BBC Covers Chinese Media Report on Falun Gong TV Takeover

According to BBC's report of April 18, 2002, China's official media revealed some 'details' on the incident in which Falun Gong practitioners interrupted a state TV broadcast in the city of Changchun in March. Nine Falun Gong practitioners have been arrested by the authorities.

It was reported that Falun Gong practitioners tapped into TV transmission lines in the northeastern city of Changchun on March 5. They then used homemade broadcasting equipment to put their own programs on the air.

"The unusual incident, seen as highly embarrassing given China's usually rigid control over broadcasting, saw two films being aired praising Falun Gong and its US-based founder Li Hongzhi.

Since then there have been other examples of pro-Falun Gong material finding its way into state-controlled media, in some cases implicating local officials."

It was said, "Earlier this month, a city prosecutor predicted that the organizers of the transmission would be charged with "using [Jiang Zemin regime's slanderous term omitted] to damage law enforcement," a crime which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.