Centralmaine.com (Portland, Maine): Falun Gong member detained - China expels Vassalboro man

Thursday, March 28, 2002

VASSALBORO -- A 20-year-old Vassalboro man was detained in China this week while protesting that government's treatment of Falun Gong members.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins' office confirmed Wednesday that Daniel Pomerleau, a Falun Gong practitioner, was held by Chinese authorities, then expelled from the country.

Pomerleau left Boston by plane Sunday for a weeklong stay in China. At Tiananmen Square in Beijing, he planned to protest the persecution of practitioners of Falun Gong, a form of meditation banned by the Chinese government.

But he apparently never got that chance.

The Erskine Academy graduate, the son of Michael and Diane Pomerleau, was scheduled to contact fellow Falun Gong members at Clark University in Worcester, Mass., as soon as he arrived, but the call never came. Pomerleau is a sophomore at the university, majoring in geography.

His mother, who also practices Falun Gong, said she won't know what happened to her son until he returns from China.

"The only thing I can figure is that (airport officials in China) checked his bag and found some of his literature on Falun Gong," Diane Pomerleau said. "That would have been it. There is no way he would have gone further than that airport. But Daniel is the only one who knows that."

Sen. Collins, R-Maine, through the U.S. State Department, asked the Chinese government to release Pomerleau, according to Megan Sowards, a spokeswoman for Collins.

"A state department official said (Pomerleau) was officially detained for some period of time and expelled by the government of China," Sowards said.

Diane Pomerleau was relieved to learn that her son was reportedly put on a plane scheduled to land Wednesday evening in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a practice of meditation with teachings based on the principle of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance."

The Falun Dafa Information Center, which has offices in Boston, claims that as many as 100 million practice Falun Gong.

Chinese President Jiang Zemin outlawed the practice in July 1999.

"Tomorrow I leave for China for a week to talk with the Chinese people and government officials everywhere I go," Pomerleau wrote in a letter released by the information center. "I will tell them with a warm smile that I practice Falun Dafa, that my older brother and mother also practice Falun Dafa, and that my family members, friends, teachers, coaches, and co-workers have all shown great support for Falun Dafa and the benefits it has brought me."

Pomerleau arrived in China alone on Monday. When Riordan Gallucio, a fellow Falun Gong member, reportedly didn't hear from Pomerleau, he became worried.

He called a news conference Wednesday in Boston to explain that Pomerleau planned to appeal at Tiananmen Square for better treatment of the Falun Gong.

"He feels really strongly about it," Gallucio said.

On Monday, the day Pomerleau was scheduled to arrive in China, more than 5,000 people believed to be practitioners of Falun Gong were detained as part of an unprecedented police sweep, according to the Falun Dafa Information Center.

Amnesty International headquarters in London issued a statement before the police sweep began. "Dozens of suspected members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement have been reportedly detained during a security crackdown in Changchun city, Jilin Province. Amnesty International believes they are at serious risk of torture or ill treatment."

Falun Gong has roots in traditional Chinese culture, but it is distinct from other practices in China, such as Buddhism and Taoism.

The Falun Dafa Information Center asserts that it has verified more than 375 deaths since the persecution of Falun Gong members in China began in 1999. Government officials inside China, however, report that the actual death toll is more than 1,600, the information center says.

Wednesday evening, Diane Pomerleau planned to call family members to tell them her son is expected to return home. She planned to wait by the phone Wednesday for his call.

"I've got to give this kid credit," she said. "It takes a lot of courage to take a risk like that, knowing the possible danger that could occur. When he was going, he knew about people being detained. He's fortunate that he's been let go. I admire someone who doesn't let fear prevent him from doing what is right."

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