falungong Publications." (FBIS-CHI-1999-0728 28 July 1999/WNC)

_____ [Beijing, in English]. 23 July 1999. "Official Defends Handling of Falungong Practitioners." (FBIS-CHI-1999-0723 23 July 1999/WNC)

_____ [Beijing, in Chinese]. 22 July 1999. "Xinhua on Li Hongzhi's Background." (FBIS-CHI-1999-0724 22 July 1999/WNC)

Amnesty International (AI). 22 October 1998. People's Republic of China: Reports of Torture and Ill-Treatment of Followers of the Falun Gong. (AI Index ASA 17/54/99). London. Amnesty International.

New York Times. 6 November 1999. Erik Eckholm. "Now China Suggests Fate of Nation Depends on Defeating Sect." (NEXIS)

Xinhua [Beijing, in Chinese]. 4 August 1999. Wang Leiming. "Article on Truth of Falungong Gatherings." (FBIS-CHI-1999 0809 4 Aug. 1999/WNC)