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Document 5 of 8.

June 30, 1998, Tuesday, 4 State / Suncoast Edition

SECTION: NATIONAL; Pg. 2A

LENGTH: 262 words

HEADLINE: China arrests democracy activist

SOURCE: Compiled from Times Wires

DATELINE: BEIJING

BODY:
A democracy activist who was trying to set up an opposition political party was detained Monday by Chinese police - the latest dissident rounded up during President Clinton's visit.

Plainclothes police showed up at Wang Youcai's home in the eastern city of Hangzhou on Monday, according to dissident groups in the United States and Hong Kong.

Wang had tried to register his China Democracy Party with provincial authorities Friday but was turned away. He had planned to try again Monday afternoon, the Hong Kong-based Information Center of Human Rights and Democratic Movement said.

His application marked the first time Chinese dissidents have openly tried to gain government approval for an opposition party, the Washington-based Free China Movement reported.

Wang, a student leader in the democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square in 1989, was at least the sixth dissident taken into custody since Wednesday. He spent 2 1/2 years in prison for helping lead the 1989 protests and has had repeated run-ins with police since.

His detention came as Clinton left Beijing for Shanghai, China's financial center. Clinton took up the previous arrests with President Jiang Zemin, who defended the police action as important for security.

Four of the six dissidents detained in the past week were arrested in Xian, Clinton's first stop, and released after he left. Authorities in Guilin have told the family of democracy activist Li Xiaolong that he will not be freed until after Clinton tours that southern city Thursday.

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

LOAD-DATE: July 1, 1998