Police investigations have found that the self-immolation tragedy by
          five Falun Gong practitioners last month in Tian'anmen Square was a
          direct result of incitement and spiritual control by cult leader Li
          Hongzhi, and a conspiracy by his diehard followers.
          The direct organizers of the tragedy, Liu Yunfang and Xue Hongjun,
          have been arrested, while another mastermind of the horrible scene,
          Wan Jindong, has been hospitalized since he set himself ablaze
          together with four others on January 23.
          According to the investigations, Liu Yunfang, 57, was a former
          factory worker in Kaifeng City, Henan Province in central China. He
          started practicing Falun Gong in 1997.
          Not long afterwards, he began to boast of his "heavenly eyes" that
          allow him to see "life and substances in another space". He also
          claimed to be one of the top ten disciples of Li Hongzhi.
          Since May 2000, in his lectures Li Hongzhi has repeatedly urged
          practitioners to "devote their lives wholly to Falun Gong" so that
          they can achieve "nirvana".
          Liu told his fellow practitioners Wang Jindong, Hao Huijun and Xue
          Hongjun that he had realized what "nirvana" was. According to him,
          it meant giving up everything and thereby gaining access to "
          heaven".
          Liu declared later that while he was practicing, he saw his spirit
          carrying a lighter and gasoline to Tian'anmen Square and setting it
          on fire. Whereupon he saw his "Buddha body" spraying fire from the
          mouth and displaying a brilliant light."
          Liu told this to Xue Hongjun, who then spread the story among other
          Falun Gong practitioners.
          Meanwhile, another practitioner, Wang Jindong, claimed that he had
          come to realize that the supreme form of achieving "nirvana" was to
          burn oneself in Tian'anmen Square, and still better, on the eve of
          the Lunar New Year.
          Following the latest instruction of Li Hongzhi which urged his
          followers to sacrifice everything for Falun Gong, Liu, Wang, Xue and
          Hao met on January 10, 2001, and agreed to burn themselves to death
          in Tian'anmen on the eve of the Lunar New Year, which fell on
          January 23.
          Xue further suggested that more people should be organized to join
          them. And so Liu Yunfang and Wang Jindong called Liu Baorong, Liu
          Chunling and her 12-year-old daughter Liu Ying, while Hao Huijun
          phoned her daughter Chen Guo, who was studying in Beijing and also a
          practitioner.
          On January 16, Liu Yunfang, Wang Jindong, Hao Huijun, Liu Baorong,
          Liu Chunling and Liu Siying left Kaifeng for Beijing. Xue went to
          the railway station to see them off, and said he would meet them in
          "heaven".
          The six arrived in Beijing the next morning, and met Chen Guo. They
          found lodgings at the house of a Beijing practitioner, but were
          transferred to another apartment by the local Falun Gong
          organization on the same day.
          The seven thereupon started their preparations. They bought 40
          litters of gasoline, which they poured into 14 empty Sprite bottles.
          Perfume was sprayed over the bottles to cover up the smell of
          gasoline. The time for the self-immolation was fixed at 2: 30 p.m.,
          January 23.
          On the fatal day, Hao Huijun, Chen Guo, Liu Chunling and Liu Siying
          took a taxi to Tian'anmen Square. They poured gasoline on their
          bodies in a nearby toilet and set fire to themselves on the square.
          About 10 minutes later, Liu Yunfang, Wang Jindong and Liu Baorong
          arrived at the square in another taxi. The latter two set themselves
          on fire, but Liu Yunfang did not. He didn't even pour gasoline on
          himself.
          Liu Chunling died on the spot, while the other four were seriously
          injured and were immediately rushed to hospital.
          "I did not set myself on fire, because the 'master' wanted me to
          stay. He want me to live so that I can speak," Liu Yunfang explained
          to the police.
          "They had a deeper belief than I, so they attained 'nirvana'. I had
          not reached their level so I changed my mind," Liu added.
          Xue Hongjun was reluctant to admit his role in the tragedy. But
          pressed by reporters, he gave a long sigh, and said, "I'm a sinner.
          "
          Upon learning that Li Hongzhi has denied that the victims were
          followers of Falun Gong, Xue said, "They are telling lies. Li
          Hongzhi is shirking his responsibility, but God will not forgive
          him." His hands trembled with anger.
          With her body entirely wrapped in bandage, 12-year-old Liu Siying
          said her biggest wish is to go home and continue with her schooling.
         
          "I must catch up with my lessons. My classmates are going into the
          sixth grade, I don't want to be left behind alone," she said.
          Chen Guo, a music college student, said she wanted to return to
          school so that she could be a music teacher upon graduation.
          However, doctors at the Beijing Jishuitan Hospital said the four are
          still in a critical condition.
          "We have transplanted skin for all four of them. But the burns are
          massive, and the danger of infection is high," said Li Chi, the
          doctor in charge of the burn unit.
          Even they survive, they face a difficult life, as their faces are
          seriously deformed and their hands are actually non-existent, the
          doctor said.