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| East Asia |
| Japan police raid doomsday cult |
| 2003-05-14 |
| EFL Japanese police have raided buildings and vehicles belonging to a mysterious cult which has been leading a caravan around the country in an attempt to evade "electromagnetic wave attacks". Investigators searched the premises of the Pana Wave Laboratory in Fukui, western Japan, as well of some of the cult's dome-shaped shelters north of Tokyo, and about two dozen vehicles. After the Tokyo subway attack, police were heavily criticised for failing to act in time against Aum, despite warnings that it had turned from a small yoga-practising group into a terrorist organisation. Pana Wave's activities have dominated the country's media since late last month, when members blocked a road in central Japan for a week. Members of the group are said to believe that the world will end sometime this month, because of a reversal of the magnetic poles. I hate it when that happens They also reportedly believe that communists are trying to kill their 69-year-old leader, Yuko Chino, using electromagnetic waves. Uh, OK Cult members wear white clothes in the belief that this will protect them from these harmful rays, which they say are generated by power lines and "left-wing elements". Don't forget the tin foil hats The cult also has a well-publicised interest in a lost seal named Tama-chan, which has become a national celebrity in Japan since appearing in a Tokyo river last year. Members of Pana Wave believe electromagnetic waves led Tama-chan thousands of miles away from his arctic home. Pana Wave is said to have been founded by Yuko Chino in the late 1970s, and has a membership of between several hundred and more than 1,000 people. Just because they are wacko,doesn't mean they couldn't be a threat. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #7 Oh, good. That gives me time to get my hair done. |
| Posted by: Fred 2003-05-14 21:21:51 |
| #6 OK, everybody relax, it's been changed to May 22. |
| Posted by: Chuck 2003-05-14 15:02:51 |
| #5 Nike shoes? DON'T DRINK THE PUNCH! |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-05-14 12:38:18 |
| #4 Tomorrow? The Earth is reversing polarity? Set phasers to deep fat fry. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2003-05-14 12:32:55 |
| #3 Those poor deluded fools -- white clothes won't help a bit! Hasn't anyone told them about tinfoil hats? |
| Posted by: JP 2003-05-14 12:15:13 |
| #2 Pay attention! It's tomorrow. Be there or be square! |
| Posted by: Chuck 2003-05-14 11:15:09 |
| #1 I wonder if the leaders of this cult wear flowing white robes. Would that be cool! The followers could wear white painters overalls with white baseball, no golf caps. |
| Posted by: Lucky 2003-05-14 10:23:17 |