E/CN.4/1994/31 page 38 said to be paralysed for life as a result of the torture; the third, a woman, was allegedly arrested and tortured for reportedly speaking to a foreign journalist. (21 May 1993) 163. With respect to these cases the Government replied on 26 May 1993 that Rinchen Gendun, Lobsang Yonten and a woman had been detained in accordance with the law for interrogation. The woman was released the same day. The reason for detaining the other two was that they had stolen a large number of State secrets and engaged for a long time in separatist activities, which directly threatened China’s national security. The judicial organ of China would look further into the case and handle it properly in accordance with the law. The arrests had nothing to do with the visit to Tibet by the European Community envoys. 164. In the above-mentioned letter of 26 August (see para. 146) the Special Rapporteur communicated to the Government additional information he had received with regard to the third person arrested together with Rinchen Gendun and Lobsang Yonten, whose name was Damchoe Pemmo, a Lhasa trader in her mid-twenties. She was pregnant when she was detained and reportedly miscarried a week later after police forced her to remain standing for at least 12 hours and beat her with electric batons in the Seitru detention centre. 165. In the evening of 27 March 1993 in the village of Taoyuan, Lijia township, in Xunyang county of Shaanxi province, a group of police officers broke into a religious meeting attended by some 26 local Christians and five others who had come from the neighbouring county of Ankang. Without explanation, the police reportedly started beating those present with truncheons, including a nine-year-old boy. The five Christians from Ankang, including a 22-year-old man named Lai Manping, were violently beaten before being taken to the local police station. Lai Manping was released a few days later but died shortly after as a result of the injuries sustained. Over 90 Christians were said to have been arrested in the area following the incident. (25 May 1993) 166. On 28 May 1993 the Government replied that three peasants from Ankang city in Shaanxi province, including a 21-year-old man named Lai Manping, had organized an unlawful gathering at the village of Taoyuan, Luhe district, in Xunyang county of Shaanxi province. The gathering, which disturbed the local social order, was outlawed by the local public security organ on 28 March. Mr. Lai was beaten on his bottom by local people with a bamboo pole for his wrongdoing and, as a result, he was injured slightly. He died of a heart attack on 6 April 1993. His death had nothing to do with the slight injury. Moreover, the report that 26 Christians were beaten by the police and over 90 were arrested was totally groundless. 167. In the above-mentioned letter of 26 August the Special Rapporteur communicated to the Government additional information he had received with regard to this case, according to which the incident had occurred in the evening of 27 March 1993 in the village of Taoyuan, in Xunyang county, when a group of police officers broke into a religious meeting attended by some 26 local Christians and five others who had come from the neighbouring county of Ankang. Without explanation, police reportedly started beating those