China fails to stop Falungong

The Chinese government has launched a fresh attack on the Falungong spiritual movement accusing it of being an evil cult.

An official commentary carried by the state news agency Xinhua admitted that the authorities had failed to prevent the daily protests held by Falungong supporters in Tienanmen Square in Beijing.

The commentary accused forces in the West of being behind the demonstrations, saying such forces wanted to make China weak and divided. The commentary also alleged that the Hong-Kong based Information Centre for Human Rights had accepted money from the Falungong movement, an allegation denied by the Centre.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service