AP Tells the Story of Chinese Jasmine Instigators

Ever since the so-called Chinese Jasmine Revolution stirred up in mid-February, many individuals and groups have tried to claim as its initiators. Since the initial call for action was done anonymously, it's virtually impossible to ascertain the true responsible party.

In an exclusive story, Associated Press jumped into the foray today by revealing what they called "one group of campaigners behind the online petitions," led by a young Chinese student in Seoul:

The group is a network of 20 mostly highly educated, young Chinese with eight members inside China and 12 in more than half a dozen other countries.

Calling itself "The Initiators and Organizers of the Chinese Jasmine Revolution" after a phrase used in the Tunisian uprising, the group is not the sole source of the protest calls; at least four others have sprung up.

Interviews with four members of the Initiators show similar evolutions: All are young people who grew to resent the government's autocratic rule and China's widespread inequality and injustice. The uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt made change look possible.

"People born in the late '80s and the '90s have basically decided that in their generation one-party rule cannot possibly outlive them, cannot possibly even continue in their lifetimes. This is for certain," the lean, soft-spoken 22-year-old who goes by the Internet alias "Forest Intelligence" said in an interview at a cafe in Seoul's trendy Samcheong-dong district.

AP explained that the group has established a significant presence in the online world of social networking, but most of its 1,000+ users seem to be living outside of China. They also list Wang Juntao as one of their advisers.

The story did not present any real evidence of the group's reach and effectiveness, however.