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WHEN: Wednesday, April 13, 12 noon to 1 p.m.
WHERE: In front of U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, DC
The gathering is to raise the public awareness of the genocide lawsuit against Jiang Zemin for his role in the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. The guest speakers will include congressional members, NGO leaders, victims, and Falun Gong supporters.
In October of 2002, Chinese and U.S. citizens filed a lawsuit against the former head of China, Jiang Zemin, for his role in the persecution of Falun Gong. The Supreme Court will make a decision on whether to hear the case around April 15. Central to the case is the premise that as a former head of state, Jiang Zemin should not have head of state immunity under U.S. law for torture and other crimes against humanity, crimes that violate the "human rights of man."
Jiang Zemin and his cohorts are being sued for Genocide, Torture and Crimes against Humanity in over 15 countries around the world. These lawsuits, along with the recent movement in China to renounce membership in the Chinese Communist Party following the publication of the "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party" by the Epoch Times newspaper, are viewed by some China experts as early signs of the CCP's imminent collapse.
For more details, please visit http://flgjustice.org/usa/jiang
(Clearwisdom) French satellite company Eutelsat's refusal to renew its contract with NTDTV has attracted the attention of many members of the U.S. Congress. Last week, a "Dear Colleague" letter was drafted which calls upon President Bush to address this issue with Eutelsat and urge them to reconsider their decision. The letter was circulated in the House of Representatives between last Thursday and this Tuesday. During four short business days, 93 House members co-signed the letter, including the Chairman of the International Relations Committee, Henry Hyde, the Vice Chairman of the committee, Christopher Smith, and the ranking member, Tom Lantos.
The letter was also copied to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley.
View the letter and the signatures
(PDF format 707KB)
The letter in text: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2005/4/7/59354.html
(Clearwisdom.net) The Vice President of Taiwan, Ms. Lu Hsiu-lien, attended the "Healthy Life Guide Study Camp" held by the Association of Public Hygiene on the afternoon of April 10, 2005, and learned to practice the first set of the Falun Gong exercises.
Vice President Lu Hsiu-lien learns to practice the first set of the Falun Gong exercises (Ms. Lu is the first from the right)
Vice President Lu believes that it is an individual's basic responsibility to take good care of their health, and that one should be healthy "physically, mentally and spiritually." In the following three years, Vice President Lu, together with President Chen Shui-pian, will actively promote the health trio: healthy life, healthy society and healthy globe.
After the vice-president made a speech, she listened to the guests talking about their suggestions on health policy. After that, the sponsor arranged for the secretary of the Taiwan Falun Dafa Association, Hung Chi-hung, to demonstrate the Falun Gong exercises. Vice President Lu and more than 150 guests learned to practice the first set of the exercises.
Hung Chi-hung, who used to be director of the Yang School Taichi Association, showed great interest in martial arts when he was a child. After practicing in various Taichi schools such as the Chen School, Zheng School and the Yang School, he realized that modern Taichi only focuses on the exercises, but the true tenets behind the practice have never been taught.
He himself was also an elder in a church, but after practicing so many exercises and religious beliefs, he finally discovered that looking within, valuing morality and being considerate of others are the most important. The first set of the Falun Gong exercises, by means of stretching and relaxing, completely opens up one's hundreds of arteries and veins, resulting in the smooth flow of energy throughout all the energy channels of the body. The exercise is simple to learn, and it has no restriction on time and location, quite suitable to modern people's busy schedules.
(Clearwisdom.net) As a marketing manager of a transnational communications company, Martin from Baden-Wuerttemberg frequently travels around the world for business. Carrying master's degrees in both engineering and business administration, together with his honest and discerning demeanor, Martin's capability as a technical specialist and a businessman has never been questioned. Martin and his Taiwanese wife live a comfortable and happy life in Ulm, a pretty city in Germany. However, something continuously weighs on him.
In March every year, he takes a few days or even a few weeks off and goes to Geneva with his wife and others. Unlike his usual business trips, the reason that he travels there is not for himself but for the sake of others. Instead of making money, he uses his own savings to help his fellow Falun Gong practitioners who are suffering from the unreasonable persecution in China. At the Place des Nations in front of the United Nations building in Geneva, Martin and fellow practitioners from around the world demonstrate the Falun Gong exercises and hold press conferences to call upon the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to help stop the suppression of Falun Gong in China. They also go to the UN building to take part in or sponsor human rights symposiums. They go out on the streets in Geneva to parade, distribute flyers, and collect petition signatures or conduct art exhibitions in art centers to expose the persecution of Falun Gong. While doing this, they have to face interference from the "non-governmental organizations" dispatched by the Chinese Communist regime.
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Since the year 2000, each March and April, there have been one to two thousand Falun Gong practitioners from Europe, Asia, Australia, North America and South America going to Geneva by plane, train or bus. For instance, practitioners from Germany, a neighboring country of Switzerland, usually car-pool and drive to Geneva, sharing the cost of gas. It takes five or six hours to drive from Baden-Wuerttemberg where Martin lives, to Geneva. The 100-Euro expense for the round-trip is shared by five practitioners who make the trip together. The cost is about how much a German university student would spend for four or five meals. It is also quite common for forty to fifty practitioners to rent a big tourist van together.
Before their trips, practitioners book the most inexpensive hotels in Geneva; that is, hotels rebuilt from underground air-raid shelters. One hotel room usually contains ten to thirty sleeping places, either bunk beds or a big wide bed. Practitioners need to bring their own sleeping bags and simple moisture-proof pads. One sleeping place usually costs less then 10 Euros. It seems that one is unable to find a cheaper place in Geneva, where the cost of living is so high that it is well known around the world. Some practitioners booked space at the Youth Hotel, where sleeping place costs about 20 Euros. As for food, practitioners often eat at fast food places. Turkish meat steamed bread is also popular. Sometimes, practitioners go to supermarkets to buy bread, cheese and sausages and make sandwiches themselves. This is most economical. Some cheap motels are also equipped with cookware and stoves, which is very helpful for Chinese practitioners who are not used to western food. Taking part in activities outside for a whole day and unable to have a hot meal, practitioners feel happy to cook a pot of instant noodles after they go back to their hotel. With some vegetables and seasonings, the noodles make a good meal.
It is not for no reason that Falun Gong practitioners try to save money. Martin, who has a good income, also lives in the cheap Youth Hotel. Like other practitioners of Falun Gong, Martin and his wife use their weekends and vacations to help fellow practitioners who are persecuted in China. In Germany, on almost every weekend, there will be one or two information booths set up at different places. Some practitioners demonstrate the Falun Gong exercises, some re-enact the torture methods used against fellow practitioners in China, some distribute flyers and others explain the facts to passersby. Martin and his wife often participate in these activities. They use their own savings to print Falun Gong truth-clarifying materials in German and Chinese. They also print large-scale posters and spend their own money to buy materials for the anti-torture exhibition. All of these cost quite a large amount of money. Martin has been following the principles of Falun Gong, which is not to collect money, property, or membership fees in the name of Falun Gong. Practitioners voluntarily and silently do things by themselves. Over the past few years, people could see Martin and his wife not only in Germany, but also in large-scale activities and experience sharing conferences in America. Of course, each time, they planned their budget very carefully.
In March 2004, Falun Gong practitioners held a parade in Geneva. Practitioners dressed in white and held photos or signs with the names of practitioners who died from persecution. The third from right is Ms. Jane Dai. She carried the ashes of her husband, a Falun Gong practitioner who was tortured to death in China. Her daughter Fadu follows her.
On March 28, 2005, during the 61st session of the UN Commission on Human Rights, Falun Gong practitioners hold anti-torture exhibitions on the streets of Geneva to expose the brutal persecution launched by Jiang Zemin's faction against Falun Gong.
Martin's friend, Mr. Wu who also lives at Baden-Wuerttemberg, comes to Geneva almost every year at his own expense. A few years ago, he was still a student. It was reported that the money for his trip was obtained through savings from his daily food expenses. Mr. Wu, who is from Mainland China said, "I'm now living in a democratic society where I can enjoy the human rights that a person should have. However, I cannot forget those people who are unable to enjoy their basic human rights. In China, some people have even lost their lives for upholding their beliefs."
Sacrifice in terms of time and money to oppose the persecution is a logical thing for him to do. He said, "I believe all of this is very meaningful. I take part in Falun Gong activities, including going to Geneva to appeal on behalf of Falun Gong to the UN Commission on Human Rights. I do this out of my own conscience. Who could possibly offer money to buy my conscience? Of course, I pay for my own expenses. Some people don't believe that so many people are willing to spend so much effort and money for something unrelated to their own benefits. In fact, it is very easy to understand the reason. The principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance that Falun Gong teaches not only awakened my conscience but also awakened the consciences of thousands, even millions of people. Among those millions of people, a small portion can afford the time and expense to come to Geneva. This is why in March and April every year, there will be one to two thousands practitioners conducting activities in Geneva."
(Clearwisdom.net) Falun Dafa practitioners from Toronto have been clarifying the truth in Manhattan for more than eight months. Regardless of the weather, rain or shine or snow, the practitioners' activities have never stopped. In the following article, we would like share how a new exhibition site was established.
1) Kindhearted Building Security Staff and Managers
On April 3, 2005, despite heavy rain and cold wind, practitioners from Canada who have been living in New York City to do truth clarification, together with more than ten practitioners from Toronto who came for a weekend, set up an anti-torture exhibit in front of the "Time Warner Center" building at 58th St and 8th Ave. This building features worldwide first-class products and is a major shopping area for wealthy New Yorkers. As it was raining heavily, practitioners decided to conduct group practice, send righteous thoughts and distribute materials under the shelter of the building. A security officer came over to us and said: "This is the property of the building. You can't have these activities here." We then told him the facts about what we were doing. After he came to understand the truth, he said: "I personally support you. However, I have my responsibilities. Let me ask my supervisor."
  Building security allowed the practitioners to practice under the shelter |
  Security officer: "I have to ask my manager" |
  A kind-hearted security officer listens to practitioner's truth clarification |
After a while, well-dressed "Manager B" came to us and said: "I know what you guys do, however, I cannot allow you to have activities here, according to the regulations." We told him sincerely: "We came from Toronto for the weekend, and we just want stay here for a while. We will move to a public area once the rain stops." Manager B then nicely said: "O.K., however, I have to ask my manager."
The rain stopped. We then set up posters, banners and an anti-torture exhibition in the public area in front of the building. Another security manager came out with a 2-way radio and stood in front of our site with a stern face. After observing us for a while, he told us: "It is O.K. as long as you are not in our area. Otherwise, I would ask you to leave." A practitioner asked: "Why?" He said: "I would ask you to move to a place where people care about this issue. Here we only have people who come for shopping and they won't care about you guys." The practitioner then said sincerely: "We care about them!"
2) Kind Advice from Security Staff
During the day, the security personnel shifts changed several times and all of them were willing to accept our materials and listen to our truth-clarification. One security guard also suggested that we distribute materials in a nearby subway station. He said it was not so cold there and we could distribute materials faster.
  Security officer: "You can distribute materials in subway stations" |
  A passerby asked: "Where can I find a practice site?" |
Another security guard saw that we sometimes crossed the limit of the public area and then told us: "You must pay attention to this and do not go beyond this row of iron poles. I heard conversations among my colleagues on my radio that they are planning to send people to take photos if you cross the line as evidence that you are violating regulations. Consequently, you guys could be dispersed." We thanked him for the reminder. He told us: "I know what you are doing, I understand your intentions, and I support you wholeheartedly."
3) A Young New Yorker Who Has a Predestined Relation with Dafa
New Yorker Patrick said that he started to do meditation when he was 17. When he passed by, he was attracted by our music and exercise demonstration. He conjoined his hands and quietly stood next to practitioners to listen to our exercise music. Later, he learned all five sets of exercises.
  A young New Yorker comes to learn the exercises |
  Learning the exercises |
Patrick also told us: "I went to China to study in 2001 and it was the darkest time of the persecution. Teachers told international students in classes: You can't talk about Falun Gong. At that time, I felt very disgusted. Surprisingly, the Chinese students felt O.K. with it. Maybe they are used to a life without freedom. It is so sad!"
Before he left, Patrick took some fliers and said: "I can't take too many as I don't want to waste them. I will make copies and distribute them to my friends."
4) A "Self-immolation" or a "False Fire"
Around 4 p.m., a gentleman who appeared to be a senior employee came to our site. He said: "I have one serious question for you. Are you a religion or an organization? A practitioner replied: "We are neither a religion nor an organization. We just practice a practice which improves our health and tempers our minds."
This gentleman then asked: "I have read a report of self-immolation which charged that some practitioners committed suicide and burned a child alive." The practitioner told him: "All these are just lies. This is why we, practitioners from different countries, have come here. We come to clarify the truth to people like you. In order to eliminate Falun Gong, Jiang Zemin's regime and the Chinese Communist Party have not only murdered more than 1,000 practitioners, but also fabricated many lies to stigmatize and demonize Falun Gong."
  New truth-clarification site in front of a famous shopping center |
  The truth-clarification site |
  People who come to learn about the truth |
The gentleman listened to us attentively. He then asked a practitioner: "Do you work?" The practitioner answered: "I am a college student. I come here on weekends." He then turned back and asked me: "How about you?" I said: "I have a job in Toronto, and our bus is leaving around 6 o'clock. I have to be back at work tomorrow morning. Please take this VCD about the 'Self-immolation' and watch it." He nodded and said: "Thank you for the information, I will study this to see if it is a 'self-immolation' or a 'false fire.'"
