The Falun Gong spiritual group in Taiwan accused China on Tuesday of detaining one of its followers and demanded his immediate release.
Leaders of Taiwan's branch of the Falun Gong, labelled an ''evil cult'' by Beijing and banned in 1999, told a news conference in Taipei that 29-year-old Lin Hsiao-kai was detained during a private trip to Shanghai earlier this month.
Lin's wife said the Chinese authorities have refused to shed any light on the case, leaving the family in the dark. Lin recently quit his job at a local university to prepare for Taiwan's civil servant examination, she said.
The Falun Gong -- which combines a mixture of Taoism, Buddhism, traditional Chinese breathing exercises and the ideas of its founder, Li Hongzhi -- says more than 1,600 members have been killed at the hands of Chinese authorities.
The Chinese government, however, blames Falun Gong for the deaths of 1,900 people, most of whom it says committed suicide or died after refusing medical care.
China has jailed scores of Falun Gong leaders and adherents.