Hundreds of soldiers and paramilitary police have been drafted into Tiananmen Square in Beijing in anticipation of further protests from the banned Falun Gong movement following the reported death of a supporter who dramatically set herself alight yesterday.
The woman died and four other members of the outlawed sect were injured after turning themselves into human torches in the apparent mass suicide attempt.
Security around Beijing's most popular tourist spot was extremely tight last night as the authorities braced themselves for more Falun Gong action today, the Chinese New Year. The spiritual movement stages its biggest protest on public holidays.
A Falun Gong spokeswoman told The Irish Times that the movement had not identified the five as being their members. However, the official Chinese news agency, Xinhua, claimed one woman member of the organisation died of burn injuries and the others were rushed to hospital.
A CNN camera crew witnessed five people dousing their clothes in petrol before setting themselves on fire in the middle of the square at around 2.40 p.m. yesterday.
Reporter Liz Cleaver saw one man set himself alight at a monument in the north-east of the square. A policeman extinguished the flames in minutes.
Shortly afterwards, four women staggered around the square engulfed in flames with their hands held high above their heads in a typical Falun Gong gesture.
The sect claims 120 of its members have died in detention since it was outlawed after seeking official recognition as a religion in 1999. While Beijing has acknowledged several deaths in custody, it claims they have resulted from suicides and illness.
Last night a Hong Kong-based spokeswoman for the movement, Mrs Yee Han Xui, told The Irish Times that members would not do anything to harm themselves. "We believe in being compassionate to everybody, including ourselves."
The US-based leader of the movement, Mr Li Hongzhi, did, however, appear to signal a change of tactics when he told followers in a message posted on the Falun Gong website a fortnight ago that they could rightfully go beyond the movement's principle virtue of forbearance.
China's handling of Falun Gong protests faces special scrutiny this year with the International Olympic Committee due in Beijing in February to evaluate Beijing's bid to host the 2008 Games. An IOC inspection team will visit Beijing ahead of the final decision on who hosts the Games in July.