Mick Hartley

“It is increasingly clear that much of the current wave of repression is occurring not in spite of the Olympics but actually because of the Olympics” – Amnesty International. Now it’s the turn of the Falun Gong:

Members of a peaceful Chinese spiritual movement say that more than 1,500 of its supporters have been detained in the run-up to the Olympic Games and that one of them, a popular folk singer, has died in custody.

The arrests have been carried out against Falun Gong, a group that practises traditional meditation and exercise. The Chinese government banned Falun Gong in 1999, calling it “an evil cult”.

The official media have not reported the arrests, but there has been lively discussion among music fans on Chinese websites over the fate of the singer Yu Zhou, 42. “F*** authority. Another beautiful soul has left the world,” commented one distraught fan.

Falun Gong representatives said Yu was arrested on January 26 while returning home from a concert in Beijing. His family were called to the Qinghe district emergency centre on February 6 to view his body, which was covered in a white sheet.

Yu’s relatives were told that he had died of diabetes or as the result of a hunger strike. They replied that he had never suffered from diabetes and refused official demands for an immediate cremation, the group said.

Yu won a following among young Chinese for his mellow folk ballads. His group, Xiao Juan and Residents from the Valley, released two successful CDs and appeared on the Phoenix television channel. […]

While global attention has focused on the uprising in Tibet, the renewed attack on Falun Gong shows that the state security apparatus is determined to crush any domestic opposition before the Beijing Games start in August.

“It is increasingly clear that much of the current wave of repression is occurring not in spite of the Olympics but actually because of the Olympics,” said Amnesty International, which has detailed numerous arrests and the harassment of Chinese civil rights activists.

Now operating from exile, Falun Gong said that at least 1,878 of its adherents had been arrested since January 1. The detainees included 156 people in Beijing. Of these, 26 were residents of the Chaoyang and Shunyi districts, which host Olympic venues.

This follows attempts by the Chinese to close down an Indonesian radio station with links to Falun Gong:

The director of an Indonesian radio station vowed today to stay on air following a demand to shut down, saying the government should not bow to external pressures. Erabaru (New Era) Radio director Gatot Supriyanto said the station had received a letter from the government’s broadcasting watchdog ordering it to close soon or “receive legal sanctions”.

The Indonesian Broadcast Commission said last year that the Chinese embassy had complained that the private radio station, run by members of the Falungong spiritual movement, has been airing criticism of Beijing. It prompted the watchdog to monitor broadcasts from the station, based on Batam island, south of Singapore.

“We reject any form of intervention from anyone towards the freedom of press in Indonesia, including in this case the Chinese government,” Supriyanto said. “We broadcast current events including oppression to Falungong members by the Chinese government. Maybe they are unhappy with it,” he told AFP, adding that the radio station remains on the air.

[Thanks Geoffrey]