Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident

Template:ChineseText The Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident (simplified Chinese: 天安门自焚事件; traditional Chinese: 天安門自焚事件) took place in Tiananmen Square, an historic and iconic part of central Beijing on the eve of Chinese new year on 23 January 2001. Seven people attempted to set themselves on fire: one of them died at Tiananmen and another died in hospital a few weeks later. A CNN crew witnessed five people setting fire to themselves, and had just started filming when police stopped them. The incident received international news coverage, and footage was broadcast later in the People's Republic of China by China Central Television (CCTV). Western news organizations disseminated the story largely as given by the official Chinese news agency, Xinhua, who claimed the self-immolators were practitioners of the Falun Gong spiritual movement.

Capitalizing on the incident, the Chinese government created a plethora of printed materials supported by lectures and videos, and repeatedly broadcast vivid images of the young girl burning and interviews with the others in which they stated their belief that self-immolation would lead them to paradise. The purpose of these media was to convince the public of the dangers of Falun Gong. According to Time, the Government's media war against Falun Gong gained significant traction following the act.

The Falun Dafa Information Center denied that the self-immolators were practitioners, on the grounds that the movement's teachings explicitly forbid suicide and killing. Falun Gong and some third-party commentators point to apparent inconsistencies in the government's version of events, claiming that the incident was staged to turn public opinion against the practice. Time magazine, and Professor David Ownby of the University of Montreal, said it was possible for misguided practitioners to have taken it upon themselves to demonstrate in this manner, handing a propaganda opportunity to the Chinese authorities. Sinologist Barend ter Haar believes the event was an authentic protest by practitioners, but that the video is likely to have been fabricated.

Background

See also: Persecution of Falun Gong

From 25 April to July 1999, about 300 Falun Gong demonstrations were held around the country. On 22 July the same year, a decision was made by the Chinese government to impose a nationwide ban on the group and crack down on it. By August, state-controlled newspapers were running lengthy exposés about Falun Gong. In Shanghai, a petition against the group began circulating on 13 February, yielding 100,000 signatures within 10 days.

Tiananmen Square was one of the prime locations where the practitioners were expected to demonstrate routinely despite government deterrence, and more than 30,000 practitioners had been arrested for bringing their protests to Beijing. On 1 January 2001, another 700 Falun Gong demonstrators were arrested in the Square. According to Time, a Falun Gong website editorial instructed followers to step up demonstrations, "especially in Tiananmen Square"; founder Li Hongzhi urged followers to immobilize the police and other "evil scoundrels" using supernatural powers.

On 1 January 2001, Li published "Beyond the Limits of Forbearance", in which he wrote that persecution of the Fa – an expression used by Falun Gong to describe itself – by "evil" (in other words, persecution of the Falun Gong by the Chinese authorities) could no longer be tolerated: "In personal cultivation, there is usually no going beyond the limits of Forbearance ... Completely eliminating the evil is for Fa-rectification, and not a matter of personal cultivation," – The Guardian explained it as meaning "the 'forbearance' taught by Buddha 'does not mean tolerating evil beings". Time believed the message appealed to more radical practitioners; ten days later, Falun Gong headquarters in New York had to clarify this message, and said that "certain disciples had some extreme interpretations [and thought] we are going to resort to violence".

The incident

visibly charred person seated on the ground with legs crossed and hands in his lap

Frame of the China Central Television footage on the investigative program Focus

On 23 January 2001, the eve of Chinese New Year, five people on Tiananmen Square poured gasoline over their clothes and set themselves on fire; another two people were said to have gone to Tiananmen Square with the same intention, but did not ignite the gasoline.

A CNN film crew, which happened to be at the scene, observed a man sitting down on the pavement northeast of the Monument to the People's Heroes at the center of the square. He proceeded to pour gasoline over himself and set himself ablaze. Police officers on the square noticed what was happening, quickly approached the man and extinguished the flames. Shortly afterwards, another four people on the square set light to themselves. The CNN crew was filming these events when military police stepped in and detained the crew. The authorities then put out the flames consuming the other four people's clothing. A police van came to collect the man, who was badly burnt, and two ambulances arrived almost 25 minutes later to collect the other four.

