AFP: Latvian Falun Gong demo quashed as Chinese president leads sing-song

Tuesday, 11-Jun-2002
Story from AFP

RIGA, June 11 (AFP) - Latvian [practitioners] of the Falun Gong spiritual movement were prevented from demonstrating on Tuesday as Chinese President Jiang Zemin led his delegation in song in a 14th-century Riga cathedral.

The 20 [practitioners] of the Latvian chapter of the Falun Gong, which is outlawed in China, were refused permission to mount a demonstration because "there were recommendations from the Latvian security services to do this event another day," said Guntars Kukals, spokesman for the city of Riga. Police closed off the entire square in front of the cathedral, blocking people from reaching many central Riga offices during the visit by Zemin and his delegation of more than 150 people.

Journalists have so far not been allowed to question Zemin, but Latvia's state-owned television station did show footage of the Chinese president leading his delegation in song from the keyboard of the cathedral's 19th century organ, one of the largest in Europe.

Falun Gong [practitioners] were angered over how Latvian authorities have kow-towed to their Chinese guests.

Zemin "tries to control all our mass media and government structures but not all Latvian people agree with it," said Anatolij Polishchuk, a representative of Latvia's Falun Gong. In talks with Zemin on Tuesday Latvian Prime Minister Andris Berzins said he had not touched on political and human rights issues, but instead focused on Latvia's wish to increase the amount of goods being traded between Europe and China and which transit through Latvia.

"We take all the principles the European Union uses. China knows very well our international position.., also as regards human rights and democracy," Berzins told AFP. Zemin leaves Latvia for neighboring Estonia on Wednesday, then heads for Iceland before visiting Lithuania.

http://www.ptd.net/webnews/wed/dh/Qlatvia-china-religion.R02a_CuB.html