The police rounded up key members of the China Democratic Party throughout the day yesterday during a planned crackdown on dissent, the information centre for human rights and democratic movement in China said.

The new round of suppression has already begun right after Clinton's visit to China.

This symbolises that the severe, nationwide suppression of dissidents has resumed. At the same time it also proves that Clinton has returned to America empty-handed on human rights issue. What China did was really a slap in the face to Clinton, the group said.

Dissident Wu Gaoxing in Taizhou city, Zhejiang, was the first to be taken away by police yesterday morning. Later that same day, several police took former 1989 student leader Wang Youcai away from home inHangzhou.

Police also detained Wang Jianpei and Cheng Fan, who were meeting with Wu Gaoxing at his home at the time of the detentions.

Without displaying a search warrant, police combed Wang's home for one hour and took away his address book and a declaration of the China Democratic Party, the group said.

Late last evening, several police took away veteran dissident Wang Donghai from his home in Hangzhou after searching his home.

Police have charged Wang Donghai with attempting to overthrow the government, his wife confirmed by telephone on today.

``I am planning to go to the local public security bureau tomorrow (Sunday) to look for him, his wife told DPA.

Local police in Hangzhou had earlier briefly detained Wang Youcai, Zhu Yufu and Yu Tielong, and had warned them of the dangers of founding their opposition party.

In Beijing today, veteran dissident Xu Wenli strongly protested the police detentions.

The police overdid it. Wang Youcai and the other dissidents just wanted to publicly registertheir party. They only wanted to form preparatory committee for their party, he said by telephone from his home.

On June 25, the same day Clinton arrived in Xian for the first leg of a five-city, nine-day tour of China, Zhejiang-based dissidents Wang Youcai, Wang Donghai and Lin Hui declared the founding of the China Democratic Party, the first open challenge to Beijing in the 50-year history of the Communist Party.