The Chinese authorities stated that the seven people who had come to Tiananmen Square with the intention of committing suicide were all from the city of Kaifeng in Henan Province. Xinhua asserted that the self-immolators were "avid practitioners" of Falun Gong who had taken up the practice between 1995 and 1997, and that they fantasised during the preceding week about "how wonderful it would be to enter heaven". Six of them reportedly took the train on 16 January, meeting another practitioner named Chen Guo upon their arrival in Beijing. State-run media reports that they agreed to light themselves in different parts of the Square at 2:30 pm with gasoline smuggled there in plastic soda bottles; each had been armed with two lighters in case one would fail. Of the five people who succeeded to set light to themselves, one died at the scene and another died in hospital a few weeks later; the other three were left severely disfigured. State media gave the participants' details as follows:

Romanized name	Chinese name	Relations	Ignited	Description	Outcome
Wang Jindong	王進東		yes	Male	Hospitalized
Liu Chunling	劉春玲	Mother of Siying	yes	Female	Died on scene
Liu Siying	劉思影	Daughter of Chunling	yes	12-year-old girl	Died weeks later after the event
Chen Guo	陳果	Daughter of Hao Huijun	yes	19-year-old college student, Female	Treated at Beijing Jishuitan Hospital; severely disfigured
Hao Huijun	郝惠君	Mother of Chen Guo	yes	Female	Hospitalized; severely disfigured
Liu Baorong	劉葆榮		no	Female	Failed to ignite gasoline
Liu Yunfang	劉雲芳		no	Male	Failed to ignite gasoline

Reporting and analysis

Following the incident, Tiananmen Square was closed off. According to Human Rights Watch, the incident was among one of the most difficult stories for reporters in Beijing at the time to report on because of a lack of information and difficulties in ascertaining the extent of control of the information. While many Western news organisations published the story in much the same way as Xinhua, Falun Gong was concerned by western media's giving the Xinhua reports so much credibility and airtime. A Yangcheng Evening News article accused western journalists of witnessing a mother and child self-immolate and doing nothing: It said that "unidentified police officials" had evidence showing that a few foreign reporters were told in advance of the incident, and suggested that such reporters could be charged with "instigating and abetting a suicide."

The Laogai Research Foundation founded by Chinese dissident Harry Wu suggested that a set-up by the government was "hardly a far-fetched hypothesis", as it had vowed to extinguish all problems connected with Falun Gong before the 80th anniversary of the Communist Party in July 2001. Time, however, stated that Falun Gong had been caught off-guard by the act, and its leadership's damage control after the immolations proved to be inadequate. The Guardian reported that some observers believed it was possible that the victims attempted suicide in desperation and confusion. Sinologist Barend ter Haar postulates that Buddhist believers who joined the Falun Gong brought part of their original religious culture with them, including the "respectable Buddhist tradition of self-immolation as a sacrifice to the Buddha". He said the government's great anger at the Western media for publishing the story as evidence of Falun Gong martyrdom suggest it did not orchestrate the event in advance. However, he said that the video could have been fabricated. David Ownby is open to the possibility that the act was committed by Falun Gong practitioners who "discovered and practiced Falun Gong on their own (and badly) in the post-suppression period, and... decided to make the ultimate sacrifice."

False Fire by New Tang Dynasty Television The programme challenged several apparent inconsistencies in the Chinese Government's version of the story: The hair of the alleged self-immolator and the bottle of gasoline at his feet are intact, although they should have caught fire first. Police, not normally known to carry fire extinguishers on duty, appeared to have pieces of fire-fighting equipment on hand. Liu Chunling appears to be hit on the head by a blunt object, which the programme argues caused her death. The CCTV footage zooms in on the scene as it unfolds, while surveillance cameras in Tiananmen Square are usually fixed. Wang Jindong shouts comments that do not form part of Falun Dafa teachings; his sitting position also does not reflect the full or half lotus position as in the Falun Dafa teachings. The hospital treatment of the victims, as recorded by Chinese state media, is inconsistent with proper care of severe burn victims: for instance, patients were not kept in sterile rooms The girl who allegedly underwent a tracheotomy appeared to be able to speak and sing clearly mere days after the surgery

