The Asian Wall Street Journal: Religious Persecution

April 27, 2001 Human rights watchers are legitimately concerned that Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa two days ago suggested Falun Gong adherents amount to dangerous insurgents because of their beliefs. Hong Kong, however, is a religious sanctuary when compared to the continuing persecution of spiritual groups in mainland China. On April 13, Good Friday -- the day Christians observe the crucifixion of Christ -- Chinese authorities arrested 79-year-old Catholic Bishop Cosmas Shi Enxiang. Seven Catholic priests also were detained during the days surrounding the Easter holidays. Bishop Shi had already spent 30 years in jail for his faith. This conduct is part of intensified crackdown on believers who belong to church bodies not officially recognized by the [party' name omitted] regime, as are a number of unofficial Christian churches. On Christmas last year, hundreds of unregistered Christian churches were bulldozed by the government. Just two days ago, more than 30 Falun Gong members were seized and beaten on the second anniversary of their first major public campaign, in which they held mass meeting in areas around the Forbidden City to protest non-recognition. To date, 190 members of the group reportedly have died in custody in China. On April 19, the Chinese government was exultant after the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva rejected a U.S. motion to censure the PRC for its abuses. China, as usual, had taken great pains to lobby developing countries to vote against the measure. It succeeded despite the fact that China's human rights record has actually gotten worse over the last year. And Beijing still has a good chance of winning the bid to host the 2008 Olympics. So much for international pressure. Eventually, however, Beijing may learn that persecution only encourages spiritual movements to grow. In the days when the early Christians lived in catacombs and were fed to lions in the Roman Coliseum, it was an article of faith that, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church." That's one thing that hasn't changed in 2,000 years.