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â– 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
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COL
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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
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ranted
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696-3474
Register to Win:
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* Training
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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
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