Falun Gong 'held over Sars'

Authorities have arrested thousands of Falun Gong followers

Chinese authorities have arrested 180 members of the banned Falun Gong sect in the northern province of Hebei, state media has reported.

They were detained on suspicion of recruiting new members and spreading rumours about the Sars virus epidemic, state radio said.

"They spread doomsday theories in a bid to cause panic in society and claimed the Sars outbreak in China was a warning to those who persecute and hate the Falun Dafa [Gong]," the radio report said.

The group "spread falsehoods that people who practice Falun Gong will not contract Sars in order to try to spread the cult and recruit more followers".

Tens of thousands of Falun Gong members have been arrested in China since 1999.

Crackdown

The Falun Gong is variously described as a cult, sect or religion, and claims millions of followers around the world.

Chinese authorities consider the movement as subversive and have driven its followers underground.

China banned the Falun Gong after thousands of members demonstrated in about 30 Chinese cities against the arrest of group leaders.

Human rights groups have accused the Chinese Government of taking advantage of the Sars crisis to crack down on dissidents, while the international community is distracted by the outbreak.

More than 5,300 people have been infected and some 330 people have died from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) in China, where the virus originated.