Time Magazine cited a Beijing arm of Falun Gong strongly suggesting the self-immolators were practitioners, but the Falun Gong Association in New York, categorically denied the incident had anything to do with its practitioners. Time suggested that this "lack of solidarity" was contributing to the sense of desperation of Mainland Chinese practitioners who may feel out of touch with the exiled leadership. CNN's report that four of the victims were seen in flames, with their hands held "in a classic Falun Gong meditation pose" elicited a complaint from Falun Gong. The Guardian commented that Li Hongzhi had confused his supporters with his radical "new scripture" (Beyond the Limits of Forbearance). While Falun Gong admitted some people thought that they would eventually resort to violence, they asserted that Li meant that it was time to "bring the truth to light" about China's atrocities. Ownby said Li's message was "brief - although still difficult to interpret". He said that although the message superficially seemed to be a "call to arms" against what Li described as "evil beings who no longer have any human nature or righteous thoughts", nobody he talked to saw it as a "green light" for violent action.

Seven days after the event, China Central Television aired their footage of five people in flames, said to be taken by nearby surveillance cameras. Subsequently, Falun Gong-affiliated New Tang Dynasty Television produced a program called False Fire, claiming a number of inconsistencies in the accounts of events from various state sources compared with the video broadcast nationally (see right insert). They also stated that there had been no incidents of self-immolation among Falun Gong practitioners in the world prior to 23 January 2001. Falun Gong further stated that "much remains unclear and unknown about the circumstances surrounding the incident", including what took place in the week between the incident and when the "fully engineered news articles and television programs" were released.

The Washington Post was skeptical about the fact that a camera crew happened to be nearby to film the incident: "The close-up shots shown on Chinese television appear to have been taken without any interference from police. In some, the camera is clearly behind police barricades and positioned directly above the apparent sect members." The Age described the incident as the main piece of evidence portraying Falun Gong as "dangerous and predatory". It said that the "ready availability of fire-extinguishers and official TV teams and the lack of verification about the victims" raises questions about Falun Gong involvement, or whether the incident was staged."

Schechter noted that state media uncharacteristically released the story at once, yet "it took a week of production" before the footage was finally aired. Barend ter Haar believes that the government may have fabricated a video of their own when they realised the mediatic potential of the suicides; the clumsiness of their video was "convincingly demonstrated by the Falun Gong".

The New York Times stated that conflicting claims were difficult to assess "[w]ith propaganda streaming in from seemingly opposite ends of the universe... especially since the remaining Falun Gong practitioners have been driven underground." It noted however that one of the victims was able to "fluidly perform" Falun Gong's signature slow-motion exercises in front of Western media.

The victims

According to the Hong Kong NGO Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy, all of the victims, except 12-year-old Liu Siying, had previously protested for Falun Gong in Tiananmen Square. Xinhua reported that Huo Xiuzhen, Liu Chunling's adoptive mother, spoke of her daughter's "obsession with Falun Gong", her "worshipping of Li Hongzhi", and how Liu would teach her daughter Falun Gong. Liu's neighbours, when interviewed by the International Herald Tribune (IHT), stated that she was not a native of Kaifeng, was deeply troubled, and beat her mother and daughter. None of the interviewed had ever seen her practice Falun Gong. Falun Gong disputes that Liu was a practitioner because beating her step-mother and child was "not in accordance with a practitioner's [high moral] standard." Specifically, Zhuan Falun urges tolerance, and followers should not lose their temper in disciplining children.

Three pictures broadcast by state-media, presented by Falun Gong as evidence purporting that Wang Jindong "was played by different people".

Falun Gong also claims conflicting accounts between state media reports on the immolation—about when Wang was supposed to have become a follower, and whether he was standing or sitting when he shouted. Falun Gong lobby group, the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG), stated that the Speech Processing Laboratory at National Taiwan University analysed the broadcasts, and claimed that the first person named as Wang Jindong who appeared on CCTV was not the same person who appeared the second and third times.

