THE Ministry of Civil Affairs has banned the Research Society of Falun Dafa and the Falun Gong organization under its control after deeming them to be illegal.

In a decision issued yesterday, the ministry said that, according to its investigations, the society had not been registered as required by the law and had engaged in illegal activities, advocating superstition and spreading fallacies, hoodwinking people, inciting and creating disturbances, and jeopardizing social stability.

In accordance with the Regulations on the Registration and Management of Mass Organizations, the Research Society of Falun Dafa and the Falun Gong organization under its control were therefore held to be illegal and have been banned, the decision said.

The Ministry of Public Security issued a notice yesterday prohibiting all activities in support of Falun Gong, which was deemed illegal and has been banned.

The notice prohibits anyone from hanging up or posting any scrolls, pictures, insignias or other signs in any place publicizing Falun Dafa or Falun Gong.

No one is allowed to distribute books and other publications, audiovisual materials or any other propaganda products in any place publicizing Falun Dafa, the notice continues.

The ministry has also prohibited anyone from rallying people to "practise Falun Gong in groups," "publicize Falun Dafa," or carry out any other activities to propagate Falun Gong.

Also prohibited are activities that support or publicize Falun Dafa such as holding gatherings, parades, or demonstrations in the form of sit-ins, or by appealing to the higher authorities for help.

The notice prohibits all activities that incite disturbances of public order by creating fabrications and distortions of fact, intentionally spreading rumours, or by any other means.

The ministry also bans anyone from organizing, co-operating in, or conducting any activities which resist relevant government decisions.

Any person violating these regulations will be pursued for criminal liability or given an administrative punishment depending on the degree of seriousness of the case, the notice says.

In another development, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said at a regular news briefing in Beijing yesterday that Falun Dafa and Falun Gong had not been registered in the manner required by the law and had engaged in illegal activities, which was why they were deemed to be illegal and had been banned by the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

The spokeswoman revealed that there are currently 2 million practitioners of Falun Gong in China.

"The government permits the normal practice of skills that do not break the law. However, Falun Gong organizations have advocated superstitious beliefs and incited the masses to create disturbances and jeopardize social stability under the banner of practising Falun Gong," she said.

About 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners gathered around Party and government headquarters in Zhongnanhai on April 25, disturbing the organs of central government and upsetting public order, she said.

"This was a very serious illegal gathering," Zhang said.

"We believe that, as people gain a clearer idea about the truth behind Falun Gong, more people will leave the organizations," she said. "The number of practitioners is already decreasing," she added.

The government will distinguish between ordinary Falun Gong practitioners and organizers with ulterior motives, Zhang said.

A clear distinction must be made between religious activities and national customs on the one hand, and the Falun Dafa established by Li Hongzhi and the illegal activities organized by Falun Gong organizations on the other.

(Xinhua 07/23/99)