5) "I met you in Paris"
A gentleman from Paris passed by. He smiled while he accepted a flier from a practitioner. He said: "I met you in Paris." The practitioner was surprised and said: "Really?" (She had never been to Paris.) This gentleman said: "Yes. I know you guys. The booth is the same, the exercises are the same, and so is the music. I think you must have moved from Paris to here."
6) Tourists Learn about the Persecution While Visiting Manhattan
After having read through our posters, a couple from the U.K. said: "You have done a good job! You must continue and you will obtain support from the U.S. government."
  An elderly Scottish lady takes photos of practitioner |
  A kindhearted couple from Spain |
  A passerby explains the persecution to his daughter |
A young couple from Spain stopped by and we learned that they are both professors. After they learned the truth of the persecution, they took many photos and asked for truth clarification materials in Spanish. Before they left, the husband said emotionally: "I am going to take this information to my country. I will tell all my relatives, friends, colleagues and students that such a brutal persecution is taking place in China now."
An elderly Scottish lady, who is a Christian, stopped by. She talked to us with tears in her eyes: "I can't believe that there is still torture and killing of good people!" She took many photos, and said that she would take the information back to share with her church members and pray for us.
A Japanese lady commented: "The Chinese government is worse than Fascism."
A middle-aged gentleman came to shop with his daughter. They came to view our posters, and the father explained the persecution to his daughter. He then said to practitioners: "You will have justice!" Anyone who participates in persecution of good people will be punished by the principles of the universe and the laws of human beings.
7) People Who Still Can't See the Truth
An elderly man who appeared to be a retired Chinese Communist Party cadre came to our site with his granddaughter. Pointing to us, he said: "You should go back China to see, China is now very good. You shouldn't be deceived and used." Practitioners told him: "Do you know why we come here to appeal? The Chinese Communist Party has murdered more than 1,600 Falun Gong practitioners and the killing is continuing." He then said viciously: "More than 1,000, so what? Do you know how many were killed during the Great Cultural Revolution?" As he left, we felt so sad as his mindset had been distorted so much by communism.
8) To Manhattan and Our Fellow Practitioners: "See You Next Week!"
We were leaving for Toronto as it started to rain again. Looking at the truth clarification site, and my fellow practitioners who were staying to maintain the site, I burst into tears. I took one more photo and said to my fellow practitioners in my heart: "Please take care, see you next week!"
(Clearwisdom.net) Falun Gong practitioners in the United Kingdom held an anti-torture exhibition in Huddersfield on March 20, 2005. The purpose of this activity was to introduce Falun Gong to the local residents and to tell them about the brutal persecution against the practice in China. Flyers were distributed to passers-by and petition signatures were collected calling for an end to the persecution. Those practitioners who played the roles of policemen and victims in the anti-torture exhibition had to stay in position for many hours, but they didn't complain. New practitioners also participated in the activities.
  Anti-torture exhibition |
  Signing a petition to call for an end to the persecution |
Because this event took place on a Sunday, the streets weren't as crowded as they would have been the day before. However, many local residents stopped by to watch the anti-torture exhibition. A middle-aged woman could not help shedding tears when she saw a practitioner sitting in a small cage. Another young lady asked a practitioner who was acting in the exhibition how long he had stood there. After she found out that he had been standing there for several hours, she expressed her sympathy and admiration. She signed the petition after she learned that these methods of torture are currently being used against Falun Gong practitioners in China.
A young girl brought her mother to the exhibition after she had learned about the persecution. She also brought her young friends to sign their names to the petition. A while later, another group of young people asked if the man sitting in the small cage was just an artificial model or a real man. They said if it was a real man, he would have suffered a lot from being forced to huddle up in such a small cage. They were extremely shocked after learning from practitioners that it was a real man and that the actual situation in China is far worse. These young boys had a very strong sense of justice. They all signed their names to support the practitioners in China.
Two boys and two girls came to the exhibition together. The eldest was a teenage girl, and the other children were less than ten years old. They were viewing the poster boards when a practitioner approached them. The practitioner asked the teenager if she wanted to sign her name to the petition. She said, "Sure." One of the little boys asked what the signature was for. Instead of waiting for a response from the practitioner, the girl said, "It is to stop the things described on the poster boards from happening again!"
On the same day, a Chinese gentleman who appeared to have lived in England for many years was glad to receive some information. He said he was interested in practicing Falun Gong and asked about the local practice site where he could learn the exercises for free.
Source: http://clearharmony.net/articles/200504/25879.html
(Clearwisdom.net) On April 4-5, the Falun Dafa Club at California State University at San Jose organized an "Uncompromising Courage" art exhibition, and hosted a multi-cultural "Spring Harmony" evening performance which attracted about 300 visitors.
The exhibition displayed paintings by Falun Gong practitioners, which depicted the peace and dignity of Falun Dafa cultivation, exposed the facts of the ongoing persecution in China, and highlighted worldwide support for the practice. Most faculty members and students who attended said that they didn't know that the persecution of this peaceful practice was so brutal.
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The "Uncompromising Courage" art exhibition
The evening show was held on April 5, and the program included the traditional Dragon dance, Lion dance, Red Silk dance, Lotus dance, a Vietnamese dance, a Hawaiin dance, a piano solo, and an Italian folk song, among other performances. Renowned Chinese tenor, Guan Guimin, performed "The Fa Rectifies the Universe" and an Italian folk song.
  Dance performance |
  Tenor Guan Guimin |
  An enthusiastic audience |
During the evening show, practitioners demonstrated the Falun Gong exercises while Western practitioner Carlson explained the features of the practice, the grand spread of Falun Gong in China before July 1999, the brutal persecution since July 1999, as well as practitioners' worldwide activities and the support received. Carlson said that he had asthma in the past and was hospitalized several times because of it. However, his symptoms completely disappeared after beginning Falun Gong practice. The peaceful exercise demonstration received warm applause from the audience.
Carlson went on to talk about the "Uncompromising Courage" art exhibition. He first introduced the painting "Persecution of Women," in which two guards and two inmates are torturing and insulting a female Falun Gong practitioner. Sexual insult is one of the many torture methods used to torture female practitioners who refuse to denounce Falun Gong. Carlson said that to live in a harmonious world, we need to not only understand each other and learn about different cultures, but also that we must stop any brutal persecution of goodness. Carlson introduced another canvas entitled "Coming for You." The painting depicts the historic appeal of Western practitioners on Tiananmen Square, Beijing. On that day, 36 practitioners from 13 countries displayed an 8-foot-long banner which read, "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" in both Chinese and English. His introduction stimulated many students' interest in the exhibition.
A sophomore said that he didn't know that the persecution was so severe. However, he was not surprised when he heard that the persecution of Falun Gong was instigated by the Chinese Communist Party, because he had friend in China who was persecuted for his own religious beliefs.
One woman regretted that she hadn't brought a camera with her and asked where she could see the paintings again.
Persecution of Falun Gong in Chinese Universities
After seeing the on-stage Falun Gong demonstration and hearing the concurrent introduction, a retired Chinese professor who recently came from China to the U.S. for a family visit said, "There is no way to practice Falun Gong freely in China right now."
Falun Gong activities have also been held in many other U.S. universities. For example, one week ago, an anti-torture exhibition was held at UC Berkeley, and a similar anti-torture exhibition was held at California State University at Chico. In contrast to the freedom enjoyed by practitioners in U.S. universities however, practitioners in Chinese universities have experienced severe persecution.
According to a recent report on Minghui.org (the Chinese version of Clearwisdom.net), a practitioner couple (Mr. An Haifeng and Ms. Chen Fengtian), who were both lecturers from Beijing University of Chemical Technology, have been repeatedly harassed by local community officials and police. Professor An was often detained on so-called sensitive days (i.e. national holidays or dates when the Chinese Communist Party holds meetings). During the past five-plus years of persecution, the couple's salaries were cut in half. The perpetrators often forced them to write so-called "Conversion Letters" (letters formally denouncing Falun Gong) but all of these illegal requests were firmly refused by the couple. Mr. An was persecuted to death on October 16, 2004, and his wife is still in custody.
Practitioner Zheng Xujun, a PhD student at the Chinese Academy of Electric Science, was also severely persecuted for practicing Falun Gong. He was first secretly expelled from the Academy, then abducted, tortured and sent to a forced labor camp and brainwashing centers for further persecution. The Academy transferred his address to a non-existent location, which resulted in cancellation of Zheng's residency. Consequently, he couldn't live a normal life nor find a job after he was finally released.
Sharing Helps Westerners Deepen their Understanding of the Nature of the Chinese Communist Party
The audience at the evening show was very interested in the oriental culture presented in this show. After seeing practitioners' cultural performances and exercise demonstration, and having learned about the ongoing persecution, some audience members asked practitioners why the Chinese Communist Party would persecute Falun Gong. Unavoidably, the talks touched upon the nature of the Party, the damage that the Party has done to traditional Chinese culture, the persecution of religious beliefs, as well as how the Party purposefully distorted history and used commercial interests as well as diplomatic means to block information and bully Western media. Through the interactive discussion, the attendees deepened their understanding of the evil nature of the Chinese Communist Party.
Practitioner Flowers, a student at CSU San Jose, said that the purpose of this exhibition and evening performance was not only to help people understand the cultures of other countries, but also to let people know about the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong, and to call for help in ending the persecution of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance."
(Clearwisdom.net) On April 5, 2005, the 2005 Baishatun Culture and Art Festival was held in front of the Mazu Temple. The festival organization invited the Falun Gong practitioners' waist drum troupe to participate. Their performance was arranged to be the first on the program. The rousing waist drum troupe performance opened the culture and art festival.
The waist drum troupe, which has a rich cultural background, brought people something new and fresh. To the music of "Falun Dafa is Good," the performance brought the blessings of Falun Dafa to the local residents. Practitioners distributed Falun Dafa introductory flyers to people along the way to the Gongtiangong Temple, which allowed more people to learn about the beauty of Falun Dafa.
Local residents who watched the performance all said, "It's so wonderful that the host organization is able to invite such a grand waist drum troupe! It is so great!" When the procession arrived at the Gongtiangong Temple, practitioners gave a performance entitled, "Invincible Might of Drum Music." Their movements were uniform and their performance won applause from the entire audience. The festival organizers were extremely happy and kept expressing thanks to the practitioners, ensuring them that they will be invited to attend again next time.
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Practitioners in Miaoli formed the waist drum troupe about four months ago. About eighty practitioners, including teenagers and people in their 70s, joined the troupe. At the beginning, they first learned the basic movements and then practiced on their own at home. On weekends, they practiced together. Some of the older practitioners at first did not have much of an idea about musical rhythms. Mr. Su is one of them. For a long period of time, he was unable to perform the very basic movements. It was even harder for him to follow the rhythm. He felt discouraged each time at practice and wanted to give it up. However, fellow practitioners phoned him and encouraged him and he also decided to double his efforts. He believed that his diligent work could make up the lack of natural ability. Now, he is one of those performers whose basic movements are most solid. In addition, he has attended every group practice. His courage and perseverance are really admirable. The practitioners all expressed that the reason they overcame all kinds of difficulties to learn to play the waist drum is that they hope that by means of their performances, they will allow more people to learn about Falun Dafa and benefit from the practice.
Geneva (ats): Beating, burning, solitary confinement, force-feeding:
1. Falun Gong exposed tortures in China
The Falun Gong movement demonstrated last Wednesday in front of the Palais des Nations in Geneva, outside the Commission on Human Rights, the forms of torture to which its practitioners are victim in China.
"Every day, thousands of people in China undergo torture, because they practice Falun Gong," said Lee Kye Ja, organizer of the demonstration. In presenting the methods used and displaying photographs of the victims, the association wished to draw attention to the fate of its Chinese practitioners.
Practitioners in police uniforms, wearing on their backs the words "China police" pretended to beat with truncheons or to burn with irons victims dressed entirely in white and whose makeup simulated wounds.
Yet other "prisoners" were enclosed in tiny metal cages or attached to gallows, in front of the UN on the Palais des Nations. Campaigners distributed pamphlets.
2. 1,600 deaths since July 1999
Falun Gong was prohibited by Beijing in July 1999. Since then, hundreds of thousands have been imprisoned, and interned in mental hospitals or forced labor camps. In five years, 1,600 people have died from torture, said the association.
Moreover, children of Falun Gong practitioners increasingly fall victim to the persecution, emphasized its spokesperson. Expelled from school and separated from their parents, minors are also locked up in asylums or orphanages, where they suffer physical abuse, she said.
For the past two years, Falun Gong associations worldwide have filed lawsuits for Torture, Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity against the Chinese perpetrators, including former President Jiang Zemin.
Source: http://clearharmony.net/articles/200504/25878.html
(Clearwisdom.net) At the end of February 2005, I suddenly experienced a large amount of blood in my stool. It happened at least once a day, sometimes twice. Similar conditions have occurred once, three years ago. At that time, the discharge was mostly blackish, red thick blood. Afterwards, my body would feel very relaxed. The condition lasted for less than a week. I knew it had been the cleansing of bad things in my body; and I even felt glad. But this time the conditions were different. The blood was fresh and red, and was discharged in large amounts. Once I was using a bedpan and noticed that the blood continued to flow. It seemed like a blood vessel had broken.
