http://www.scmp.com/News/China/Article/FullText_asp_ArticleID-19991026031456766.asp

Tuesday, October 26, 1999 Authorities fear Y2K fanatics

DANIEL KWAN

A crackdown on cults across the mainland has been organised by the authorities ahead of the millennium to prevent possible social unrest instigated by religious fanatics.

Religious officials have been summoned to provincial capitals this month to attend special classes and study plans for cracking down on illegal religious activity.

Sources said by holding special classes the leadership wanted to "unify thoughts and actions".

They said the authorities were deeply alarmed by the influence in the countryside of some doomsday cults, such as Established King and Eastern Lightning.

Several leaders of these cults have been arrested and executed in recent years but the authorities found their remnants still attracted hundreds of thousands of village followers.

Some cults have preached that the end of the world would come in the new millennium and have urged followers to give up their "worldly fortunes" to follow their leaders.

Unlike previous campaigns, the authorities stressed in the latest crackdown that only normal religious activity, such as worship in officially registered churches, would be allowed.

"Local religious officials now say that all religious activities will be scaled down in the coming few months and only those normal ones can go on," an informed source said. The religious crackdown coincides with the "Three Emphases" - a political campaign centred on studying Marxism, talking about politics and righteousness - which was implemented by provincial governments during summer.

The campaign, which emphasised loyalty to Communist Party Secretary Jiang Zemin, has aroused deep fear among cadres required to criticise each other in study sessions.

Sources feared that many religious groups, including underground Christian house churches, which are normally tolerated by the authorities, would be closed down in the latest campaign.

"We have already seen a few house churches in big cities closed down in recent months," one source said. "This is all part of the crackdown."

In the past two weeks, officials have raided the house church of Guangzhou Protestant leader Li Dexian and warned him not to carry on his "illegal religious activities".

Sources said although Falun Gong, which was outlawed in July, was a key target in the latest crackdown, it would also hit other "illegal groups".

Washington's State Department has put China among seven countries which it said demanded "particular concern" and might warrant sanctions for violating religious freedom.

-- Uncle Bob (UNCLB0B@Y2KOK.ORG), October 26, 1999

Answers

Remind me not to travel to Mainland China for the rollover celebration...

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), October 26, 1999.