BEIJING, February
27 (Xinhuanet) -- Incomplete calculations
indicated that the heavily blasted Falun Gong
organization has led to 1,660 deaths, announced an official
Tuesday during a news conference on China's
handling of the cult.
Liu Jing, person in
charge of the Office for the Prevention and Handling of
Cults (OPHC) under the State Council, said that before the
organization was officially banned on July 22, 1999, 136
Falun Gong practitioners had committed suicide at the
instigation of Li Hongzhi, ringleader of the cult,
who called for his followers to " go to the
Heaven" and "achieve real completion."
After the official ban, another 103 persons
killed themselves as a result of Li Hongzhi's
heresies.
Meanwhile, the cult has
destroyed the harmony of many families, ridding many of love
and happiness. It has misled a large number of
obsessive followers to refuse medical services, commit
suicide or even kill innocent people.
"Facts show that Chinese Government's ban on
Falun Gong is a necessary move to maintain social
stability and safeguard fundamental human rights
at the request of Chinese people. It completely
abides by the law," said Liu Jing.
Liu also said that Chinese Government will try its best to
educate and help Falun Gong practitioners to get
out of the spiritual shackles of the cult. Legal
punishments are only exerted on those cult followers who
conduct crimes violating social stability and
endangering human rights of other individuals.
"It is rather difficult to liberate
obsessive cult followers from the addiction. In
this regard, we wish to strengthen ties and co-operation
with foreign anti-cult institutions, and take
appropriate measures to protect Chinese people
from the harm of cults," Liu said.
The OPHC head also said that China is not the
only country that declared war against cults. It is a
responsibility that every responsible government
should shoulder.
However, some forces have
turned a deaf ear to the misdeeds of Falun Gong
and used the issue as a pretext to interfere with China 's
internal affairs. Such behaviors is absolutely unacceptable,
Liu stated. Enditem