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Document 2 of 12.

February 28, 1999 04:17 GMT

SECTION: International news

LENGTH: 361 words

HEADLINE: China dissidents cancel conference in face of crackdown

DATELINE: BEIJING, Feb 28

BODY:
Chinese opposition party activists have cancelled plans for a nationwide meeting planned for Monday in the face of a crackdown by authorities on the organisers, an overseas dissident group said Sunday.

"The ... China Democracy Party (CDP) ... announces the cancellation of the International Covenants Discussion Forum scheduled from March 1 to March 3 due to the harsh crackdown by the Communist government," the CDP said in a faxed statement issued through the US-based Free China Movement.

The move came just hours before US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was expected to arrive in Beijing for a visit aimed at smoothing rocky bilateral relations and preparing for Premier Zhu Rongji's trip to the US in April.

The CDP had planned the meetings to discuss China's obligations under the two United Nations conventions on human rights, both of which China has signed but not yet ratified.

It was to be the first major move by the outlawed party since three prominent members were handed stiff jail sentences in December.

In a new round of detentions, Wu Yilong was arrested at his home in the eastern city of Hangzhou late Friday by two police officers who did not give a reason for the detention, his wife Shan Chenfeng told AFP.

Wu is believed to be closely allied with CDP founder Wang Youcai, who was jailed for 11 years last December after he applied to formally register China's first opposition party under communist rule.

Two activists in the central city of Wuhan, where the meeting was to have been held, were still behind bars Sunday, dissident sources said.

Chen Zhonghe and Xiao Shichang both remained in detention Sunday after being taken away from their homes on Tuesday.

CDP members had planned their conference to be held just ahead of the opening on March 5 of the annual full session of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's parliament.

As the NPC meeting approaches, Beijing has ordered local authorities to be on the lookout for protests during the two weeks of the parliamentary session, according to the Hong Kong-based Information Centre of Human Rights and Democratic Movement in China.

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LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

LOAD-DATE: February 27, 1999