AFP: China detains Falungong members ahead of National Day

BEIJING, Sept 30 (AFP) - Hundreds of members of the banned [group] Falungong had been detained by Chinese authorities ahead of National Day celebrations, a human rights group said on Saturday.

The Hong Kong-based Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy said 600 followers had been rounded up since September 15, in cities and provinces across the country, including Jilin, Liaoning, Tianjin, Hebei and Shandong.

Members of the group, which was outlawed by the Communist Party in July 1999, defiantly holds individual and group protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on public holidays and other special occassions.

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Police in Beijing had stepped up surveillance of Falungong members heading to Beijing from the provinces, the information center said.

Undercover officers had been patrolling traffic intersections and bridge underpasses, stopping anyone who looked suspicious.

Protestors are normally rural residents, who are not difficult to differentiate from Beijingers. They also refuse to lie when asked whether they believe in Falungong.

Police departments throughout the country had been asked to prevent known members living in their jurisdiction from travelling to Beijing.

However, a number of followers are already believed to be in the capital, the center said.

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Since the ban last year, China has jailed core leaders for up to 18 years and sent tens of thousands to re-education camps.

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