(Clearwisdom.net, December 7, 2003) Recently, when answering questions during the U.S.--China Education Symposium held in the Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania, Vice President of Chongqing University openly admitted that students in his university who practice Falun Gong could be deprived of their education because of their beliefs. This drew a strong reaction from local community.
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| Vice President of Chongqing University Zhang Siping: We would not expel students because of their beliefs, except for Falun Gong | Falun Gong practitioners Calling for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong outside the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania |
On the evening of December 3, 2003, a Chinese university presidents delegation organized by the Chinese Ministry of Education held a symposium with Chinese students and scholars at the Wharton School to share views on education in both China and the U.S. Vice President of Chongqing University Zhang Siping was one of the 20 member delegation who attended the symposium. Because Ms. Wei Xingyan, a Falun Gong practitioner and a graduate student from Chongqing University was openly raped by a policeman at the Baihelin Detention Center in the Shapingba District of Chongqing City, this university has drawn broad concern from the international community.
During this symposium, a Ph.D. candidate in the Wharton School asked Zhang Siping questions regarding the widely reported incidents that students in Chongqing University were expelled because of their belief and the Wei Xingyan rape incident. Zhang flatly denied the charges and said, "No such thing has ever happened. Our university would not force students to suspend their studies because of their beliefs," but he added, "except for Falun Gong."
Other attendees asked, "Except for Falun Gong? Why 'except for Falun Gong'? Isn't Falun Gong a belief?" Zhang Siping realized that he had slipped up and hastily said, "Falun Gong are not expelled, they are not expelled." In the end, the Ph.D. candidate in the Wharton School said to the university presidents, "Falun Gong practitioners cultivate themselves according to Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance. They should not receive unjust treatments because of their beliefs." The presidents expressed one after another, "We understand, we are aware of it."
A Chinese TV station covered the entire symposium.
After the symposium, the activity organizer rushed to the cameraman's home and repeatedly requested him not to use the footage. When his request was refused, he stayed near the cameraman's home until 3 am. On the next morning, he once again went to the cameraman's home, requesting him not to report on the symposium. The organizer admitted that all of this was because the videotape contains information about Falun Gong. Although the symposium organizer does not practice Falun Gong, he still worried about his own future and his career, and he worried that his family's life would be interfered with by the Chinese government.
From this incident, one can see that the Jiang regime's relentless persecution of Falun Gong has even left tremendous fear in the hearts of Chinese people who are living in democratic countries. One can easily imagine the huge pressure experienced by Falun Gong practitioners and their family members and friends in China.
The Jiang regime has used people's basic rights of life as threats, and used slanderous propaganda and deceit to instigate hatred against Falun Gong practitioners. This persecution is not only limited to China, but it also affects people in other countries. Many overseas Chinese people deeply feared the Jiang regime's despotic power. Although they support Falun Gong or Falun Gong practitioners' freedom, they dare not to openly express their support. Some people helped the Jiang regime to cover up the facts or even spread the deceit, even though they know what they're doing is wrong. This episode provides another example of the persecution's effects on kind people, whether they practice Falun Gong or not.
Outside the meeting place, Falun Gong practitioners unfurled a banner that read, "Protesting Chongqing University's Cover-Up of Ms. Wei Xingyan's Rape by Police. Immediately Stop the Persecution of Falun Gong." They called for the rescue of Ms. Wei Xingyan, whose whereabouts still remain unclear. An Indian couple who came to the U.S. to visit their son had received a Falun Gong flyer from some other place. This time when they saw practitioners again, they immediately expressed that they would like to learn the exercises. Because they would go back to India this coming Saturday, they learned the five sets of exercises from practitioners despite the cold. After learning the exercises, they said that they felt very comfortable, and they would continue to practice it after they go back to India.
The Wharton School is one of the top business schools in the world, and numerous Chinese students study here. After a security guard saw practitioners teaching the exercises, he expressed his great interest and said that he would go to the Falun Gong practice site at the Liberty Bell plaza to learn the exercises. When the school police officers who patrolled in the Huntsman Hall learned about the facts, they were astonished. They sympathized with Ms. Wei Xingyan's plight. Passersby accepted Falun Gong truth-clarifying materials, and many Chinese students also expressed their sympathy. They also asked how they could help.
After Ms. Wei Xingyan's case was exposed overseas, the "610 office" (an agency specifically created to persecute Falun Gong, with absolute power over each level of administration in the Party and all other political and judiciary systems) tightly blocked the information. They secretly transferred Ms. Wei and ordered Chongqing University to deny that Ms. Wei Xingyan was a student in this university. They even denied having the program of "High Voltage Direct Current Transmission & Simulation Technology", which was Ms. Wei's specialty. Meanwhile, they blockaded all files of Ms. Wei in Chongqing University. It was reported that students who lived on the same floor of the school dorm with Ms. Wei have left the dorm, and no one knows their whereabouts. Their dorm rooms are still vacant.
The U.S.--based "World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong" (WOIPFG) is investigating this case. WOIPFG expressed that they will further investigate all criminals and related suspects of this case. It is inevitable that those responsible for this heinous crime and those who covered up the facts will be punished by law.