I had never had any hemorrhoid-related illnesses or similar issues, so how could these conditions occur? My first realization was that I must have some big loopholes that the old forces took advantage of. This phenomenon lasted for about 20 days. I made the best use of time in those twenty days to practice the exercises, study the Fa, and send forth righteous thoughts. However, the discharging of blood still continued. Each time afterwards, other than feeling some discomfort around the waist, my body did not feel any other discomfort.
Some of my human thoughts were beginning to surface, but I would clearly realize that they were forms of interference. Ever since I started practicing Falun Dafa in 1998, a lot of experiences have helped me gain a stronger faith in Dafa. I knew that the old forces had taken advantage of me, and I had to overcome them! Below is my understanding and experience.
Through looking inside myself, I found that in these few years I had a very strong attachment to lust. Although in the past I had a strong desire to get rid of these filthy thoughts, they still come and go repeatedly. Sometimes I could do better, other times not. I have seen Master's lectures many times, and I knew that I had filthy thoughts, thoughts that a cultivator must get rid of. But sometimes I just did not pass the test. When conversing with fellow practitioners, I constantly avoided discussing my heavily-concealed attachment to lust. I wanted to cover it up and was afraid of people saying that I cultivated poorly. So, my problem persisted. Every time after I failed the test, I would feel very pained. On more than one occasion I would slap myself on the face, but I just did not do well.
In the course of experience sharing, fellow practitioners told me kindly that I have attachments to food and drink. I loved eating hot peppers too much, and any meal without hot peppers was not appetizing to me. I also loved drinking tea too much--I almost could not drink plain water. In addition, I also liked to eat meat and had some other relatively intense attachments. These I was able to realize by myself, but had always thought that they were not a big issue and that there was no need to pay much attention to them. Furthermore, I thought that overcoming these was no problem, so those attachments became more serious. I even liked to show off as a tea connoisseur in front of fellow practitioners. Although the problem does not seem to be that big, letting it go unchecked was unacceptable. Once I realized this, I began to overcome these attachments, but at the same time I did not develop a fear of eating hot peppers or drinking tea, either.
Upon finding these attachments, I became more at peace than before when studying the Fa, doing the exercises and sending forth righteous thoughts. And of course, I clarified the truth whenever there was a chance.
Through Fa study I realized the following: What the old forces arranged at low levels cannot restrict us. It may be that the old forces arranged my having blood in the stool to make me think that my body should be affected and I had contracted some major disease. This is similar to the illegal persecution of fellow practitioners in prison, and the incident mentioned in Zhuan Falun where the blindfolded subject listened to the dripping of tap water and thought it was his blood dripping. When some fellow practitioners get into car accidents, why is it that some escape unscathed, some receive minor injuries, and some have serious consequences? These are all caused by one's own mental point of view. One's mindset at that moment determines the outcome. I realized that first I must not acknowledge this interference, since the old forces had wanted me to feel that I was not well. I am Master's disciple, and everything goes by what Master says! Even though the old forces had made a nest in my loophole, I could still overcome this tribulation quickly. I said, "I do not acknowledge your arrangements! I can break through the evil arrangements by the old forces."
It may be that in certain cases the sickness symptoms do lessen or go away, but what should we do if the manifestations of sickness do not lessen? I see it this way: As a Dafa disciple, one must steadfastly believe in Master and believe in Dafa. Because experiences over the years already sufficiently prove that as long as we believe in Master and the Fa, anything can be accomplished. Every veteran disciple has had profound experiences in this regard. If one's body is overtaken by very serious conditions of sickness and it lasts for quite a long time, then that must mean one has some obvious loophole that is being taken advantage of by the old forces. Otherwise, the old forces will not dare to carry out the persecution. We must let go of attachments and look inside ourselves for shortcomings. We should also share experiences with fellow practitioners and hear out their opinions. If these things can be done, then I think the old forces' persecution can be very quickly broken through. Once I found my problem, I immediately sent forth righteous thoughts to eradicate the evil, and I firmly corrected myself. I found that on the second night, very little blood was discharged. On the third day, everything was fine.
I have only the greatest gratitude for Master. I again profoundly experienced that a steadfast belief in Master, a steadfast belief in Dafa and holding steadfast righteous thoughts are of the utmost importance.
March 23, 2005
(Clearwisdom.net) My wife and I are Falun Dafa practitioners. I always looked down upon her because she did not forge ahead diligently in cultivation practice. Instead of seizing the day to study the Fa, practice the exercises, clarify the truth and send forth righteous thoughts, she watched TV or haggled over everyday affairs. As a result, it took her a long time to finish reading Zhuan Falun.
One night, she suddenly suffered a serious headache. She said that she could sense some black things pressing her and asked me to help by sending forth righteous thoughts. At that time I was dissatisfied with her, saying to myself, "Why didn't you cultivate diligently before?" Several days later, she suddenly lost her sight. She persisted in going to the hospital for treatment, but the ophthalmologist could not find any problems. Just as we left to see a neurologist, she was startled as she caught sight of what seemed to be some evil thing that fell down to the ground. She immediately developed a twisted mouth, skewed eyes, foaming from the mouth and lost consciousness.
The next night I was awakened thoroughly by the thought that my wife is still a Dafa disciple even if she did not practice well, and I should not allow the old forces to persecute her this way. Although she did not behave exactly as a Dafa disciple should, the point is that she needs to improve, and this should not be an excuse for persecution.
Accordingly, I taught her to read Teacher's Fa-rectification formula out loud. At first, she could not read it clearly. Later she could read it by herself. After returning home that day, I intensified sending forth righteous thoughts. After several days, her eyes recovered without any treatment. During this period, she was unclear on many things. But, she said she had one righteous thought: I can overcome this tribulation, that's for sure. She really came through by holding this thought. What a dangerous situation she was in!
Through this lesson, I gained a whole new understanding of denying the persecution of the old forces. The old forces persecuted us on the excuse that we as a whole body had loopholes, and I held the idea: How can a Falun Dafa disciple behave like this? By thinking this way, I unknowingly approved the persecution of fellow practitioners.
Looking at her situation, it was clear that she had a big loophole, which resulted in the evil's violent treachery on her. How can a disciple not treasure such a precious Fa and risk losing this opportunity? Besides personal consummation, we also bear the mission of saving sentient beings. Teacher said that personal consummation is not the goal of cultivation:
"When you came, saving sentient beings was your great aspiration, and that is the responsibility and mission history has bestowed upon you in Fa-rectification."
("Let Go of Human Attachments and Save the World's People")
If we do not perform well in our personal cultivation, how can we save sentient beings? That is where my wife needed to improve.
She did not forge ahead diligently, but I also bore part of the responsibility for that. I was not pure enough, such that my energy field failed to affect her. My loophole intensified the evil factors. Now I pay close attention and encourage her to study the Fa and help her to improve. I also try my best to create a positive environment for her in our family and thus form an all-powerful whole.
March 27, 2005
(Clearwisdom.net) In 2002, I wrote a letter to the leaders of my work unit, telling them that I was a Falun Dafa practitioner. Since my mindset was not entirely pure, they decided that they would conduct a brainwashing session for me. I thought to myself that I should stop such a session. My unit was to hold a sports meet, and they were supposed to conduct the brainwashing session at around that time.
On the day of the sports meet, I kept sending forth righteous thoughts. It was announced that they would start the meet by raising the national flag while playing the national anthem. I thought that there might be evil elements behind the flag and anthem that I should eliminate, and continued sending righteous thoughts. After it was quiet for some time, someone said there was problem with the cassette player. They ended up canceling the ceremony, and I didn't think any more about what happened at the time.
Since then I have come to the understanding that bad elements of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) exist in its signs, music, books, and everything to do with the Party. I threw away all the books I owned containing CCP ideology, and I told my children not to sing any CCP songs anymore. I also told them not to recite any of the Party-glorifying poems learned in kindergarten.
For a few days in a row, I dreamed about reading The Selected Works of Mao Zedong, which I had never read. I was surprised and puzzled by it. Later, I found my son wearing a pin on his chest bearing the image of Mao Zedong. He said that a relative had sent it to him. I disposed of the pin, and the dreams went away.
I do not ask students in my class to wear the red scarf, and because of this, my pay grade has been reduced. In the Chinese language class, I do not go over the articles that describe the CCP and its leaders, especially articles about Jiang Zemin. My supervisors severely criticized me for this. I do not ask my students to sing songs that promote the CCP. In other classes, students are expected to hold two meetings per semester, which start with pledging allegiance to the CCP and saluting, but I cancelled the pledges and salutes in my class. When supervisors come to do inspections, the teacher is expected to lead the class in pledging allegiance, but I refused to do so.
All of this happened before 2005. Instinctively, I knew that the CCP was terrible and had organized the persecution against Falun Dafa, but I lacked a deep enough understanding of the CCP, especially from the viewpoint of Falun Dafa. I did not pay enough attention to the issue of eliminating the evil spirits behind the CCP.
During a festival in 2002, my school chose to sing a song that praised Jiang Zemin as a group. I tried my best to stop it, but I did not send forth righteous thoughts, and the song was still performed. During the performance, I moved my mouth to other words while standing among my coworkers. It wasn't until later that I realized I could have put a stop to this had I done better.
Since we are helping the Chinese people to withdraw from CCP organizations, we should eliminate all of its elements. In 2004, I recited Teacher's poems, but in my mind a voice said, "That's no good." When I understood and directed righteous thoughts at that voice, it disappeared.
I know that without the CCP, China will be just fine, but living in a society permeated by the concepts of the CCP, I am still influenced by it. Sometimes I realize that I am using its theories to think about things, such as politics. Since I wrote my own declaration withdrawing from the CCP, I have gained a deeper understanding of the poisonous influence of the CCP, especially after reading Teacher's recent lectures. I have realized that we should protect Falun Dafa with our best efforts and help everything head towards the future in a purified state, and not just view everything with a perspective of achieving personal Consummation and being free from the CCP.
I think we should read the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party carefully, because it thoroughly dissects the CCP. However, the Nine Commentaries are not a part of Falun Dafa. Teacher told us what the CCP was in much earlier articles and that all the forces in the universe wanted to eliminate the CCP. Teacher has given the CCP many opportunities, but it is still persecuting Falun Dafa, so it is doomed. Some older practitioners may think that some earlier leaders of the CCP are not too bad. Some practitioners may think that writing a declaration withdrawing from the CCP is just a formality or that it is getting involved in politics. I think that those practitioners need to seriously think about their position and study Teacher's recent articles carefully.
We should pay attention to the importance of eliminating the bad elements of the CCP and withdrawing from it. The CCP is unlike the normal old forces' elements and will try to persecute practitioners even if they are cultivating well. All in all, all of us should be very clearheaded in eliminating the bad elements of the Communist spirit.
March 23, 2005
(Clearwidsom.net) My family lives at the foot of Baiyun Mountain in Zhangqiu City, Shandong Province. I read about one hundred pages of Zhuan Falun in 1997. I did not continue reading because I could not give up my attachments to drinking and smoking. In the fall of 2004, when I was diagnosed with terminal larynx cancer and was about to die, I started to practice Falun Dafa again through the guidance of my grandniece. Soon, the miracle of Dafa embodied itself in me and brought me back from the brink from death. More details of my story follow.
In early July of 2004, I found that my voice became hoarse for an unknown reason; I became emaciated and felt more exhausted day by day. On July 16, my family brought me to a hospital for a check-up and I was diagnosed with terminal larynx cancer. My family could not accept this cruel news so they took me to a Chinese medicine hospital three days later for more CT exams and various tests. But the result was the same. The doctor told my family behind my back that there was no hope and no point in treating me; treatment would be a waste of time. He said that at best, if he treated me I might survive until October.
The shocking news agonized my whole family. My wife and daughter frequently broke into tears when they thought I could not hear. They even discussed with my nephew about how to find a gravesite and prepare a funeral for me.
The suffering from my illness and my bad mood weakened my health badly. My wife therefore had to undertake the entire burden of tending and harvesting our field all by herself. While I was worrying and despairing, my grandniece suggested that I learn Falun Dafa. Then I came to a sudden realization, as if I awakened from a dream. I started to study Falun Dafa diligently.
I did the exercises in the morning and studied the Fa at night. After about one month, my feeling of fatigue completely disappeared and I could eat a lot more. I even gained about seven pounds. All of these improvements in my health gave me hope that I might survive. I studied and practiced Dafa even more diligently then. When I was lying in bed at night I could feel and hear something turning inside of my abdomen. Even my wife lying next to me heard the sound of turning. Every morning I would awaken from a good night's sleep feeling very comfortable physically. I gradually became healthy and my family felt joyful again. My wife and I returned to our original business of making tofu.
It is November now. I have survived through October, the month in which my doctor expected that I would die. I did not die. Instead, I am much healthier. The clerk from the village health department took me to a city hospital for another examination. The doctor asked: "Can the patient get up from his bed?" The doctor couldn't believe that the result of the CT exam was correct. She asked me with confusion: "How could you have such strong immunity? Did you take any other medicine?" After she heard the details of how I became healthy, she praised Dafa as very marvelous.
After the news about my recovery spread, this miracle of Dafa has caused a pleasant uproar in many villages. Many people even started to practice Falun Dafa themselves.
Nowadays my face is ruddy and my body is very strong. I did not believe in cultivation practice before. Then I became a true practitioner. I want to warn people that you should never believe any propaganda from the TV media in China, because it is all are lies fabricated by Jiang Zemin and his followers.
