By Michael Laris

The Washington Post / The Intrnational Herald Tribune

Wednesday, August 25, 1999

Falun Gong Chiefs Face Trial, Beijing Indicates

Heat Rises in Campaign Against Group

BEIJING - In an escalation of the government campaign to crush the Falun Gong spiritual sect, the Communist Party of China signaled Tuesday that it would soon put key leaders of the group on trial. A government circular released by the state-run Xinhua press agency said ''the few organizers who damaged social stability and committed crimes will be punished in accordance with the law.'' The Hong Kong-based Information Center of Human Rights and Democratic Movement said more than 50 organizers were expected to face prosecution. It said that lawyers had been told to notify the authorities if families of the arrested followers seek legal representation. China banned the group July 22, calling it the most significant political threat to the government since the 1989 pro-democracy demonstrations around Tiananmen Square. The group was estimated to have more than 10 million members at its peak, many of whom were members of the security services and the Communist Party. Western diplomats say many of those members hav

e now gone underground. The government vowed Tuesday to intensify its grass-roots efforts to force followers to cut ties with the exercise and meditation group. It said that the vast network in China of ''neighborhood committees'' would provide ''greater care and help'' for those who remain ''deceived'' by Li Hongzhi, the U.S.-based leader of the group. In an acknowledgment that many believers have refused to give up Falun Gong, the circular said local officials were organizing ''work groups'' to buttress efforts ''in the countryside where the numbers of practitioners is relatively high.'' A Western diplomat said Beijing appeared to be moving into a new stage in its anti-Falun Gong effort. ''The final phase is the big show trials,'' the diplomat said, predicting the move could harm the international image of China. ''If you try 20, 40, 60, 200 of the leading Falun Gongers,'' he said, ''the West is going to focus more on the abuses of the government than the zaniness of the cult.'' Mr. Li teaches that cultiva

ting an ''orb of energy'' in one's belly will lead to physical and spiritual health and even supernatural powers. President Jiang Zemin called for the crackdown on Falun Gong after more than 10,000 followers surrounded the red-walled Zhongnanhai leadership compound in central Beijing on April 25. Fearing a backlash from the ban, the government has treated most ordinary followers relatively leniently. Practitioners are required to certify to the government that they have ''cut ties'' with the group. But those who resist are treated harshly. Thousands who protested the ban were detained, though most have been released. But dozens of key organizers, such as Li Chang, a former official in the Ministry of Public Security who was a top aide to Mr. Li, and Wang Zhiwen,formerly of the Ministry of Railways, are expected to face heavy sentences.