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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 24, 2001)
RED WING BOOTS WHERE FIT COMES FIRST 10% OFF BOOTS WITH A VALID STUDENTI.D. RED WING SHOE STORE Located Imi. North of TAMU on Texas Ave 846-3813 WORK HARD RED WING SHOES* Page 10 Shooter .com uni) YOUR OWN WidSITiU MAKE NEW STUDENT TRAVEL www.statravel.com WE’VE BEEN THERE. Come hear Texas Aggie Baseball Coach Mark Johnson talk about the upcoming season!!! Date: Wednesday, Jan. 24 Time: 8:30 p.m. Place: Rudder 410 Sponsored by: STUDENT FOUNDATION ■NEWS Wednesday, January 24, THE BATTALION Five sect members set selves on fire protesting ban on their movement Chinese officials increased security at new year celebration in Beijing BEIJING (AP) — Five Falun Gong followers set themselves on fire Tuesday in China’s Tiananmen Square, the most radical act yet by sect members in defiance of the com munist government’s 18-month ban on their movement. One follower died in the attempt ed group suicide, which prompted police to tighten security and then close the square in the opening hours of China’s lunar new year. After weeks of words, both the spiritual movement and communist government have turned to brasher tactics. Falun Gong has stepped up demonstrations in recent weeks and issued warnings by founder Li Hongzhi of more vigorous action to protest the crackdown. The govern ment has fought back by intensifying vilification of the sect in state-con trolled media and supporting a na tionwide campaign to collect a mil lion signatures. The campaign is the' govern ment’s first effort to make people publicly support the ban and is rem iniscent of communist political movements — from the 1950-53 Ko rean War to the radical Cultural Rev olution in the 1960s. ■ “It’s a way of forcing people to be a bit upfront,” said Gerry Groot of Adelaide University in Australia. “This is real classic 1950s tactics. That’s exactly what they did during the Korean War to try to undermine the Americans.” a We don't want cults, these poisons, to harm our society. ” — Wang Yusheng secretary-general of China Anti-Cult Association The government’s efforts have ac celerated with the approach of Wednesday’s lunar new year, China’s biggest holiday. Expecting the same mass protests that marred celebra tions last year, police checked people entering the square, patting many down and inspecting their bags. Still, five sect followers managed to douse themselves with gasoline in the middle of the square and set themselves on fire in two “suicidal blazes,” the government's Xinhua News Agency said. Police rushed to the site, Xinhua said. The brief report added that one woman burned to death and the sur viving injured were taken to a hospital. A producer and cameraman with CNN witnessed the protest. CNN re ported that one man sat down, poured gasoline on himself and then set him self on fire. Moments later, the jour nalists saw four more people on fire, staggering forward, their hands raised in a meditation pose. Police confiscated CNN's video tape and detained the journalists for 90 minutes. Officers at the Tianan men Square police station refused comment, referring all questions to Xinhua. The group suicide attempt brought even tighter security, which blocked all but a few dozen revelers from gathering on the square to wel come the Year of the Snake. As fire crackers crackled around Beijing af ter midnight, police cleared even them from the square. State media have accused follow ers of committing suicide at the in stigation of sect leader Li Hongzhi, something Falun Gong has •denied But Tuesday’s self-immolation was the first independently confirmetl suicide attempt by group member The group drew millions < lowers in the 1990s, preaching ann\ of slow-motion exercises and eclec tic ideas that followers say promois health and good citizenship. T1k government outlawed the group July 1999, accusing Li, now believed to be living in the United Stalest deceiving practitioners and causiij the death of 1,6(X) followers. With Beijing bidding this year: host the 2008 Olympics, China keen to gain the upper hand ini struggle. Its repression is taking toll on the group! with thousand forced to recant in deprogrammir; centers and labor camps. A Hot; Kong-based rights group counts Id deaths from abuse in custody. We don't want cults, these pc: sons, to harm our society," said War: Yusheng, secretary-general ofti China Anti-Cult Association, wta drive to collect 1 million signate has received intensive coverage state media. AOL Continued from Page 1 the scenario was set up by the sus pects, it could be difficult for the vic tim to know for a period of several weeks or months,” Jones said. Jones said the credit card of the one known local victim was used to purchase merchandise online, which was shipped to an address in Hous ton. CSPD is working in coopera tion with Houston Police Depart ment (HPD), but they have no solid evidence that would suggest the op eration is based in Houston. “People from anywhere could be doing it,” Jones said. Jones