(November 30, 1999) On November 29, more than a dozen of Falun Gong followers, on the occasion of the ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Seattle, gathered in Seattle and held a so-called press briefing at the Seattle Center, announcing the mayor's proclamation of the so-called "Li Hongzhi and Falun Dafa Days"to five to six reporters from several tabloids.

What on earth is this proclamation? And how did the Falun Gong organization manage to get it?

On the very evening, when Ambassador Li Zhaoxing, the Deputy head of the Chinese Government Delegation to the WTO ministerial meeting, met with mayor Schell of Seattle, the reporters were told that the "proclamation"had been obtained through deception by some Falun Gong followers.

After the briefing by Ambassador Li Zhaoxing about Li Hongzhi's illegal activities and the evil nature of Falun Gong, Mayor Schell immediately said he knew nothing about Falun Gong or Li Hongzhi, neither did he know that Falun Gong is a cult banned by the Chinese Government and Li Hongzhi is a suspected criminal wanted by China's law enforcement department. He thought Falun Gong was a non-political organization engaging in normal religious activities. He stressed that he signed his name on a piece of paper submitted to him by a subordinate without knowing anything behind this. Mayor Schell said that he has always respected the Chinese Government and people, supported the development of Sino-US relations and the friendly relationship between Seattle and its sister city Chongqing. And he added that he is embarrassed by making such a careless proclamation and will soon ask relevant department to revoke it.

On the morning of November 30, the Mayor's Office told Ambassador Li Zhaoxing over the phone that the municipal government had decided to revoke forthwith the wrong decision of the previous day. They also said downtown traffic was suspended because of the large scale demonstrations and that as soon as normal traffic restored, they would send to Ambassador Li a formal letter of the Mayor expressing this apology to the Chinese Government.

Ambassador Li said to the reporters: Good will be rewarded with good, and evil with evil; if the reward is not forthcoming, it is because the time has not arrived. Li Hongzhi has tried to deceive people everywhere, at home and abroad, from Asia to America, from commoners to mayors, from residential quarters to a big international conference. But what he achieved is to have exposed his true features: hypocrisy and evil. Some Americans said the WTO ministerial has nothing to do with cults. Li Hongzhi and Falun Gong just came to show off. Finally, they ended up in making themselves a laughing stock.