De standard: Belgian Falun Gong practitioner arrested in Beijing

February 15, 2002

BRUSSELS -- The Chinese police arrested about 40 international practitioners of Falun Gong yesterday. Amongst them was the Belgian citizen, Matthias Slaats. The protesters protested against the repression by the Chinese authorities against Falun Gong practitioners.

Matthias Slaats travelled to Beijing last Monday with the purpose of participating in the international demonstration on the Tiananmen Square. Nicolas Schols, the chairman of Falun Gong Belgium, also wanted to go, but the Chinese authorities refused to grant him a visa. Also other foreign Falun Gong practitioners were refused a visa. Moreover, Wednesday another 14 foreigners were arrested in their hotels. Because of that there were only 40 practitioners present at the demonstration itself. [...]

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Yanniek De Clercq is convinced that her husband is amongst the arrested. "Matthias phoned me two hours before the demonstration with the message that he would contact me again after the demonstration. I didn't hear anything about him. I tried to contact his mobile phone. He didn't respond."

Foreign Affairs has in the meantime informed the Belgian embassy in Beijing, but yesterday the embassy couldn't give any information because it was nighttime in Beijing.

The demonstrators wanted to expose the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.

"Falun Gong has information that in the past few months, 26 practitioners were tortured to death", says De Clercq. "The messages coming out of the labour camps, among others from a Canadian practitioner, are frightening."

In November there was another international demonstration against the rigorous government actions. "At that time 36 protesters were arrested for 2 days and expelled from the country. I am afraid that the authorities will take harder actions now", says De Clercq.

In our country the spiritual movement, which cherishes the principles Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance -- has about twenty followers. They have practice sites in Gent, Antwerpen, Brussel en Luik.