The Falun Dafa Information Center issues a press release on 23 January 2001 saying "...The teachings of Falun Gong prohibit any form of killing. Mr. Li Hongzhi... has explicitly stated that suicide is a sin". Falun Gong related commentators also pointed out that the main participants' account of the incident and other aspects of the participants' behaviour were inconsistent with the teachings of Falun Dafa. Schechter also doubted FLG would deny being involved in the incident if it was a genuine protest. Porter opines that other religions have extremists, and that even if the participants were practitioners, they are not necessarily representative.

Aftermath

The government immediately used the twelve-year-old Liu Siying as an example that Falun Gong was harmful to children. Government sources reported she had had a tracheotomy. Speaking through approved media outlets, saying that her own mother told her to set herself on fire to reach the "heavenly golden kingdom". Schechter noted that the CNN producer "standing just fifty feet away" did not see any children. He doubted that the child would have been able to speak to the Chinese media so soon after the operation. The media parade incited 8 million students to join the "Anti-Cult action by the Youth Civilized Communities Across the Nation". Posters, leaflets, videos and lectures began in the class rooms nation wide about the supposed detrimental effects of the practice. Regular anti-FLG classes were scheduled in schools on the orders of the authorities, with 12 million children submitting writings disapproving of the practice.

On 16 February, Tan Yihui, a 25 year old "shoeshine man" from Hunan, committed self-immolation in west Beijing in another apparent Falun Gong protest. Police said Tan's six-page suicide note indicated that he was a follower. Witnesses saw Tan pouring petrol over himself and igniting with a lighter. Xinhua said that the police arrived on scene in 3 minutes and extinguished the blaze, by which time Tan was already dead. Pictures of the charred body were broadcast on television. The Independent said that "the nationwide coverage [of the earlier self-immolations] gave believers such as Mr Tan all the incentive they needed to conduct copycat protests."

Within a month of the Tiananmen Square incident, authorities issued a glossy pamphlet entitled The Whole Story of the Self Immolation Incident Created by Falun Gong Addicts in Tiananmen Square featuring colour photographs of charred bodies. The State Council's "Office for the Prevention and Handling of Evil Cults", declared after the event that it was now ready to form a united front with the global anti-cult struggle. The IHT reported that Chinese media were attacking FLG and Li Hongzhi every day. Meetings took place in factories, offices, universities and schools to "educate" people about Falun Gong. The Government announced that religious leaders from across the country had delivered denunciations of Falun Gong. In Kaifeng, the post office issued an anti-Falun Gong postmark, and 10,000 people signed a petition denouncing the group.

Time said that many Chinese had felt that Falun Gong posed no real threat prior to the event, and that the crackdown had gone too far. It observed that the media war against Falun Gong gained significant traction following the incident. One western diplomat commented that the public changed from sympathising with Falun Gong to siding with the Government after the event, popular consensus seemingly shifted by human interest stories and accounts of rehabilitation efforts of former practitioners. WOIPFG believed that hostility toward Falun Gong from the general public escalated, the government had stepped up the campaign, and that "hate crimes" targeting Falun Gong increased.

The surviving victims' fate

Of the surviving victims, Liu Yunfang was sentenced to life imprisonment, Wang Jindong received a fifteen-year sentence, and a Beijing resident who allegedly provided them with lodging and helped in the preparation received a seven-year sentence.

In April 2002, one year after the incident, the Government acceded to requests for foreign press to interview the survivors in the presence of state officials. When asked why they set themselves on fire, Hao Huijun said that she had realised the futility of writing letters and demonstrating by waving banners, "so finally, we decided...to make a big event to show our will to the world.... We wanted to show the government that Falun Gong was good." At the time of the interview, Chen Guo and her mother were still in the hospital, both having lost their hands, ears and noses. Chen had one eye covered by a flap of skin. Both her mother's eyes were covered with skin grafts. The fire had left Wang Jindong with scarred, leathery cheeks and blackened fingers. Wang said he "felt humiliated because of my stupidity and fanatical ideas." He denied having been bribed to stage the incident.

See also

• Tiananmen Square protests of 1989