March 23, 2005
(Clearwisdom.net)
In 2004, my husband filed for divorce due to pressure from the Chinese government because I practice Falun Dafa. I advised him to withdraw the case. However, he insisted on taking the case to court unless I gave up Falun Dafa. I remained steadfast about cultivation practice, and he persisted with the divorce proceedings. I went to the courthouse to pick up the summons. There, I introduced Falun Dafa to the judge and hoped she would persuade my husband to cancel the petition for the divorce. She promised to do so.
On the court date, I asked fellow practitioners to send forth righteous thoughts for me. During the proceedings, I briefly described my cultivation process. I was open and aboveboard and stated that I opposed the divorce. My husband described his reasons for filing the divorce. The judge started to support my husband and said some words against Falun Dafa. I felt that I was not in control of the situation, and I became anxious. In my heart, I thought, "Teacher, they are trying to destroy Falun Dafa here," and I asked for help.
Suddenly, the judge's mind changed and she took my side. She started to help me convince my husband to withdraw the case. At the same time, a young woman came in and heard us talking about Falun Dafa. She said, "Falun Dafa is good." My husband agreed to give up the case, and his lawyer did not say a word during the entire proceeding.
Severe Sickness Karma is Completely Dissolved in Only Two Days
Not long ago, I experienced some sickness karma. I was vomiting, had diarrhea and could not stand due to drowsiness. I could not walk, and the karma elimination continued for more than 10 days. Then, a fellow practitioner sent me Teacher's recent articles, including "Turning the Wheel Towards the Human World" and information from the Clearwisdom website about withdrawing from the Chinese Communist Party.
I suddenly sat up in bed and read the articles; tears were brimming in my eyes. Teacher's boundless benevolence made my mind clear again. On the day I received Teacher's recent articles, I made a declaration, withdrawing from the Chinese Communist Party. I also went to the local Party office, and using my wisdom, I was able to take home my file. Without hesitation, I burned the file and completely eliminated the control of the evil specter of communism in a few days. Now, my body and mind are clear, and my face is glowing with health. The sickness karma, which had gone on for 10 days, dissolved within just two days.
March 25, 2005
(Clearwisdom.net) In many countries, assisted suicide is a crime. In Shanghai, a person who assisted a friend in suicide has received a stiff sentence.
A few days ago, Clearwisdom.net published an article by a practitioner who works in an organization run by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The author held the view that Falun Dafa practitioners could still work in a CCP organization after quitting the party. Many practitioners who hold the same stance used this article to support their position on the issue.
I feel that we should not do that. The Fa is different at different level. The practitioner who wrote that article was only trying to explore the issue, hoping to generate some interest and discussion from other practitioners.
Though there are many people renouncing the CCP at present, with the total number exceeding 400,000 (Editor's note: as of April 12, 2005, the number of renunciations has reached 800,000), I think it is still far from what it should be. Other reasons aside, it indicates that a significant number of practitioners have not realized or fully realized the meaning of quitting the party. In fact, Teacher has explained clearly in "Turning the Wheel Towards the Human World":
"It is the CCP itself that chose to make Dafa its enemy. From the moment it proclaimed that it must defeat Falun Gong, the evil spirit of the CCP and the CCP's wicked, base group that has been persecuting Dafa disciples in the human world were condemned to death by all of the cosmos's gods."
"They not only made Dafa their enemy, but during the persecution they have also exhausted all means of persecution and have persecuted to death or severely injured numerous Dafa disciples who were or are on the path to godhood and who had been chosen ages and ages ago. Tens of millions of people have been persecuted through a variety of means, and the righteous faith of 100 million people has been suppressed. This enormous sin of the ages, this enormous sin whereby the [perpetrators] are brimming with evil and guilty of countless crimes throughout the firmament, has enraged all of the gods in the colossal firmament!"
We are now renouncing the CCP and its affiliated organizations, and as Teacher said,
"...their making a renunciation is not "getting political," and even less is it going through a formality. Rather, it is an attachment that needs to be removed in cultivation. No one can reach Consummation if they remain marked by, or if they acknowledge, the most evil thing in the entire cosmos." ("Turning the Wheel Towards the Human World")
To save us, Teacher has gone through a lot, and personally sets an example for Dafa disciples as well, issuing a statement to renounce his membership in the CCP Youth League. Isn't that leading us by the hand? Why don't we enlighten to it? Why are we still attached to the filthiest things in the world? Why do we still hesitate when Teacher shows us the most righteous way?
I feel that the enormous test before some of the practitioners is to position and handle correctly the relationship between work and quitting the CCP. Some said, "I have renounced the CCP, but I can still work in CCP organizations to conform to the state of everyday society. That's only doing everyday people's work." Of course, we have to work, but it depends on what kind of work. We know that the CCP harms people and drags people to hell. If a Dafa practitioner is helping to do this kind of work, it is no different than assisting suicide or worse than that. The practitioner who does work for the CCP said that he even initiated a dozen or more people to join the CCP. That is equivalent to dragging more than a dozen people to hell, and helping to push them along. If on the one hand we are calling out to save people, but on the other hand doing things that will harm them, how can we do this kind of thing?
In Zhuan Falun, Teacher could not have been more clear on the issue of killing, and addressing the issue of whether to cook meat at home,
"I'm not going to get into the specifics of that. I'm teaching the Law to practitioners--it's not like I'm just randomly telling ordinary people how to live their lives. When it comes to specific things, just evaluate them based on the Great Law, and do what you think is best. Ordinary people can do whatever they want, that's ordinary people's business. There's no way everybody can truly cultivate. But practitioners should set their sights on high standards, so these are requirements set for practitioners."
The path ahead is clearly laid out, and it is up to you to choose. You cannot always hold on to humanness with one hand while grabbing Godhood with the other. Teacher is waiting, waiting for you to choose. Your sentient beings are waiting, waiting for your return! All attachments must be relinquished if you truly want to reach consummation.
Certain things must be relinquished sooner or later, and it is better sooner than later. The change of the cosmic climate, the rampancy of the wicked CCP, all indicate that time is coming to an end. My fellow practitioners, those who have not kept up and who are still clinging on to humanness, please hurry and sober up!
(Clearwisdom.net)
Reading Falun Dafa books brightens your heart and eyes: a 70-year-old takes off his reading glasses.
I am a Falun Dafa practitioner from Liaoning Province, and I am more than 70 years old this year. Before practicing Falun Dafa, I had really bad vision. When the lighting was not very bright, I needed to wear two pairs of reading glasses, one on top of the other, before I could read properly.
One day in 2000, my son was watching television, and I was reading Zhuan Falun next to him. As I was reading, suddenly I could not see through my glasses. I thought to myself: why is it that I still can't see anything, even while wearing these glasses? Is it because Teacher Li does not want me to wear glasses anymore? I silently said to Teacher, "I don't want to wear these glasses either. It's very tiring to wear them and sometimes it causes two dents on the bridge of my nose. Teacher, if you could give me brighter eyes so I am able to read Zhuan Falun and other Dafa books, I will be very happy. I do not want anything else." I silently said these words and closed my eyes for a few minutes. From then on, I did not need to wear glasses anymore, even while reading the small version of Zhuan Falun. I haven't felt this good in years. Since learning Falun Dafa, I have enjoyed great changes to my health and well-being.
After 20 years of smoking, I was able to quit in one day
I was born into a worker's family in the 60s. It was a year of famine, and my father was the only person working in a family of six. His monthly wage was 60 yuan, and our lives were quite difficult. When I was young, I developed colds and fevers, and then contracted pneumonia, which stayed with me from that point on. Taking medication and having injections became a daily occurrence for me.
In 1980, I started working and became a coal miner. I worked in the mineshafts for five years. The working environment is very poor and I became sick. Everything below my knees became freezing cold. I spent a lot of money but my illness could not be treated. I also had pneumonia, heart disease and tracheitis. The amount of medicine I needed to take was shocking. I looked for Chinese-medicine and Western-medicine doctors that could cure me, but without success. Eventually I suffered kidney failure and muscular atrophy, and though I survived, it pained me both physically and mentally.
One day in 1997, a person asked me to listen to the lectures by Teacher Li Hongzhi. The more I listened to him, the more I enjoyed it. When I came to the second videotape where he talked about quitting smoking, I wanted to quit right away. I had been smoking for the past 20 years. Miraculously, on the second day, I managed to quit smoking and have not wanted to smoke since then. Falun Dafa's principles truly attracted me and taught me where illness came from, how to be a good person, and how to be a cultivator.
With Teacher's help, I have cultivated for eight extraordinary years. Both my physical health and mental state have greatly improved, and Falun Gong has given me a new life.
Apr 12, 2005
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LONDON - Lambasted as "a craven sacrifice of principle" by the International Federation of Journalists, Eutelsat's decision to cut its broadcast of New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV) into China has vast consequences. After the only uncensored transmission over China goes silent on 15th April, the most significant screams of protest will not be those of rights groups, but those echoing round the labor camps in China.
Founded in 2001, NTDTV is the only non government-controlled Chinese language TV station to broadcast into China. Last year, it signed a contract with Eutelsat, a French-based satellite company, enabling its programs to reach China without interception on Eutelsat's W5 satellite. However, last month, Eutelsat announced its intention not to renew the groundbreaking contract, which expires on April 15th.
Widespread condemnation from media watchdogs and rights groups such as Reporters Without Borders and the IFJ has panned Eutelsat for sacrificing press freedom and its own integrity under pressure from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). These criticisms have been echoed by 63 Members of European Parliament in letters to the Chairman of Eutelsat, and by similar actions from Members of Congress in the United States.
But comments from the Chinese viewers and other observers speak of an even greater, potentially historic significance.
In a letter to Eutelsat, one Chinese viewer comments, "Due to your cancellation of NTDTV's signal, we will not be able to obtain true and accurate news from the outside world. This is equivalent to the crime of murder to the Chinese audience. Do you know the implication of your actions?" Another statement from an NTDTV viewer pleads with Eutelsat, "New Tang Dynasty TV is the hope for democracy in China! Please do not be short-sighted!"
Those Chinese viewers know that this battle over the airwaves is not just an issue of ideology, integrity or principles. This battle over the truth in China is a life and death struggle for the future of the Chinese people. It is not just about press freedom. It is about freedom from incarceration in labor camps, systematic torture and brutal murder. It is about freedom from brainwashing and mind-control that rape the spirit and strip out human conscience and dignity.
Since the inception of NTDTV, it has been singled out and suppressed politically, financially and diplomatically by the CCP. All satellite companies who made business partnerships with NTDTV have been greatly pressured by the CCP. In addition to political and diplomatic threats, the CCP also entices these companies with rich profit incentives in order to terminate their agreements with NTDTV and stop the programs of NTDTV. There is little doubt that Eutelsat has come under crushing pressure from the CCP as it claws desperately for its own survival.
Why is the CCP so afraid of NTDTV? The answer is of course, that it reports the truth about China. In a recent press conference, Chairman Joe Zhao explained the philosophy of the station: "We started the NTDTV satellite channel because we believe that anyone, anywhere has the right to communicate with anyone, anywhere...We believe especially that people of Chinese origin need a forum for dialogue as never before, just as the citizens of China need free flow of information with the rest of the world."
A wholesome, innocent and attractive philosophy in the free world - but a terrifying threat to the CCP.
Broadcasting through Eutelsat's W5 satellite, NTDTV can reach 50 million receiver dishes in China. Of course, the number watching is potentially many times greater. With their family and friends, these are 50 million households the CCP cannot afford to know the content of NTDTV's programs.
The CCP's initial hatred of NTDTV stemmed from its honest reporting on the issue of Falun Gong, a peaceful traditional practice of meditation whose 100 million followers became the victim of a crusade of violent and systematic human rights abuses in 1999.
When Jiang Zemin joined forces with the CCP to persecute Falun Gong, as he threw thousands of innocent people into labor camps and detention centers,
he initiated a vast campaign of hate propaganda against them. In demonizing Falun Gong, he tied the future of the party to its success or failure in
achieving his goal of "eliminating Falun Gong." The truth about what is essentially an innocent meditation practice became a ticking time
bomb for the CCP.
The Falun Dafa Information Center (FDI) provides verified details of over 1,100 deaths since the beginning of the persecution [editor's note: the death toll has reached over 1,600 by April 12, 2005]. Conservatively estimating the number of practitioners in labor camps at one hundred thousand, FDI also notes, "Three years ago, government officials inside China, reported that the actual death toll was 5 times the number of the confirmed cases. Since the summer of 2003, expert sources have put this figure in the range of ten thousand."
NTDTV's coverage of Falun Gong is a powerful antidote to the poisonous lies injected into people's brains by the machinery of the CCP and offers real hope for an end to the suffering of tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners in labor camps and detention centers.
In December 2003, a U.N. tribunal for Rwanda convicted three Rwandan media executives of committing and inciting genocide with their words on government-sponsored radio. Judge Pillay commented, "Without a firearm, machete or any physical weapon, you caused the death of thousands of innocent civilians."
Such is the power of media. The Falun Dafa Information Center (FDI) in New York draws a parallel in a lawsuit filed against Chinese T.V. Station Director Zhao Zhizhen, who was charged with genocide. Attorney Terri Marsh describes how Zhizhen was responsible for creating "a climate of hatred, fear and violence against persons who practice Falun Gong in China and abroad, using the same propaganda tactics deployed in Nazi Germany during the Second World War, in Rwanda during the genocide of the Tutsi by the Hutu, and in China during the Cultural Revolution."
