Chinese police have uncovered an underground Falun Gong organization associated with separatists in Taiwan.

  Police sources say that Yu Xiaoru, a 72-year-old retired employee of the Agricultural Bureau of Fengjie County, in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, has headed an underground organization of some 30 Falun Gong activists and continued with Falun Gong activities in the county even after it was banned in July 1999 as an insidious cult.

  In addition, this underground organization has been collaborating with a Falun Gong organization in Taiwan, an organization which had advocated "Taiwan Independence" since May 1999 as part of its activities.

  The Chongqinq-based organization had been receiving a steady supply of printed materials advocating Falun Gong from the Taiwan organization until its discovery by police at the end of October, 2002. It disseminated the materials among members of the organization and among the residents of Fengjie County.

  As a demonstration of support for the Taiwan separatists, the Fengjie organization supplied them with materials, including false accounts of the persecution of Falun Gong members on the mainland.

  On September 28, 2001, a lengthy article attacking the Chinese Government's ban of Falun Gong, written by the Fengjie organization, was published by the Taiwan separatists on a pro-Falun Gong website.

  A search of the homes of the suspects by Chinese police revealed 22 bags of Falun Gong material, 12 kilograms of dynamite and machines for the duplication of propaganda materials.

  In detention, Yu recognized his guilt, saying, "By collaborating with separatists in Taiwan, I have been working against the motherland and the reunification of the country," saidYu.

  Police sources said they are aware that, among the underground Falun Gong organizations uncovered in recent years, many have had backing from anti-China elements in other countries.

  "As the world strives for peace, progress and development and China becomes stronger, more confident and united, ugly acts perpetrated by Falun Gong activists and Taiwan separatists are doomed to fail," said a police official.