MONTREAL, May 25 (Reuters) - Friends of a Canada-based member of the Falun Gong spiritual movement, who was arrested in China earlier this month, appealed on Friday for her release from detention.
Zhu Ying, a 35-year-old permanent Canadian resident, who lives in Montreal, was arrested on May 10 after crossing into mainland China from Hong Kong, where she had taken part in a meeting of Falun Gong members.
The Falun Gong movement, which practices a mixture of Taoism and Buddhism, as well as traditional Chinese physical exercises, has been outlawed in China, where it has been branded as an evil cult and accused of trying to overthrow the government.
Zhu's friends said she was arrested near the city of Guangzhou, located about two hours by train from Hong Kong, and have not heard from her since.
"I am really worried about her safety, I am really anxious. I know how the Chinese regime treats Falun Gong practitioners," Zhu's traveling companion, Zhili Li, told reporters through an interpreter in Montreal on Friday.
Speaking during a news conference at the offices of the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development, a Canadian government created and funded agency, Zhili said Zhu had planned to visit her husband and parents in Guangzhou after arriving by train. Zhili planned to visit her own family in Beijing and the two were scheduled to take different trains, one hour apart, from Hong Kong.
"She was waiting for her train. That is the last time we saw each other," Zhili said.
Zhili was stopped at the mainland Chinese border and deported, but Zhu appears to have been arrested after crossing the border, Zhili said.
In Ottawa, Marie-Christine Lilkoff, spokeswoman for Canada's Foreign Ministry, told Reuters that Canadian authorities were trying to obtain more information on Zhu's arrest.
"The Canadian consulate general in Guangzhou has been instructed to contact the Chinese authorities to establish where Mrs. Zhu is. We will try to establish why she has been detained," she said.
Lilkoff added that since Zhu is not a Canadian citizen, Ottawa can only request the cooperation of the Chinese authorities.
"We're concerned about the ongoing reports of the suppression of freedom of expression and spiritual practice in China, and we have raised human rights concerns with the Chinese authorities on many occasions and will continue to do so," she said.
Zhili, who like Zhu is a permanent resident of Canada and is seeking Canadian citizenship, said she did not know why she was stopped at the mainland Chinese border, while Zhu was allowed to proceed, only to be arrested later. Zhili said she still wants to visit her own family in mainland China, but is fearful that authorities there can easily find out about her movements.
"I get the feeling that they know I am coming and are prepared," she said.
Yang Yumin, a Falun Gong member living in Montreal, said there are up to 70 practitioners in the city, many of them Westerners drawn to the movement. He noted that a number of Canadian citizens originally from China have been prevented from entering Hong Kong because they were Falun Gong members.
Yang added that the government, led by Chinese President Jiang Zemin, is kept well informed by unknown individuals of the movement of Falun Gong members seeking to visit China.
"There is a network seemingly here in Canada that reports some things to the Jiang Zemin regime," he said.
16:28 05-25-01
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