U.S. religious group says 3 arrested after pre-Olympic protest

BEIJING, Aug. 6 Kyodo - A U.S.-based religious group says three of its members were arrested Wednesday after staging a small demonstration in Tiananmen Square.
The Christian Defense Coalition said three people linked to the group unfurled a banner in the square in the center of Beijing earlier Wednesday that read ''Jesus Christ is King'' in Chinese and English.
A spokesman for the Washington-based group, Rev. Rob Schenck, told Kyodo News the three then laid flowers on the ground and prayed for greater religious freedom and tolerance in China.
Schenck said members of the group who observed the protest nearby saw members of the security services lead the two men and one woman away. They have had no contact with them since, he added.
''We are obviously extremely concerned for their welfare and we would urge the Chinese authorities to release them promptly,'' he said.
A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Beijing said he was unable to give any information about the case because of American confidentiality laws, but added, ''We urge China to be tolerant when it comes to issues of human rights, tolerance and freedom of expression.''
The Public Security Bureau in Beijing has yet to reply to Kyodo News' request for information about the case.
A series of small demonstrations were held in the Chinese capital by foreign protests groups Wednesday, including one by pro-Tibet activists who unfurled large banners near the National Stadium before they were arrested by police.
All religious groups have to be formally approved and come under some control by the government in China, but many belong to so-called underground churches which say they are routinely harassed and victimized by the authorities.