Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2002, Page 65
China's president, Jiang Zemin, has tacitly acknowledged international criticism on the
issue, telling the meeting that China should "strengthen propaganda" on "the reality of the
situation". China must seek to counter international criticism of its policies towards religion,
he said. He has long been seen as the prime mover behind the two-year crackdown on
Falun Gong that has resulted in the jailing of tens of thousands of followers without trials.
(South China Morning Post, 12/14/2001, Internet)
Falun Gong Hijacks TV Time /China
A state TV station signal in Changchun, China was "hijacked" by the banned Falun Gong
spiritual sect in early March, another sign of defiance to tough measures taken against it
over the past three years. The hijackers screened a film of the sect's spiritual master, Li
Hongzhi, the leader of what Beijing calls an "evil cult."
"There was a brief blackout and then there was Li Hongzhi speaking, and banners saying
Falun Dafa [another name for the sect] is good," a viewer told Reuters in Beijing. The
viewer said that the interruption lasted for 50 minutes, but according to the local cable
Company there was only a 10-minute break in normal transmission. (John Gittings, The
Guardian, 3/8/02, Internet)
Hong Kong Charges Falun Gong Protesters /Hong Kong
Hong Kong authorities took their first legal action against Falun Gong on March 15, filing
charges accusing 16 sect members [and four Swiss followers who joined them] of
obstruction during a protest outside China's liaison office that ended in a scuffle with police.
The charges have set off a debate over whether the government is trying to silence the
meditation sect and erode Hong Kong's freedoms, as members and civil rights activists fear,
or if it is simply having police enforce the law against overzealous demonstrators, as the
government says.
Sect supporters accuse Hong Kong of acting under pressure from China to crack down on
the group. Hong Kong denies the charge, even though it has gradually adopted language
similar to Beijing's, calling Falun Gong a "cult'' that bears close scrutiny. But the Security
Bureau says that as long as Falun Gong abides by the law in Hong Kong, the government
will not intervene in its activities, despite the fact that it has been banned in mainland
China.'' (AP, 3/15/02, Internet)
"The Family" of Rasheen Nyah
"The Family" Guru Allegedly Used drugs and Guilt to Dominate Female Recruits
Three members of "The Family" a group of women and children dominated by a Winnfred
Wright, aka Rasheen Nyah appeared in court in mid-February on charges of second-degree
murder and child endangerment in the death of his 19-month-old son at the group's home
in Marin County. Mary Campbell is the mother of the dead boy Deirdre Hart Wilson and
Carol Louise Bremner lived at the group's home a fourth, Kali Polk-Matthews, faces charges
of involuntary manslaughter and child abuse. Campbell and Wilson are pregnant.
Rasheen/Wright, also scheduled for arraignment on the charges, apparently used his
women to recruit more female followers in San Francisco's Sunset District. His women
offered prospects free spiritual sessions, or a chance to be photographed for a "world mural"
depicting 90 different women. After agreeing to come to the home, a visitor would be
introduced to "Rasheen," the lone male of the house, as well as to the other women, and
children. The visitors would be offered, variously, tarot card readings, Bible study, crack
cocaine, or sex, according to accounts provided to San Francisco police in the early 1990s.
China's president, Jiang Zemin, has tacitly acknowledged international criticism on the
issue, telling the meeting that China should "strengthen propaganda" on "the reality of the
situation". China must seek to counter international criticism of its policies towards religion,
he said. He has long been seen as the prime mover behind the two-year crackdown on
Falun Gong that has resulted in the jailing of tens of thousands of followers without trials.
(South China Morning Post, 12/14/2001, Internet)
Falun Gong Hijacks TV Time /China
A state TV station signal in Changchun, China was "hijacked" by the banned Falun Gong
spiritual sect in early March, another sign of defiance to tough measures taken against it
over the past three years. The hijackers screened a film of the sect's spiritual master, Li
Hongzhi, the leader of what Beijing calls an "evil cult."
"There was a brief blackout and then there was Li Hongzhi speaking, and banners saying
Falun Dafa [another name for the sect] is good," a viewer told Reuters in Beijing. The
viewer said that the interruption lasted for 50 minutes, but according to the local cable
Company there was only a 10-minute break in normal transmission. (John Gittings, The
Guardian, 3/8/02, Internet)
Hong Kong Charges Falun Gong Protesters /Hong Kong
Hong Kong authorities took their first legal action against Falun Gong on March 15, filing
charges accusing 16 sect members [and four Swiss followers who joined them] of
obstruction during a protest outside China's liaison office that ended in a scuffle with police.
The charges have set off a debate over whether the government is trying to silence the
meditation sect and erode Hong Kong's freedoms, as members and civil rights activists fear,
or if it is simply having police enforce the law against overzealous demonstrators, as the
government says.
Sect supporters accuse Hong Kong of acting under pressure from China to crack down on
the group. Hong Kong denies the charge, even though it has gradually adopted language
similar to Beijing's, calling Falun Gong a "cult'' that bears close scrutiny. But the Security
Bureau says that as long as Falun Gong abides by the law in Hong Kong, the government
will not intervene in its activities, despite the fact that it has been banned in mainland
China.'' (AP, 3/15/02, Internet)
"The Family" of Rasheen Nyah
"The Family" Guru Allegedly Used drugs and Guilt to Dominate Female Recruits
Three members of "The Family" a group of women and children dominated by a Winnfred
Wright, aka Rasheen Nyah appeared in court in mid-February on charges of second-degree
murder and child endangerment in the death of his 19-month-old son at the group's home
in Marin County. Mary Campbell is the mother of the dead boy Deirdre Hart Wilson and
Carol Louise Bremner lived at the group's home a fourth, Kali Polk-Matthews, faces charges
of involuntary manslaughter and child abuse. Campbell and Wilson are pregnant.
Rasheen/Wright, also scheduled for arraignment on the charges, apparently used his
women to recruit more female followers in San Francisco's Sunset District. His women
offered prospects free spiritual sessions, or a chance to be photographed for a "world mural"
depicting 90 different women. After agreeing to come to the home, a visitor would be
introduced to "Rasheen," the lone male of the house, as well as to the other women, and
children. The visitors would be offered, variously, tarot card readings, Bible study, crack
cocaine, or sex, according to accounts provided to San Francisco police in the early 1990s.