This cry of genocide has been taken up by human rights lawyers, politicians and well-known figures around the world. If FDI's view of the role of propaganda is accepted, then anything that undermines, challenges or displaces this propaganda has the potential to reduce or prevent genocide. Conversely, the withholding of the truth must carry with it the responsibility of assisting in crimes against humanity. This is the real decision which Eutelsat is facing: to implicate itself in genocide or to be part of its end.
The role of NTDTV in reducing the persecution of Falun Gong has been praised by the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG): "Were there a TV station like NTDTV half a century ago, which had the courage to report the Nazi's genocide of the Jewish people and call on the world to stop the atrocity, how many Jews would have been saved from the genocide?"
WOIPFG does not blame Eutelsat for its failure to renew the contract but lays responsibility squarely with the CCP: "All the CCP officials who have plotted and involved in menacing Eutelsat to stop renewing the contract, will be taken as accomplices of genocide." Eutelsat is seen as another victim of the CCP's lies and manipulation, pulled into the intrigues of a sick-minded regime and its campaign of genocide.
NTDTV's revelation of the truth about Falun Gong is a nightmare for the Chinese Communist Party. But with the recent publication of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, the truth has taken on a form which the CCP has no way to handle - a direct exposure of everything the CCP has done and everything the CCP is. NTDTV has also been airing the avalanche of withdrawals from the CCP set off by this publication, currently surging past 750,000.
Put these factors together with the atmosphere of disillusionment many China-watchers have noted following the death of Zhao Ziyang, and a picture of a pivotal period emerges; a period in which 50 million households being outside the information blockade is no small matter.
In the electronic media age, power has shifted from the world leader hovering over the nuclear button to the media mogul poised at the transmission switch. The present time is a key moment for the future of China. Whether it asked for it or not, Eutelsat is a key player, holding sway over the future suffering or freedom of millions of people.
http://english.epochtimes.com/news/5-4-12/27772.html
(Clearwisdom.net) Zhang Xiaotong was from Siping City, Jilin Province and born in November 1958. She was a piano teacher in the Hainan Provincial Art School. She was kind and talented, especially in music composition.
Because she cultivated Falun Dafa, Zhang Xiaotong suffered severe persecution for a long time. She died at age 46, at 6 p.m. on March 10, 2005 in the Hainan People's Hospital.
Zhang Xiaotong's husband Song Yuesheng is a sculptor, and he also teaches at the Hainan Provincial Art School. Because he is a Dafa practitioner, he was illegally arrested and sentenced, and is currently still in prison.
In 1995, Zhang Xiaotong and her husband started practicing Falun Dafa in Haikou City, and both benefited greatly from the cultivation practice. In early 1990, Song Yuesheng encountered robbers who tried to steal his motorcycle. Song was assaulted and suffered from 13 cuts and one of the bones in his heel was broken, which caused him to have difficulty walking. Especially when he needed to go upstairs, he had to move one foot up onto a step and hold the other leg with his hands to move it up the stairs. He would hold on to the rail and move slowly with much effort. However, after he practiced Dafa, he could walk nimbly and with no problems. After other teachers and students witnessed this amazing change, many of them took up Falun Dafa cultivation practice themselves.
Zhang Xiaotong and Song Yuesheng actively participated in promoting Dafa. They bought books with their own money and gave them to people who could not afford them. They helped new practitioners study the Fa and learn the exercises.
On July 20, 1999, Jiang Zemin and the Chinese Communist Party mobilized the military, police, radio stations, TVs, newspapers and all government branches to brutally persecute Falun Dafa. The persecution aimed to "destroy them physically, defame their reputation, and bankrupt them financially." It was said that "death due to beating is regarded as a suicide." Suddenly, China was thrown into a state of chaos and darkness.
The couple and many other practitioners appealed to the provincial government with great compassion and forbearance. They stated that Falun Dafa has brought many benefits to the people and the country, without presenting any harm. On July 23, 1999, police arrested Zhang Xiaotong because she kept appealing. She was detained in the Haidian Detention Center. At that time, many practitioners were being detained, and the detention center was so crowded that the detainees had no place to lie down and sleep. Meanwhile, some local government leaders pointed out that it was illegal to arrest people just for being Falun Gong practitioners and on August 4, 1999, all the practitioners who were detained in the Haidian Detention Center were released.
At the end of July and in the beginning of August 1999, Ms. Zhang's husband Song Yuesheng was interrogated non-stop for seven days and seven nights. When the police finally left him alone, Song calmly escaped. In retaliation, the police searched and ransacked several practitioners' homes in Haikou City.
Before July 20, 1999, Hainan practitioners would have group exercises at Wanlu Park of Haiko City at 6 a.m. on the second Sunday of each month, and people in charge of the park gave their permission for the practice. On August 8, 1999, more than 200 practitioners came to the park and did the regular early morning exercises. At around 7 a.m., a large contingent of fully armed riot police showed up. All of the practitioners were surrounded and arrested. Zhang Xiaotong was among them, but her husband was not there. After she filled out the form at the police station, her work unit picked her up. The group practice was later reported to the central committee of the CCP and brought to the attention of Jiang Zemin. He was furious, and his order to harshly punish the organizers was passed down from the provincial government to the lower branches. In mid-August of 1999, when Song Yuesheng, Chen Yuan and other practitioners were sharing experiences with local practitioners in Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, they were arrested. The Hainan provincial government took this chance and labeled him as an organizer without any evidence. Mr. Song was then sentenced to a 12-year prison term, and he is still being detained in Shaoguansuo Prison of Hainan Province. This was known locally as the "August 8 Event." The fact is, Song Yuesheng was not even involved in the "August 8 Event." It was just a peaceful group practice.
In September and October of 1999, the Chinese Communist Party kept escalating the persecution of Falun Gong. Zhang Xiaotong went to Beijing many times to appeal for Dafa, and she was arrested and detained. The Beijing police didn't provide food or water for the practitioners. They were even deprived of sleep and the right to go to the restroom. Later, Ms. Zhang was sent back to Haikou City and abused in the No. 2 Detention Center of Haikou City. Her home was searched and ransacked many times. The Dafa books and exercise music tapes were taken away. In early 2000, Ms. Zhang was released.
In March or April 2000, because Zhang Xiaotong refused to sign her name on the so-called "transformation statement," she was arrested again and detained in a community office near Bailongnan in Haikou City. She saw firsthand practitioner Yan Liyou being hung up for days by both hands from the window of the community office. Yan Liyou suffered from brutal torture because he refused to sign the "transformation statement" as well. One month later, Mr. Yan still refused to sign his name and was sent to the Hainan Forced Labor Camp. On April 12, 2004, Yan Liyou died due to the persecution. Because Zhang Xiaotong was Song Yuesheng's wife and Mr. Song had not been transformed, the police interrogated Ms. Zhang for a long period of time, but they didn't get what they wanted. Since the detention centers inside Haikou City were full, Zhang Xiaotong was sent to a county detention center indefinitely. She started a hunger strike to protest the persecution. The harsh environment and torture harmed her so much that she showed severe health problems and her life was in danger. The 610 Office informed the Hainan Provincial Art School to take her back. She was put in a student dormitory that was located just above the kitchen in the student cafeteria. She suffered from the smoke from the kitchen all day long, which weakened her health even worse. The school assigned people to watch over her and report every movement she made. Ms. Zhang was not allowed to contact other practitioners, and her freedom was restricted.
On New Year's Day of 2001, many banners with the words "Falun Dafa is good" and "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good" appeared on the bridges in Haikou City. On January 4, 2001, Zhang Xiaotong was arrested and interrogated. Another practitioner, Xiao Liu, who was the wife of Yan Liyou mentioned previously, was also arrested at the same time. Ms. Zhang and Xiao Liu were detained in the No. 2 and No. 1 Detention Center respectively. During the detention period, Zhang Xiaotong suffered from long hours of interrogation and was brutally beaten. The police still didn't get what they wanted to know. The three months detention wreaked havoc on Ms. Zhang's health. She suffered from edema over her whole body. Her eyelids were so swollen that she was unable to open her eyes. Her stomach was badly swollen, as well. She had no strength at all and once again her life was in danger. On April 4, 2001, the police released her.
After returning from the detention center, Zhang Xiaotong again had to stay in the student dormitory and with restricted freedom. Her situation became worse and worse. Her stomach was swollen grotesquely and she was later diagnosed with leukemia.
Ms. Zhang went to the hospital many times and received radiation treatment. Her body was extremely weak and she was kept alive with medication. Her living condition was very difficult, as well. She didn't have any relatives in Hainan except for her jailed husband. Ms. Zhang requested several times that they allow him to look after her, but she was turned down each time. Many practitioners stopped by to help her, but most of them were questioned and threatened by school guards.
When Zhang Xiaotong was on the verge of death, her husband was finally allowed to visit her for a short time. A short time later, Zhang Xiaotong passed away.
March 28, 2005
(Clearwisdom.net) Recently, CCTV broadcast a program that stated there was no persecution or torturing of Falun Gong practitioners in China, and no slandering of Falun Dafa. The CCP is still attempting to turn black into white and trying to cover up its crimes. After the central government gave orders to persecute Falun Dafa practitioners, various prisons and labor camps started a massive and organized inhumane persecution against Dafa practitioners. Now that these crimes have been exposed, they are trying to cover them up. They label the truthful reports of their criminal acts as lies. This completely exposes their shameless perverseness.
I am a practitioner from Tianjin in China. I have been in the labor camps, experienced the evilness there, and witnessed the bloody persecution against Falun Dafa practitioners.
In the Tianjin City Shuangko Labor Camp, they put all the newly arrived practitioners through a "washing cycle" when they enter the camp. During the daytime, they force practitioners to work, then continually beat and torture them during the night. Some people were rendered breathless and bruised purple and blue over their entire bodies. Practitioner Mr. Zhou Xiangyang was sent to the camp in 2000. Because he refused to be "transformed", a group leader from the labor camp beat him with electric batons and wooden batons throughout the night. The leader put the electric baton into his mouth to shock him. Mr. Zhou's tongue was scorched with blisters. His lips were terribly swollen.
Shuangko Labor Camp prison guard Yang Zhiqiu ordered other prisoners to torture a newcomer. They punched, kicked and then beat the practitioner's stomach with batons. They held an electric baton against his shin muscle during the beating. His stomach started bleeding internally, and a section of his stomach became hard. His legs were all swollen, purple and blue. Yet, the prison guards forced him to run in the camp yard. Later, Yang Zhiqiu ordered the prisoners to torture him by putting two lit cigarettes on his hands and letting them burn his skin. There were two strips of second-degree burns on his hands, and the entire room smelled of burning flesh.
The prison guards from the first middle-group in the Shuangko Labor Camp tortured practitioner Tangjian. When they transferred him to the fifth middle-group, he went on a hunger strike to protest the persecution. Prison guard Yang Zhiqiu promised prisoner Wang Huaming that they would reduce his prison term if he would torture Tangjian. Wang Huaming poured cold water on Tangjian all winter, and used a fan to increase the chilling effect. Wang Huaming even forced feces and spittle into his mouth. Beatings were commonplace. Prison guard Yang Zhiqiu never restrained or stopped Wang. Instead he sealed all the windows with paper, so that Wang Huaming could continue torturing Tangjian, without anyone seeing him or hearing his screams. Tangjian became very emaciated. When he was finally tortured to death in 2004, his entire body was covered with bruises and injuries.
After the 2003 Chinese New Year, the Tianjin City Labor Camp decided to give out financial rewards to anyone who forced a Falun Dafa practitioner to renounce his practice. All the labor camps in Tianjin City, now enticed by the money, started another extremely inhumane persecution against Dafa practitioners. The Shuangko Labor Camp purchased a large number of electric batons and bats. They prepared many torture devices. They used many torture instruments that national regulations prohibit. Beating and kicking became the lightest torture method.
Prison guard Yang Zhiqiu was transferred to the first group. Practitioners who refused to write a guarantee statement renouncing their belief were sent to this group. There they simultaneously used numerous 15,000-volt electric batons on a practitioner. When they were shocked, the practitioners wailed and rolled on the ground in agony.
They deprived the practitioners of sleep for a month, sometimes longer. If a practitioner fell asleep, they started beating him. The prison guards forced practitioners to maintain the same position without moving for extended periods of time. If the practitioners moved, the prison guards burned them with their cigarettes and beat them.
The prison guards tied practitioners tightly with nylon ropes, which cut into their flesh. Practitioners who were on a hunger strike to protest the persecution were already weak, but the guards ignored their condition and tortured them like anyone else. Due to these tortures, many practitioners' mouths bled and they lost consciousness. The walls were stained with blood. This is the so-called "National Outstanding Labor Camp."
This inhumane torture isn't just happening in the Shuangko Labor Camp. It is commonplace in other labor camps and prisons in China. In reality, the so called "Labor Camp Regulations" are nothing but a piece of useless paper.
The prison guards often torture practitioners during the night, which is a symptom that they know how shameful their actions are. They are afraid that people will discover what they are doing. But the truth will be known. Hundreds of thousands of practitioners are being sent to labor camps and prisons. Those who maintain their belief are tortured. How can the perpetrators conceal the truth about everyone they torture? It is also a fact that over 1,600 confirmed practitioner death cases have been documented with names and addresses.
The bloodstained truth, and the fact that the perpetrators have killed and maimed tens of thousands of practitioners through beatings and torture, cannot be concealed. This violation of human dignity is still in progress, and they continue to torture and kill Dafa practitioners. We must stop this persecution. As a practitioner, my conscience will not allow me to remain silent. I need to tell people about what is happening, and expose what the government-controlled media has been trying to conceal from the light of day.
