China Accuses Taiwan of Falun Gong Illegal Broadcasts

VOA, Oct. 30, 2002
http://www.voanews.com/

Beijing says the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement has interfered with China’s satellite television broadcasts again. China’s government said the interference came from Taiwan.

A spokesman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said the people who disrupted the broadcasts should be tracked down by officials on Taiwan and punished.

Li Weiyi said Falun Gong supporters affected the normal broadcast of programs.

There were two incidents in the past week. Officials did not make it clear if the illegal broadcasts just blocked normal television signals or attempted to put Falun Gong programming on the air.

Beijing says Falun Gong members hacked into the satellite transponders that beam Chinese state television programs to viewers. Last month, China complained about a similar incident, but officials on Taiwan dismissed the matter as “far-fetched.”

The incidents come at a sensitive time in Chinese politics as the ruling Communist Party gets ready for a Party Congress next month that will likely announce new leadership for the country. Television officials have threatened to fire workers at local stations if Falun Gong supporters manage to get programming on the air or disrupt broadcasts of the Party Congress.

The Falun Gong movement was branded an “evil cult” and banned in China in 1999 after thousands of followers staged a demonstration near the compound that houses China’s leaders.

Since then, the government has arrested thousands of the group’s followers. Some members say those arrested have been tortured and some have died while under arrest.

Falun Gong combines traditional Chinese breathing exercises with beliefs borrowed from Buddhism and Taoism. The practice is legal in Taiwan.

Read Another Article

Mahesh Yogi to launch global currency Raam
Taipei told to stop hijacking of TV signals by Falungong

Related News Articles Topic(s): Falun Gong Subscribe to Religion News Blog updates Subscribe to Religion News Blog [What is this?] Get Religion News Blog's headline by Email [What is this?] Follow Religion News Blog at Twitter Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults: ApologeticsSearch.com: Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs. CounterCultSearch.com: Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, and cults experts -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support. Find Related Religion & Spirituality Books at Amazon.com Falun Gong Possibly related... or Most Popular Religion News Articles Kent Hovind: Evangelist arrested on federal charges Beast’s real mark devalued to ’616′ Muslim Woman Gives Sex Advice on Arab TV Michael Jackson Confirms Conversion to Islam Kent Hovind, ‘Dr. Dino,’ guilty on all counts The fall and rise of Carlton Pearson Search False prophet Harold Camping sets another date for rapture: May 21, 2011 Watch the film Theo van Gogh was murdered for Kent Hovind — Dr. Dino — sentenced to 10 years in prison

Search Religion News Blog