Friday, May 13, 2005

Local practitioners of a form of exercise banned in China today are joining a worldwide celebration of the practice.

It looks like Tai Chi -- those slow-moving exercises you sometimes see people doing in parks all over the world.

However, Falun Gong (or Falun Dafa) also incorporates a set of ethical beliefs -- and that's why its practitioners say it's still very dangerous to practice it in China.

Cindy Wang is a local Falun Gong practitioner:

"Since 1999, when Jiang Zemin ordered the persecution of Falun Gong, 2,000 people have been killed because they believe in truth, compassion, and tolerance and doing the peaceful exercise of Falun Gong. Simply because of that, innocent people are dying for this."

May 13th -- World Falun Gong Day -- celebrates the day in 1992 when the practice was first released to the public.

Locally, there are demonstrations Friday at JFK Plaza ("Love Park"), and Saturday -- 8:30am to 12 noon -- at the Liberty Bell.

http://www.kyw1060.com/news_story_detail.cfm?newsitemid=46184