The government is being controlled by Jiang Zemin's regime, and he has persecuted and killed many kind people. He has destroyed many happy families. The government-controlled media, in an attempt to shamelessly make the CCP look good, is still concealing this persecution. How evil! But the truth can't remain hidden. Justice will prevail, and the criminals will be held responsible for their actions. The law and history will judge them properly.
February 15, 2005
(Clearwisdom.bet)
Ms. Ni Shuqin
Ms. Ni Shuqin, from Liaoning Province, was arrested and detained by the police several times because she refused to renounce her belief in Falun Dafa. In 2002, she was sentenced to 4 years of imprisonment. She was tortured to the point of being critically ill and extremely weak in Dabei Prison of Shenyang, Liaoning Province. On October 16, 2003, Ms. Ni was released on bail for medical treatment. She died on March 13, 2005. The details are as follows:
Ms. Ni Shuqin, 65 years old, had been a resident of the Hekanzi Village of Hekanzi Town of Linyuan City, Liaoning Province. The police from Hekanzi Town Police Station and the Political Security Section of the Linyuan City Public Security Bureau, had forcibly sent her to a brainwashing center once before. Ms. Ni had been detained in the First Detention Center and then in the Second Detention Center of Linyuan City. She was then sentenced to 4 years of imprisonment. The first three times the police attempted to put her in prison, the prisons refused to take her. On October 17, 2002, Dabei Prison agreed to accept her.
While at Dabei Prison, Ni Shuqin suffered barbarous beatings very often. She was also forcibly given injections of unknown drugs. She had been tortured to an extremely weakened state, causing high blood pressure, and she became emaciated. Due to her fragile condition, Ms. Ni was released on bail for medical treatment. On October 16, 2003, after experiencing various tortures for a year, she was sent back home. But because the authorities continued to harass and threaten her, Ms. Ni was unable to recover from the physical and mental damage. She died on March 13, 2005.
Ms. Ni Shuqin had published an article on Clearwisdom.net on January 3, 2005, exposing what she suffered in the Dabei Prison. She described her experiences in her article as follows,
"I refused to cooperate with the police's wrongdoings. A chief officer called my three children to the prison, in an attempt to coerce me into writing the Guarantee Statement. I refused to do so. The chief officer said to me that if I refused to be "transformed," they would harass my children. They ordered a few collaborators to read slanderous articles against Falun Dafa to me every day. They also forced me to take unknown drugs. I refused to take them, so the cellmates and collaborators dragged me to an empty room, and violently forced the pills into my mouth. I still refused to swallow them, so they pushed my head onto cement bricks on the floor. My forehead has become severely swollen many times from this abuse. They also ordered a group of people to drag me to a hospital, and forced me to take injections of unknown drugs. The chief officer tried to coerce me into agreeing to a fake 'transformation.' I thought that I would never ever bring such shame on Dafa and that I must validate Dafa openly and honestly. How could I accept a fake 'transformation'? Then the chief officer called my son to prison, attempting to force me into giving up my belief in Falun Dafa through sentimentality. I said to my son in front of the policemen, 'You know Dafa is good and that your mom is a good person. The vicious political regime has persecuted me. They have sent me to this prison. I have already been in this situation. Would anything else scare me? I'll never renounce my Master and never renounce Dafa. I'll never give up my cultivation practice.' Whenever the chief officer tried to force me to write the Guarantee Statement, I refused to follow his orders and continuously sent forth righteous thoughts. Finally they had a policeman write it on my behalf. How vicious it was!"
During those days of persecution, Liu Guofu, the head of the Hekanzi Town Police Station, extorted 1,000 yuan from Ni Shuqin. When she was in Dabei Prison, Ms. Ni's family members had been illegally fined over 10,000 yuan by the prison. Ms. Ni Shuqin's family members even paid the 500-yuan travel expenses of the chief officer for his round trip to the Hekanzi Town Police Station.
For further information about Ms. Ni Shuqin, view http://search.minghui.org/mh/articles/2005/1/3/92727.html and
http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2005/1/20/56733.html
Ms. Jiang Guirong
Ms. Jiang Guirong, 70 years old, was from Yanji City, Jilin Province. She learned Falun Dafa in 1995 and had been a diligent Falun Gong practitioner. After the persecution began on July 20, 1999, the police often went to her home to harass her and they arrested her twice. On April 12, 2002, the police took Ms. Jiang away from her home. However, with her family members' rescue efforts, she was released. On March 2, 2003, the police took Ms. Jiang away again. This time she was locked in the Chaoyang Police Station for 3 days. During these three days, she suffered brutal beating and torture, including not being allowed to sleep or eat. She was then sent to a detention center. Ms. Jiang's family members exhausted all their efforts to rescue her. When Jiang Guirong was released again, she had suffered a mental collapse and was unable to recover. Ms. Ni passed away on June 15, 2003.
March 24, 2005
(Clearwisdom.net) Falun Dafa practitioner Ms. Gao Shulan , 36, lived in Anzigou Village, Mutoudeng Town, Qinglong County, Hebei Province. She went to Beijing to appeal in November 2000, and she was arrested and detained in the Qinglong County Detention Center. There she was subjected to all kinds of torture, including lying on ice, ankle shackles, force-feeding, whipping with a leather belt, staying in an icy room, and others. On one occasion guards Wang Jin and Xie (genders unknown) removed Ms. Gao's pants, forced her to lie on a bench face down, and beat her until she passed out. Authorities extorted three thousand yuan from her family before releasing her. Upon returning home, Mutoudeng Town police harassed Ms. Gao and threatened her at home. Gao Shulan suffered tremendously both physically and emotionally, and she eventually developed uterine cancer. Ms. Gao passed away in February 2002.
Ms. Li Wanlan, 45, lived in Dongpuwa Village, Dongpuwa Township, Wuqing District, Tianjin City. Before practicing Falun Dafa, she had had surgery three times to remove tumors. After beginning Falun Dafa practice she became very energetic and no longer needed medicine. She went to Beijing to appeal in 2000, and was held for 15 days at the Wuqing District Detention Center. Government officials from her village and town constantly harassed her at home. Ms. Li was under extreme emotional pressure, and her old illness came back. She died on February 16, 2002.
Mr. Chen Lianchu , 85, lived in Zhujiazhuang District, Rushan City, Shandong Province. His second daughter was sentenced to prison for practicing Falun Dafa. The Rushan City 610 Office head Yang Kesong (male) and police from the Zhujiazhuang Substation harassed him at home. Under the intense mental pressure, Mr. Chen died on January 16, 2005.
Ms. Li Guanglan , 67, lived in Hegang City, Heilongjiang Province. She went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Dafa in December 2000, was arrested, then later released after she held a hunger strike to protest. The police arrested her for passing out truth clarifying materials in a police substation, and ransacked her home in 2001. She was released later because of her physical condition. In April 2002, when the police arrested a large number of practitioners, Ms. Li was forced to become homeless to avoid being arrested at home. She suffered a great deal both in body and mind. Li Guanglan died at the home of her relatives in Shandong Province.
Ms. Lan Xinzhi, 65, was a retired employee of the Acheng City Sugar Bee Breeding Station. She used to have uremia, but fully recovered after beginning Falun Dafa cultivation in 1996. After July 20, 1999, when the persecution began, the police harassed and threatened her repeatedly at home, and forbade her to practice Falun Dafa. Lan Xinzhi was severely injured both in mind and body. Her old illnesses returned, and she died on October 23, 2001.
Ms. Liu Runzhi ,70, was a retired employee of the Jiamusi City Department Store in Heilongjiang Province. She obtained the Fa in 1995, and all her diseases disappeared. After July 20, 1999, the cultivating environment was gone, and her old illnesses returned. Ms. Liu died in May 2001.
(Clearwisdom.net) Ms. Yin Guimin, 54, lived in Fuyuan County, Heilongjiang Province. She had many ailments before beginning cultivation practice, but they all disappeared after practicing Falun Gong. Ms. Yin was arrested and detained in December 2000 by her local town government officials because of her practice of Falun Gong. Her husband went to request her release, and wrote a guarantee statement for her. Yin Guimin was often harassed and threatened by local officials, and she suffered a great deal both physically and mentally. Ms. Yin died on March 7, 2005 as a result of the relentless persecution.
Ms. Tang Jinlian, 50, lived in Yunfu City, Guangdong Province. She went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Dafa in March 2000, and was detained for 15 days and sent back to Yunfu City. Police and officials from the local 610 Office harassed and threatened her continuously. Ms. Tang died in the latter half of 2003.
Ms. Wu Yuemei, 64, was a retired employee of Yiyang City Light Bulb Factory. She was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 1995, but her tumor disappeared after beginning Falun Dafa cultivation in June, 1996. After July 20, 1999, when the persecution began, Falun Dafa was under suppression, and she suffered tremendously when her practitioner brother and nephew were both detained. Ms. Wu died on February 14, 2003.
Mr. Kan Ziqing, 46, previously worked for Daxing Coal Selection Plan in Tiefa City, Liaoning Province. He was detained for going to Beijing to appeal during October-November, 1999. During his detention, he was tortured, deprived of sleep, beaten and cursed, pierced with needles, his face was slapped with a shoe sole, and cold water was poured on his head. The criminal inmates tried to coerce him into writing a guarantee statement, and burned his toes by placing lighted paper strips between his toes. Mr. Kan could not take the torture any longer, and wrote a guarantee statement, but he deeply regretted it after being released. Kan Ziqing died in June, 2000 due to the accumulation of fluid in the liver and abdominal cavity, a condition resulting from the abuse he suffered in detention.
(Clearwisdom.net) Ms. Zhao Shufan, 75 years old, was from the Tang's Village, Baimashi Town, Lianshan district, Huludao City, Liaoning Province. She started to practice Falun Dafa in August 1996. Consequently, without the aid of medicine, she recovered from the bronchitis that had tormented her for more than 50 years. Her fellow villagers, upon seeing the great changes in her after she started practicing, also started to practice Falun Gong one after another. More than 30 people started to practice Falun Dafa and she established a Fa study group at her home. After July 20, 1999, the day Jiang Zemin's regime launched the persecution against Falun Gong, the elderly lady, together with her second son, went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong. At the Tianjin Bus Station the police demanded that they abuse the founder of Falun Gong. They refused to do so and, consequently, were escorted back to Huludao City where they were detained in a detention center. Later, she and her second son were each sentenced to three years of forced labor. In the meantime, policemen extorted 5,000 yuan from them. After she was finally released and came home, Ms. Zhao felt highly oppressed. The condition persisted for such a long time that she started to suffer from various diseases. She died with great sadness on December 25, 2004.
Ms. Zhang Yaqin, 34 years old, was from the Chengguan Town, Jiayu County, Hubei Province. She had suffered from severe tuberculosis before she started practicing Falun Gong. After she started to practice Falun Dafa in 1996, she became healthy both physically and mentally and became younger and more beautiful. On July 20, 1999, Jiang's regime started to persecute Falun Gong. However, many new practitioners steadfastly continued to practice because they were influenced by her persistence. In 2001, together with several fellow practitioners, Ms. Zhang went to Beijing to appeal for justice for Falun Gong. On the way, someone reported them to the police and they were escorted back to their hometown. Not long after she was detained illegally, she and another Dafa practitioner, using their wisdom, safely escaped from the detention center. After that, Ms. Zhang became homeless in order to avoid being arrested from home. Although she was homeless, she still compassionately tried to persuade practitioners who had the attachment of being afraid to go outside to tell people the facts about the persecution. Because she remained homeless for such a long time, Ms. Zhang lost her stable cultivation environment. The three members of her family were separated and lived in three different places (her husband was doing manual work in Guangdong Province). The local police searched for Zhang Yaqin and frequently went to her home to threaten and force her family members to reveal her hiding place. Even her child was bullied at school. The persecution hurt Ms. Zhang very badly, both physically and mentally, which caused a recurrence of her old diseases. She passed away in the midst of grief and sadness due to the persecution, only several days after she returned home in late April 2002.
Mr. Sun Shuzhu, 55 years old, was a retired worker from Longquan Town, Muping County, Shandong Province. He started to practice Falun Dafa in 1997 and did the Falun Gong exercises with his wife. After July 20, 1999, the local government detained his wife many times, often ransacked his home and harassed his family. In the past several years Mr. Sun was constantly harassment without even one minute of peace. It greatly affected him that he had no way to lead a normal life. Sun Shuzhu passed away on March 1, 2005, under a burden of tremendous sorrow.
(Clearwisdom.net) Falun Dafa practitioner Mr. Zhang Jiawei was a student at Heilongjiang Province Traditional Chinese Medicine University. He went to Beijing to clarify the truth and validate Falun Dafa, and was mistreated by his school administration. He suffered tremendous mental pressure and died on November 23, 2002.
Mr. Zhang Jiawei, 22, was from Xinhua Village, Xinxing Township, Shuangcheng City, Heilongjiang Province. He had cancer before beginning Falun Dafa cultivation, had been operated on twice, and the prognosis was extremely poor. After he began practicing Falun Dafa in 1996, his condition improved dramatically. After the persecution began in 1999, Mr. Zhang went to Beijing to clarify the truth and validate Dafa on December 15, 2000. Upon his return, the school authorities forbade him to practice the exercises or study the Fa. This subjected him to great mental pressure, and Zhang Jiawei died on November 23, 2002.
