Chinese 'cult busters' set up

Falun Gong members are used to police harassment

A new association has been set up in China to control groups like the Falun Gong movement which are seen as a threat to the state.

The China Anti-Cult Association was established "to mobilise social forces to fight against Falun Gong and other cults", the movement announced at its inaugural meeting in Beijing.

Cults have run rampant and brought tragic disaster for numerous families and individuals

It claims to group together well-known figures from "various social circles", including scientists, doctors, lawyers, religious leaders and journalists.

Grave threat

"Cults that have run rampant in the world in recent years have become obstacles to social progress and brought tragic disaster for numerous families and individuals," the movement's founding statement said.

"The Falun Gong and other cults pose a grave threat to social stability as they cheat and fool the masses through the worship of cult leaders and the evil theories they have fabricated, which are strongly opposed by governments and people of the world."

The Falun Gong and other cults pose a grave threat to social stability as they cheat and fool the masses through the worship of cult leaders and evil theories

The statement recalled that the Chinese government had banned the Falun Gong "to safeguard social stability and maintain order".

"The move has received popular support from the people and most former Falun Gong practitioners have realised the evil nature of the cult."

Rearguard action

"However, there are still a handful of staunch Falun Gong members who wish to stage a desperate fight against the people and the government."

"Proceeding from our own social responsibility and professional ethics, we have proposed the establishment of the China Anti-Cult Association, and, with the people's strength, to struggle against the Falun Gong and other cults to safeguard human dignity, maintain social stability, crack down on the evil forces and take an active part in the international struggle to protect human rights and oppose cults."

The movement announced it would hold a seminar on "anti-cult efforts" in Beijing in December.

Falun Gong members have repeatedly staged protests against the government despite an official ban on the movement.

About 100 members were detained by police last month after demonstrating in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, the site of the anti-democracy crackdown in 1989.