The five obsessed Falun Gong followers, who set themselves on fire on January 23 in Beijing's Tian'anmen Square to reach "nirvana" or to ascend to heaven, could imagine anything but being abandoned by their spiritual master Li Hongzhi.

After knowing the suicide attempt of seven Falun Gong practitioners, with one dead, four seriously injured and the other two abortive, overseas-based spokespersons of the cult organization denied the persons committing suicides were members of Falun Gong.

"We don't believe these are Falun Gong practitioners," they said, implying that the cult has nothing to do with the self immolation.

"Those who have read books of Falun Gong will clearly see that the language used and the actions exhibited by (the suicide group) are foreign to genuine Falun Gong practitioners," the statement was quoted by AFP as saying.

With permit from Jishuitan Hospital in downtown Beijing, two Xinhua staff reporters interviewed the survivors when they were in stable conditions.

At an intensive care unit (ICU), Hao Huijun, a 47-year-old woman who was formerly a music teacher in a middle school in Kaifeng City, central Henan Province, resolvedly disbelieved the statement which factually drive them out of the Falun Gong group.

When she was asked what was her feeling after knowing the statement of the Falun Gong organization, Hao said, "I haven't read the statement by myself."

With regret, Chen Guo, a 19-year-old college student said she did not want to talk about Falun Gong again.

The 12-year-old girl Liu Siying, with 40 percent of body burnt and much concentrated on face, hands and perineum, was still somewhat indulged herself into the evil cult.

Medical staffs had not even talked about that with them as they were in serious conditions, in fear of affecting effective medical treatment.

Hao Huijun and Wang Jindong, planners and organizers of the suicide case, still trusted in their "master" Li Hongzhi by refusing to eat and receive medical treatment at the hospital.

They repeatedly invoked Li's instructions in his books, claiming that fast and self-seclusion were enough for curing their injuries.

Hao was quoted as saying by one of her doctors, "Give me five days on fast, I will resume my meditation and recover from the burn. It will be better than receiving your treatment."

Up to today, Hao has implemented fasting twice, one for 36 hours and the other 24 hours.

All persuasive efforts from the medical workers were abortive but when Hao was told to eat for further practice of Falun Gong.

The other diehard of Falun Gong Wang has been transferred to a police hospital owing to his preliminary recovery after five days' treatment at Jishuitan Hospital, which is famed for its treating burnt patients.

With injured eyes being heavily bound, Chen Guo, a student in studying of playing a traditional Chinese instrument Pipa at the Central Conservatory of Music, is able to recognize her nurse Hai Xiufang.

When hearing Hai's saying that Falun Gong cult announced they are fake practitioners, Chen said, "I don't want to talk anything about Falun Gong."

"Why?" asked the nurse, "I'm feeling regretful," Chen said.

Greatly influenced by Li Hongzhi's malicious fallacies, Liu Siying would randomly murmured say to "well practice Falun Dafa."

"Do you regret for self burning?" asked a nurse.

"I do regret," said Liu, "but I must abide by my mom."

"What did your mother say?"

"Mom said 'Dare to be shot by machine guns? Dare to burn yourself?' My answer is 'yes.'"

"I'm regretting now, but still must abide by mom," Liu said.

"Do you know where my mom is?" the girl asked the nurse.

Her mother, Liu Chunling, had burnt herself into death. The fact is still unknown by the young girl.

In fear of making the girl too sad, the tearful nurse suddenly shifted their talks on a teddy bear, a toy sitting on the sickbed.

"Although they are stubborn Falun Gong practitioners, our medical workers must try all out to save their lives and give best treatment to them," Nurse Hai said.

For their emergency medical treatment, the government has spent more than 236,000 yuan (about 28,400 U.S. dollars) on them.

After the TV footage was broadcast nationwide, Jishuitan Hospital could receive tens of letters each day from throughout the country, some wishing them good luck while others encouraging them to depart from the evil cult.

The two nurses in the ICU took great care of the patients, clearing phlegm, helping them turn over and washing their bodies.

A head nurse He Xiaodong said the patients survived the hardest time.

When rescued from the Tian'anmen Square, Chen Guo, with the help of nurses, spent 50 minutes in eating a bowl of oat.

Chen Guo said she hopes classmates visit her at hospital when they end their winter vacation. However, the ICU could not receive visits for sake of her health.

Nurse Hai, who is regarded by Chen as one of her favorite in these days, promised to convey messages from her classmates.

Liu Siying always asked the nurse to talk with her even at 11 p.m. She loves to drink yogurt, and the nurse routinely buy it for her. The hospital daily provides freshly squeezed fruit syrup for their necessary nutrition.

When the reporter read a public letter written by Liu's classmates, Liu could not help crying.

"Please send my thanks to the teachers and classmates," Liu said, "I will well coordinate with the doctors and heal my injures."

According to medical workers who are accompanying the patients around the clock, Falun Gong would truly destroy human affection among family members.

Hao has never cared about her daughter's condition for the half month's inpatient period.

Hao said she was not regretful for her daughter's injuries and her future, claiming that it was not her fault for the tragic result.

She still insisted that if Chen continues practicing Falun Gong, she will be OK.

Laying on the neighboring sickbed, Chen sometimes cried, "Mom, mom."

But the college student has never received her mother response.

(Xinhuanet 2001/02/09)