The Admissions Office of the Graduate School of Heilongjiang Traditional Medicine University required applicants to complete a "Political Opinion Survey" form, on which the most important point was "Your understanding of the [slanderous word omitted] Falun Gong." This form clearly stated that each application form must accompanied by written proof, from a police substation or an employer, that the applicant had never practiced Falun Gong, in ordered to be considered.
Dafa Practitioner Ms. Hao Peijie, an employee at the same university, was detained in the Wanjia Forced Labor Camp, where she endured brutal torture. Women's prison officer Zhou Muqin and inmate Bai Xuelian beat her and kicked her, injuring her eyes and ribs. She was in extreme pain and could not move.
(Clearwisdom.net)
1. [Panjin City, Liaoning Province] Falun Dafa Practitioner Mr. Xu Baowen Arrested; His Lung Ulcerated from Torture
In December 2003, Falun Dafa practitioner Mr. Xu Baowen was arrested in Panjin City. At present, he is in Tieling City's Prison Hospital. The doctor there informed his family members that Xu Baowen's lung has ulcerated and he can only live for a few days. His family members went to the prison to demand his release; however, the personnel from the prison wouldn't release Xu Baowen unless he writes a so-called "Guarantee Statement" and they told the family members that they could only visit him once every week.
2. [Pingdu City, Shandong Province] Police Ransack Wang Shujuan's Home and Arrest Her
At 6:00 a.m. on March 22, 2005, policemen from Pingdu City drove four police vehicles to the Xipanjiatan Village Xiangdian Liaison Office and broke into practitioner Ms. Wang Shujuan's home. They not only took Wang Shujuan away, but also ransacked her home three times in a morning and even disturbed her father-in-law's home. They confiscated four boxes of printing ink (valued at 1,250 to 1,500 yuan), a big barrel of name-brand red printing ink (valued at 120 to 150 yuan), a box of paint Wang Shujuan's husband uses to fix bicycles (valued at 250 to 300 yuan), a tape recorder, a language voice recorder Wang Shujuan's child uses to learn English, Dafa exercise music and other personal belongings. Wang Shujuan is now being held at a 610 Office brainwashing class. She is forbidden from seeing her family members.
3. [Nanchong City, Sichuan Province] Wang Yan is Sentenced to Four Years of Forced Labor
On June 19, 2003, Du Weijia and Zhang Youxuan arrested practitioner Wang Yan from Nanchong City and put her into the Jialing District Detention Center. One month later, on July 20, 2003, personnel from the Shunqing District Procurator's Office arrested her and she was later sentenced to four years of forced labor.
Relevant telephone numbers:
(Country code: 86, area code: 577. Do not dial area code before a cell phone number.)
Leader of the National Security Team: 13806831278 (cell phone);
National Security Team: 67233273;
Deng, political head: 13906673968 (cell);
Yongqie County Detention Center: 67252128, 13458223686 (cell);
Yongqie County Police Department chief: 67227111.
4. [Shandong Province] Qiu Hongmei from the Shengli Oil Field Arrested
Ms. Qiu Hongmei, 32 years old, is a practitioner from the Shengli Oil Field, Shandong Province. The night of March 25, 2005, personnel from the Security Section of the Petroleum University arrested her while she was distributing truth-clarifying VCDs in a dormitory building.
Relevant telephone numbers:
(Country code: 86, area code: 546.)
Dean's office, Oil University: 8392241;
Fax: 7366374;
Email: xbzhk@hdpu.edu.cn
Zheng Qixu, director of Party Committee, Petroleum University (Eastern China): 8392201;
Tong Zhaoqi, dean and deputy director of the Party Committee, Petroleum University (Eastern China): 8392601;
Li Zide from the Security Section: 8393679.
5. [Hegang City, Heilongjiang Province] Li Sumei's Life is in Peril from Torture at the Jiamusi City Forced Labor Camp
Ms. Li Sumei, 36 years old, is a practitioner from the Nanshan District, Hegang City. In 2002, police arrested her in the street and later sentenced her to three years of forced labor. On March 27, 2003 she was sent to the Jiamusi City Forced Labor Camp. Simply because she persisted in practicing Falun Gong, she suffered all kinds of excruciating tortures. Recently, Liu Yadong, a team leader, ordered two men to beat her. Li Sumei was beaten so badly that her uterus began bleeding nonstop. She is coughing badly and her body is in such excruciating pain that she cannot stand up. She is extremely weak and her life is peril.
Telephone number of the Xigemu Forced Labor Camp, Jiamusi City, Heilongjiang Province: 86-454-8891926;
Team leader: Liu Yadong.
6. [Haicheng City, Liaoning Province] Xue Enjuan Arrested
On March 10, 2005, Ms. Xue Enjuan told her students at Haicheng City's No. 5 Middle School to remember, "Falun Dafa is good" and "Truth-Compassion-Tolerance is good." The school's instructional director then reported her to the Nanguan Police Station. Policemen Zhu Shengquan and Shang Wei arrested Xue Enjuan on the spot and took her to the Haicheng City Detention Center. At present, Xue Enjuan is staging a hunger strike to protest the persecution.
Telephone numbers of the Nanguan Police Station: 3281606.
7. [Wendeng City, Shandong Province] Personnel from the 610 Office and the Huikou Police Station Arrest Shao Wenxiang from Zeku Town
On March 15, 2005, Ms. Shao Wenxiang from Zeku Town was reported to police while clarifying the truth of Falun Gong. Personnel from Wendeng City's 610 Office collaborated with officers from the Huikou Police Station and ransacked Shao Wenxiang's home. They had no warrant. They confiscated some Dafa materials and took Shao Wenxiang to the Wendeng City Detention Center.
Two days later, the police from Wendeng City arrested Ms. Shi Xiangni from Wencheng Town with the same method.
8. [Guan County, Shandong Province] Li Huanfang Stages a Hunger Strike to Protest Torture
Two years ago, Ms. Li Huanfang was sentenced to forced labor. After her release, she had to live away from home in order to avoid arrest. During the morning of February 7, 2005 someone reported her to police. Ms. Li was subsequently put into a detention center at Gengerzhuang Village, Guan County, Shandong Province where she went on a hunger strike to protest. Policewoman Chen Yuezhi then transferred her into the Jinan City Forced Labor Camp. The forced labor camp authorities didn't accept her. Then Chen Yuezhi signed a document to have the labor camp monitor Ms. Li for three months. Thus, Li Huanfang is being held at the forced labor camp. She is on a hunger strike to protest the unlawful persecution.
9. [Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province] Practitioner Wang Keng, a Teacher at a Middle School in the Fangcun District, Sentenced to Forced Labor
Mr. Wang Keng, in his 20s, is a teacher at a middle school in the Fangcun District, Guangzhou City. On October 5, 2001 he was arrested at Ke Village, the Haizhu District, Guangzhou City when he distributed Falun Gong truth-clarifying materials there. Mr. Wang was sent to the Fangcun Detention Center for interrogation that same night. The next day, without trial, he was sentenced to two years of forced labor at the No. 8 Division of the Huaduchini Forced Labor Camp.
10. [Yueyang County, Hunan Province] Practitioner Li Ziran on Hunger Strike to Protest Unlawful Arrest
Practitioner Li Ziran from Yueyang County, Hunan Province has been on a hunger strike since he was arrested on March 3, 2005. Li Ziran's life is in peril.
Part of the units and persons that are involved in the persecution:
Zhou Shuibai, Xu Guiping: from Li Ziran's former work unit, the Fourth Chemical Construction Company of Yueyang County, Hunan Province;
Li Xianzong, official at the Security Section of the Valve Factory of the Fourth Chemical Construction Company
Units in charge of the case:
Zeng Xionghui, Political and Judiciary Committee of Yueyang County,
Yang Yong, Section chief of the Procurator's Office of Yueyang County,
Li Shiquan and Zhou Zaolin, officers in the Yueyang County Police Department
Li Xiong, head of the Trial Section, Yueyang County Court: 86-13707403009 (cell)
11. [Jilin Province] Three Practitioners from Lishu County Arrested
At around 9:00 a.m. on March 19, 2005, Sun Jingfu, Deputy Chief of the Lishu County Police Department, Zhou Yanwen, head of the county National Security Team, Li Changfu, deputy director of the county's 610 Office, in collusion with people from the Siping City Police Department, and more than ten other officers, drove four cars to practitioner Mr. Gai Shubin's home. After breaking into his home, they searched everywhere, in the house and the greenhouse. They confiscated some printed materials from Zhengjian.net and Minghui.net (Chinese versions of Pureinsight.org and Clearwisdom.net), some personal belongings, and 400 yuan that had been hidden in a bed. On March 23, personnel from police department broke into Mr. Gai's home again and searched it. They attempted to arrest Mr. Gai's wife, also a Dafa practitioner, but his wife escaped with the power of her righteous thoughts.
During the evening on March 17, 2005, Ms. Feng Xiuxia and another practitioner were arrested, too. According to inside information, these three practitioners are being held at the Lishu County Detention Center.
Related phone numbers (Country code: 86, area code: 434. Do not dial area code before a cell phone number):
Sun Jingfu: 5228395 (office), 5242777 (home), 13904355761 (cell)
Wang Fei (Deputy head of the 610 Office): 5231750 (office), 3520017 (home), 13904359737 (cell)
Li Changfu: 5234610 (office), 13304359610 (cell)
Zhou Yanwen: 5223868 Ext 4040 (office), 5223921 (home), 13504445731 (cell)
12. [Heilongjiang Province] Persecution of the Shang Xiping Couple at the Huanan Forestry Administration Bureau
On September 30, 2004, personnel from the Huanan Forestry Administration Bureau in Heilongjiang Province, as well as from the National Security Team and the local police precinct arrested Mr. Shang Xiping, his wife Ms. Cheng Shujie, Mr. Zhao Yongjie, and Ms. Ge Xiulan. Zhao Yongjie was held for half a month; Ge Xiulan, over three months; Cheng Shujie over four months. They were released before the Chinese New Year, but on March 14, 2005 police officers arrested Mr. Shang and his wife again and sentenced them to four years and one year of imprisonment, respectively.
Related phone numbers (Country code: 86, area code: 454. Do not dial area code before a cell phone number):
Jia Shouhui, the Police Department chief: 13796365678 (cell phone), 6685166 (office), 6267558 (home), 6685001
Lin Shugao, deputy chief: 13512612566 (cell), 6688811 (office), 6688666 (home)
Guo Junlin, from National Security Team: 6938526, 6688115, 6685343
Huang Xiaoying, Chief Judge: 13634652777 (cell), 6687574
13. [Huitong County, Hunan Province] Liang Xuelin Arrested Again
On February 21, 2005, Long Jiaquan, Deputy Chief from the Huitong County Police Department, Shen Heping, Wu Yongchang, Yin Hongqi, Su Duoli and 610 Office personnel lied to Dafa practitioner Ms. Liang Xuelin, promising to unfreeze her bank account if she went to the police department. When she got there, they threw her into a police car and sent her to a local detention center. The second day, Ms. Liang was transferred to another detention center. She resisted the persecution and did not answer any questions during interrogation. Ms. Liang staged a hunger strike for eight days. When her health was obviously declining, detention center policemen feared that she would die in the detention center so they released her. On March 18, before Liang Xuelin had fully recovered, policemen Yin Hongqi, Liu Bangxing, Xie Yajuan, and Yang Yianhua arrested her again as she was on her way to buy some vegetables near her home. Liang Xuelin is being held in Huitong Detention Center.
Related phone number (Country code: 86, area code: 745. Do not dial area code before a cell phone number):
Zhang Kesheng, the Police Department chief: 8830021 (Home), 13707452121 (Cell phone)
Long Jiaquan, deputy chief: 8821839 (Home), 13707455581 (Cell)
Shen Heping, Political & Security Section chief: 8822099, 13707455718 (Cell)
Yin Hongqi, Political Head: 8828270,13807457888 (Cell)
Xie Yajuan, Political & Security Officer: 8822963, 13974536796 (Cell)
Yang Yanhua, police officer: 8822708
Li Duoli, 610 Office Chief: 8827908
Wu Yongchang, Political & Security Section Chief: 13974536787 (Cell)
14. [Gansu Province] Ma Meizhen Arrested
Practitioner Ms. Ma Meizhen is from Hongqi Township, Lintao County, Lanzhou City, Gansu Province. On February 14, 2005 police arrested her when she was posting Falun Dafa truth-clarifying materials at Yantan Township, Lanzhou City. She is being held at Dashaping.
15. [Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang Province] Several Practitioners Arrested
Monitoring video systems are installed in many public places and facilities in Qiqihar City. Personnel from the Wenhua Road Police Precinct arrested practitioner Ms. Chen when she posted truth-clarifying materials. A practitioner was also arrested at the Dafuyuan Supermarket. Some practitioners, including Liu Jun, Ma, the Yan couple, Li Guixian, and Chen Li were also arrested. Personnel from the Zhengyang Police Precinct took part in the arrests. One practitioner's face was beaten so severely it became distorted.
We have heard that police have arrested seventy practitioners and put them into the No. 1 Detention Center. The arrested practitioners are on a hunger strike to protest.
16. [Jinan City, Shandong Province] Illegal Arrest of Li Guoqing and Three Other Practitioners from the Tianqiao District
Between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. on March 25, 2005, personnel from the Tianqiao District 610 Office went to Mr. Li Guoqing's home and arrested him along with Ms. Niu Xiuqin and two other practitioners. They also searched Li Guoqing's house and confiscated some Falun Dafa materials. The four arrested practitioners were firstly taken to the Tianqiao District 610 Office. Then Li Guoqing was detained at the office while the other three were detained at the Beiyuan Road Police Precinct.