said knowledge about the case is somewhat sketchy, but there have been reports from other juris dictions across the nation. Regard less, he said, local Internet users should be aware of the general con cept of the scam, because the sus pect could apply the same technique to other Internet service providers. “Right now, the ones we are see ing are AOL, but it could be anyone in the future,” he said. “Conceiv ably, somebody could set some thing like this up for any Internet service provider.” Thomas Putnam, director of Computing and Information Services (CIS) at Texas A&M, refused to of fer specific information about A&M and its Internet access, but said con sumers should always avoid situa tions in which they are solicited for information. “People need to understand that you never give out your credit card number to someone who contacts you,” he said. Nicholas Graham, an AOL spokesman from the company’s headquarters in Dulles, Va., said AOL users should be aware of se curity threats while using an online service. “If someone asks for a password or credit card number, it is not AOL and you should never give out that in formation,” he said. “AOL will nev er ask you for billing information or a password.” Jones said the investigation is be ing handled between CSPD and HPD, but he said other authorities, such as the FBI and the Postal In spection Service, could possibly be brought in. “Eventually, it will be a coopera tion between a lot of different agen cies,” he said. Graham said AOL will give full cooperation to any law enforcement agency working to solve the case. In the meantime, he said, AOL customers who receive solicitations for their information can contact their local law enforcement agency directly or contact AOL using the keyword “scam.” Jones advises if users see anything that looks suspicious, “I wouldn’t do it at all.” Housing Continued from Page 1 — News in Brief- speech communication major. “I think it’s just one of those things that comes with living in a res idence hall,” Bescherer said. “You have to deal with more people using shared resources. So, maybe go around at night and hit off the lights that aren’t in use and remind others around you to conserve.” a You should treat your dorm room like your home." — Ron Sasse director of Residence Life Sasse will speak to students at the Residence Hall Association Gener al Assembly tonight and several oth er times this semester. The best way to avoid rising costs is to take the ex tra effort to keep power usage at a minimum, he said. “You should treat your dorm room like your home,” Sasse said. “Everyone needs to take personal re sponsibility for this. So, shut the lights off when you leave your room, and make sure the television is off in the TV lounge. Every bit counts.” A rate change will be approved by the end of February, during the peri od of contract renewal for those liv ing in residence halls. City employee stole credit cards from dead bodies r ByRc TheB Ge istrati* Texas siderir petes 1 dentia At Board resol u and as A&M cation dentia “Ri dream have {• from th ident L Als< membt cause i] with tl T Me COL PRIN PHILADELPHIA (AP)-Onec 10 former employees of theefc medical examiner’s office plea; ed guilty Tuesday to stealingfror bodies at the morgue. Leon Henry Jr., 29. stolecred it cards from two bodies ar; |(AP) — gave the cards to someone m the nai purchased computers and otb manhur merchandise worth more to jjhloodsf $28,000, Assistant U.S. At; t wo esc ney Michael Schwartz said. IromTe Under a plea agreement,pros- creche ecutors will recommend that landcul Henry serve 18 months to tw ^ ter ra - years in jail. He could have face; us!iCl '° 15 years in prison andafineo’ " L $500,000. ‘ A. Charles Peruto Jr., Henry attorney, said his client shoe. , not get jail time because t- crimes for which he pleade guilty are not serious.” ender e Besides the former morg; e arch t workers, six non-employeesa^ c dy six charged with using credit caro Mienth< stolen from the bodies. Others b The investigation began Is Texas spring after several family me* miles av bers told police they had receive “The credit card bills for purchas: then we made after their relatives had*; Shirtless. then "pdethei Patri 'fewbui ranted MUSCLETECH Health & Sports Nutrition Simplified 4 Siil ■ FYJ Coming to MUSCLETECH Ms. Fitness USA ‘99 2 nd Runner Up - Ms. Fitness World Saturday, Jan. 27 th 2-4 p.m. Get your autographed photo! 1705 Texas Ave. (Culpepper Plaza, next to Bagel Station) 696-3474 Register to Win: * Tanning * T-Shirts * Training * (2) 1-Month Gold’s Gym Membership Society of Women Engineers General Meeting When: Wed., Jan. 24 th Time: 6:45 p.m. - Free Food Where: ENPH 202 Speaker: URS Corporation o di cc Abe WWW.COMCHURCH.COM International Engineers Check out the Summer Abroad Progrc Engineering In France 2001 Engineering In Germany 2001 Sundays 10:00am @The Hilton Community Church Spots still available! mis ByEri The Bi Whii P3so f hi-te< o sen ervice: ave be The etweei FED) I e flecth ball to . 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