China Holds More Members of Banned Meditation Group

Chinese police rounded up more members of the banned meditation sect Falun Gong on Saturday, and the group used Web sites to report claims that protesters were attempting to converge on Beijing.

However, there was little activity in Beijing by the group Saturday, as temperatures soared to 105 degrees.

In the city’s Beihai Park, near the Zhongnanhai compound where China’s leaders live and work, about 30 Falun Gong members were surrounded and detained by police.

The government banned the group Thursday after several days of silent protests near Zhongnanhai. Since the protests began Tuesday, police have been rounding up Falun Gong adherents protesting the crackdown.

Most protesters were forced to board buses to be sent home, Civil Affairs Ministry officials said. Police first recorded the names, addresses and employers of those detained, reports on the Internet said.

The exact number of protesters could not be confirmed.

In Washington, dozens of Falun Gong members performed their daily meditation Saturday in front of the Chinese Embassy to protest the roundup of believers half a world away.

“Stop arresting innocent practitioners” and “We believe in truth, compassion, tolerance” read signs around the site.

At a news conference later, group members from around North America said they fear for the safety and well-being of those detained in China. The Chinese government’s description of the group as a cult, they said, is a “misunderstanding.”