On March 26, lawless policemen searched Niu Xiuqin's house. That same day, Li Guoqing went on a hunger strike to protest the illegal arrest.
Some related phone numbers:
Tianqiao District 610 Office in Jinan City (on duty phone number, available at night): 86-531-5861991
Beiyuan Road Police Precinct: 86-531-5956110, 86-531-5955425
17. [Changchun City, Jilin Province] Chaoyanggou Forced Labor Camp Continues to Detain Hao Hongfa After the Expired Detention Term
On March 20, 2002 when Mr. Hao Hongfa, from the Economic Development District in Changchun City went to visit a fellow Falun Gong practitioner, he was illegally arrested and sentenced to three years of forced labor in the Chaoyanggou Forced Labor Camp. Hao Hongfa has been brutally beaten there many times. His detention term expired on March 19, 2005, but so far he is still detained because he refuses to give up Falun Gong practice.
There are about twenty practitioners whose detention terms expired in March, but all of their detention terms were extended. The people inside the forced labor camp said that it was the No. 1 Division who extended Hao Hongfa's detention term. Li Zhengjie, the head of the No. 1 Division and Ji Wenquan, the guard, should be held responsible for the persecution of Mr. Hao.
18. [Xinbin County, Liaoning Province] Wang Huinan Savagely Tortured in the Masanjia Forced Labor Camp
Ms. Wang Huinan is from Shangjiahe Town, Xinbin County, Fushun City, Liaoning Province. She is currently incarcerated at the Masanjia Forced Labor Camp in Shenyang City. Since January 2005, Wang Huinan began to validate Dafa and disciples' innocence by refusing to wear the prison uniform or take part in the forced labor. Because of this, she was put into a small cell during the Chinese New Year. Her family members are not allowed to see her or call her.
Cui Sihong, the head of No.4 Team of No.1 Division: 86-24-89210406
19. [Fushun City, Liaoning Province] Deng Yuzhong from Xinbin County Arrested
Practitioner Deng Yuzhong is from the Xiagangzi Residential Group of Maerdun Village, Shangjiahe Town, Xinbin County, Fushun City, Liaoning Province. In March 2005, he went to another location to work. When he was at the Hangzhou City railway station, local police officer searched his bag and found a copy of Zhuan Falun and a truth-clarifying CD. He was immediately detained. Later, Xinbin County Police Department chief, policeman Hong Yuefeng from Shangjiahe Town Police Precinct and policeman Han Long from Xiagangzi Village flew to Hangzhou City and escorted Mr. Zheng back to Xinbin County.
Deng Yuzhong has been held at the Xinbin County Detention Center for over half a month. The police extorted 8,000 yuan from his relatives and are planning to send him to a brainwashing center.
Related phone numbers:
Hao Yongfang (Hao's brother is the deputy secretary of the 610 Office Political and Judiciary Committee): 86-464-8520886
Jiang Shujing, staff member from the 610 Office: 86-464-8542181
March 28, 2005
(Clearwisdom.net) A "solemn declaration" is a person's public statement declaring to the world that whatever he or she has done or said under duress or deception that was against Falun Dafa is null and void. Most of these statements have come from Falun Dafa practitioners in China who wished to express regret that, in the face of physical torture and brainwashing, they had signed documents renouncing Dafa and guaranteeing not to practice again. Also, as more and more people in China learn the truth about how they have been deceived and lied to by the Jiang regime, many non-practitioners are also submitting "solemn declarations."
Here are some examples of the Solemn Declarations:
Please click here for more Solemn Declarations.
(Clearwisdom.net)
Facts of the Persecution
1. Tortures Continue at the Xishanping Forced Labor Camp in Chongqing
In Class 2, Division 7 of the Xishanping Forced Labor Camp in Chongqing, the perpetrators are still severely torturing Dafa practitioners, both physically and mentally. At 9:00 a.m. on February 23, 2005, practitioners Wu Qun and Chen Hongxin were sent to the "Strictly Controlled Group." Under orders from guards Tian and Wang, the perpetrators savagely beat the practitioners, tied their hands and feet and pushed them under a bed with a space 50 cm in height. The practitioners were also forced sit with their feet stretched in front of them, with their head bent and their back against the bed. They were not allowed to eat or go to the toilet. Practitioner Wu Qun was dragged into the office in the evening and additionally tortured beyond recognition. He had to be carried back to the cell.
http://www.minghui.ca/mh/articles/2005/4/6/98997.html
2. Vicious people persecute two practitioners in their 70s
Practitioners Liu Xiulan and Zhen Yanbin began practicing Falun Dafa in 1997. After the persecution started on July 20, 1999, they went to Beijing to appeal in November 1999, but were unlawfully detained. From 2000 to late 2001, perpetrators abducted Liu Xiulan and Zhen Yanbin at total five times from their work units, and they were sent to a brainwashing class at a detention center. After Liu Xiulan was released from the detention center, the perpetrators set up a secret detention room at the work unit hotel, where they held Liu Xiulan for 53 days, in violation of the Chinese Constitution. They had people watch her around the clock and put her through physical and mental torture. They even deducted the rent for the detention room and the salary for the persecutors from Liu Xiulan's pension. They refused to release Ms. Liu during the Chinese New Year, and only released her on January 15, 2002 [Chinese lunar calendar].
http://www.minghui.ca/mh/articles/2005/4/6/98981.html
3. Facts of the Persecution in Yushe County, Jinzhong, Shanxi Province
In November 1999, six practitioners - Yue Weimin, Han Xuelian, Li Rune, Zhang Suhua, Hao Caixian and Yun Xiuzhen - went to Beijing to appeal for Dafa. Yue Weimin, Han Xuelian, Li Rune, Zhang Suhua were arrested and detained for four months, Yun Xiuzhen was detained for over two months and Hao Caixian was held at a labor camp for one and a half years.
Yue Weimin was illegally detained for eight months, from November 2000 to July 2001. His work unit cut his salary by two levels, gave him a disciplinary warning with a big demerit on his record, expelled him from the CCP, and the police officers extorted 3,000 yuan in cash from him, claiming it to be "bail money."
In June 2002, practitioners Yue Weiguo, Lu Aiqing, Yue Shuping, Yue Shaoping, Yue Cuiping and others were illegally detained for over a month. Wang Jianbin was detained for one month, Liang Yong was detained for 15 days, Yue Chunlin was detained for two days on August 12, 2002 and the police extorted 5,000 yuan from him as "bail."
Liang Xianguo was detained for ten days in 2000 and was sentenced to two and a half years of forced labor on October 13, 2004.
Han Goulian was detained for three months from March 2001 to June 2001.
http://www.minghui.ca/mh/articles/2005/4/6/99015.html
4. Practitioner Meng Jie in Beijing illegally fired from the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business
Practitioner Meng Jie's work unit, the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, illegally terminated her work contract simply because she practices Falun Gong. They also threatened to send her to the 610 Office if she refused to comply. Meng Jie is now speaking with the school through her lawyer, in accordance with Chinese labor laws.
http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2005/4/6/99001.html
5. Crimes of perpetrators from the Wennan Town 610 Office and the police in Xintai City, Shandong Province
Early in the morning on July 21, 2002, a group of perpetrators led by Liu Jun, the head of Wennan Town's 610 Office and the Wennan Town Police Department in Xintai City, Shandong Province, abducted Dafa practitioner Cao Bingfang from home and sent her to the Wangcun Labor Camp in Zibo to be brainwashed. On the evening of May 1, 2004, the perpetrators ordered practitioner Ms. Qi Jianying and Mr. Zhao Leyou to open her door, and then they searched the practitioners and abducted them. They sent the practitioners to the Changlu Town Police Station and transferred them to the Mengyin County Detention Center the next day. The perpetrators beat and kicked the practitioners and stomped on their legs with hard boots. They fabricated charges against the practitioners and sent them to the Xintai City 610 Office.
They later released the practitioners. However, on July 3, 2004 [Chinese lunar calendar], the perpetrators again went to the two practitioners' homes to abduct them. Qi Jianying was not home and Zhao Leyou escaped with the power of righteous thoughts. The perpetrators tricked Zhao Leyou's younger brother Zhao Lezeng into going to the village office and sent him to the Xintai City Detention Center to torture him.
Zhao Lezeng was in a coma for a long time because of the brutal torture, and Zhao Leyou was forced to leave home to avoid abduction. Early in the morning on December 15, 2004, Zhao Leyou was intercepted by perpetrators from the 610 Office and was sent to Xintai City Detention Center to be tortured. Twenty-five days later, he was transferred to Wangcun Labor Camp in Zibo City to be brainwashed. He was tortured until his whole body became swollen and he had difficulty breathing. He is still very weak, even now.
http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2005/4/6/98992.html
6. Lixia District Court in Jinan City, Shandong Province persecutes Dafa practitioners
On April 26, 2003, the No. 1 Division from the Lixia District Court in Jinan City, Shandong Province held a secret trial of seven practitioners. They were Zhang Lei, Chen Handong, Xu Xun, Li Chengxiang, Tian Ran, Liu Hongmei, and Wang Wei, and two other practitioners who did not appear in court. One of them was Nie Gang, who was forced to pay bail and was awaiting the illegal trial because he was at the brink of death due to torture at the Jinan Legal Center. Practitioner Ms. Li Xiaoping was held at the Liuchangshan Detention Center and had suffered a mental collapse and was awaiting the illegal trial.
The whole trial was held secretively and went against the laws of China. The court officials didn't allow t he practitioners to hire lawyers and didn't allow anyone to sit in the audience. On April 30, 2003, practitioner Liu Hongmei was sentenced to seven years in prison; Wang Wei was sentenced to five and a half years in prison; Xu Xun was sentenced to four years in prison; Li Chengxiang and Tian Ran were sentenced to three and a half years in prison, and Chen Handong was sentenced to two and a half years in prison.
In August 2003, Li Chengxiang, Tian Ran, Liu Hongmei and Wang Wei were illegally sent to Shandong Province Women's Prison, and Chen Handong and Xu Xun were sent to Weibei Prison in Shandong Province.
http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2005/4/6/98983.html
Press Release
Friday, April 8, 2005
Source: Royal Astronomical Society
Ongoing research by an international team of astronomers is providing new insights into cataclysmic cosmic collisions between galaxy clusters.
Using the world's most powerful X-ray space observatory, the team is unraveling the complex interactions that take place in the "traffic pile-ups" that occur as clusters containing hundreds of galaxies and trillions of solar masses of gas and dark matter interact and merge.
Speaking on Friday 8 April at the RAS National Astronomy Meeting in Birmingham, Dr. Elena Belsole (University of Bristol) will present new results obtained with ESA's orbiting XMM-Newton observatory. The images and other data reveal an environment racked by violent shock waves that squeeze and compress the intra-cluster gas, raising its temperature to many millions of degrees.
Galaxy clusters, measuring up to 6 million light years across, are the largest objects whose mass can be measured by astronomers. From observations of many clusters, it is possible to estimate the distribution of mass in the Universe as a whole. This provides important information about what the Universe is made of, how it began, and how it might end.
However, only 5% of the mass of galaxy clusters lies in stars and galaxies. The space between the galaxies is filled with gas which is so hot (10 - 100 million degrees Celsius) that it can only be seen at X-ray wavelengths.
How did the gas between the galaxies get so hot? Galaxy clusters grow through the action of gravity, continuously pulling in smaller galaxy systems and undergoing the occasional violent collision with an object of comparable size.
In such events, the clusters start to feel each other's gravitational pull: they interact and, after a prolonged period, they finally merge. These mergers are the most energetic events to have taken place in the Universe since the Big Bang. The energy released in cluster collisions irreversibly modifies the physical conditions within a cluster through compression waves and shocks which heat the gas to temperatures 10,000 times those on the surface of the Sun.
By using space-based instruments able to see at X-ray wavelengths, Belsole's team has been able to measure the origins and energy of X-rays from galaxy clusters. From the positional information, they were able to map the distribution of the gas in the clusters. From the X-ray energy, they were able to measure the gas temperature. By combining the two, they could map the temperature structure of the cluster gas.
The temperature is the key quantity which allows the scientists to discriminate between clusters which are undergoing dramatic collisions and those which are not. The temperature shows directly the conversion of enormous amounts of kinetic energy into the thermal energy which heats the gas.
"Thanks to observations obtained with XMM-Newton, the most powerful X-ray detector ever built, we are now able to describe fully the gas in galaxy clusters," said Belsole.
"From the temperature, we calculate that clusters can collide at velocities greater than 2,000 km/s. We observe that clusters are unique in their morphology and temperature distribution, and it is through these differences that we can say whether a cluster is young or old."
Belsole's team has recently investigated three different merging clusters each made up of hundreds of galaxies. One of these, known as Abell 1750 (A1750), is a young merger located 1.1 billion light years from Earth. It involves two clusters, separated by more than 3 million light years, which are just starting to interact.
Each of these colliding clusters has a total mass about 500 trillion times that of the Sun and is moving at a speed of around 1,400 km/s. The violent interaction between them causes shocks and compression of the intra-cluster gas, producing an arc-like region of gas between the two with a temperature of 70 million degrees Celsius. The collision will reach its climax in 1 - 2 billion years, when the cores collide and the energy release is at its maximum.
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=16586
