Five years ago this week, a group of five Chinese appeared on television screens across the world in a shocking apparent suicide attempt. The news reports said the five set themselves on fire in a stunt they thought would lead them to heaven. The storyline, as told by state-run media in China, where Falun Gong has been the target of a well-documented persecution, has tried to link the incident with Falun Gong. It has become the number one supporting argument for the Chinese communist regime that Falun Gong is dangerous and the crackdown against it is thus justified.
Five years later, independent investigation has shown the self-immolation to be a deadly hoax. Yet still, few have heard the real story.
