The
Star-Ledger Newark NJ: Bridgewater Woman Arrested in China
Steve Chambers
02/05/2000
The Star-Ledger Newark, NJ
FINAL
Page 003
Jackie Yu of Bridgewater went to China last month in the hope of helping
fellow practitioners of a controversial offshoot of Buddhism known as
Falun Gong. Instead, she wound up in jail.
On Jan. 23, Yu and several friends were arrested in Tiananmen Square after
a demonstration by the outlawed movement, which in recent years has grown
in popularity worldwide.
The 44-year-old Yu was released yesterday, but in a brief telephone
interview from Beijing she said she remained fearful of another arrest and
suspected that her phone was being tapped.
She was unsure whether she and her 14-year-old son, David Wei Cui, who was
left alone for more than 10 days after his mother's arrest, would be
allowed to return to the United States.
''I'm not home yet," she said. "I can't see my future."
Practitioners of the spiritual movement have stepped up acts of defiance
in the face of a severe crackdown by the government. In July, the
communists banned the movement, labeling it an "evil cult."
Last night, about 100 demonstrators were beaten and arrested in Tiananmen
Square after attempting to unfurl Buddhist banners near a popular tourist
site.Human rights advocates say the Chinese government has sent 5,000
practitioners to labor camps without trial and sentenced another 300 to
lengthy
terms.
''This is not a cult," said Lin Jinping, Yu's neighbor in Bridgewater
and a fellow practitioner. "Just like Christians have their beliefs,
this is a belief. The communists don't like it, because they can't control
us."
Falun Gong is the largest of a number of spiritual movements that have
sprung up in recent years in China that focus on meditation and exercise
to harness the body's qi, or vital forces, and promote spiritual and
physical well-being. Followers believe that through qigong, an ancient
practice
of self-cultivation that employs a series of stretching exercises, they
can ward off disease and gain supernatural energy. Critics in China say
followers have died by choosing Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, over
traditional medicine.
Last year on April 25, 10,000 followers silently surrounded communist
offices, practicing their exercises in a bid for legal recognition and to
protest condemnations in government-controlled media. That prompted the
severe crackdown that has seen some followers sentenced to lengthy
prison terms.
''It's so pathetic," said Gail Rachlin, a marketing executive from
New York who is well- connected in the movement. "We continue to ask
for dialogue to resolve the situation peacefully. These people do not want
to hurt the government or anyone else."
At least one American was among those arrested last night, according to
the Associated Press, and there are several instances of Chinese-Americans
being detained in the crackdown.
State Department officials, who have been outspoken against the
repression, said their hands are somewhat tied, because detainees from
America often are permanent residents rather than U.S. citizens.
''We have repeatedly raised our concerns with the Chinese about their
treatment of practitioners," said one official, who spoke on the
condition of anonymity. "We have called on China to release those
detained or imprisoned because of religious beliefs or practices or simply
particular expressions of political views."
This spring, the U.S. government will condemn China's human rights record,
including the treatment of Falun Gong practitioners, before a United
Nations commission, the spokesman said.
Yu's sister, Kexin, who lives in Boston, said her sibling knew it was
dangerous to visit China during the crackdown. She had thought twice
about it, particularly because she is slated to become a U.S. citizen in a
matter of months.
''She just couldn't wait," she said. "She just felt that
practitioners should stand up and say something to the government, and the
earlier
the better. She felt private things, like her residency status, should be
put aside."
Fellow practitioners insisted that Yu, a financial consultant whose given
Chinese name is Shan, did not participate in the demonstration that got
her locked up. She simply went to the square to take pictures, but when
asked by an undercover police, she admitted she was a practitioner.
''We are really worried about her safety," said Li Li, an economics
professor from Edison who sometimes practices Falun Gong in group
sessions with Yu. "We want her back as soon as possible."
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