HONG KONG, China -- At least 31 people have been detained by Chinese police after scattered protests in Tiananmen Square timed to coincide with the second anniversary of a mass sit-in by the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement.
The 1999 protest by some 10,000 Falun Gong followers outside Beijing's Zhong Nanhai compound, where China's top leaders live and work, sent shockwaves through Beijing's corridors of power.
As the largest demonstration since the 1989 pro-democracy movement in the Tiananmen Square, the rally prompted the government to ban the movement later in the year, declaring it an "evil cult" that "endangers Chinese society and people".
As well as small scale protests in Beijing, rallies are also taking place in New York City and Hong Kong, where the group remains legal despite the territory being part of China.
In New York Falun Gong leaders marked the anniversary of the protests by unveiling evidence they say shows that Chinese president Jiang Zemin used the crackdown on the group to solidify his power base.
Political struggle
There was a small police presence for the peaceful Hong Kong demonstration
Speaking to reporters at a café in the city, Falun Gong leader accused the Chinese leader of using peaceful followers of the group as "pawns in a desperate political struggle against real or imagined enemies".
Since the group was banned, hundreds of Falun Gong members have been arrested and human rights groups say many of those have been killed whilst in detention.
In Hong Kong, Falun Gong members have obtained a police permit to hold a demonstration in the city's central business district.
Around 185 followers practiced in the garden next to Hong Kong's legislative council building. Organizers say more than 190 people have been killed by Chinese authorities since the sect was banned in China.
Although Falun Gong is a legally-registered organization in Hong Kong, the territory's government has followed Beijing's line labeling the movement as "a cult".
Earlier this year the territory's security chief warned Falun Gong practitioners that the government would not allow it to use religion as an excuse to exploit Hong Kong's freedoms, and undermine order and stability.