(Clearwisdom.net) The Hohhot Women's Forced Labor Camp in Nei Monggol AR (Inner Mongolia) currently has a total three divisions, where more than one hundred Falun Gong practitioners are detained. This include 32 practitioners sent from Beijing Women's Forced Labor Camp before the Olympics (July 21, 2008). Each year, Hohhot Women's Forced Labor Camp buys detainees from Beijing's Labor Camp Dispatch Center at 800-1000 yuan each to do heavy labor. About half of these people are Falun Gong practitioners. There are about 36 practitioners in the Third Division.
The major jobs that labor camp detainees are forced to do include removing stickers from electrical components, manufacturing disposable anti-bacterial chopsticks, washing dishes, making cotton and leather gloves, weaving sweaters, sewing on pockets, making leather bags for wine bottles, making bath rubs, and making paper flowers.
The Third Division was assigned to remove stickers from electrical components, dishwashing and glove-weaving workshops.
The nickname for the task of removing the stickers from the electrical components is "tear the notes." The detainees have to use their bare hands to tear off the stickers on the insulation boards, non-stop every day. Many people's hands became disfigured and developed open wounds. With so many labels being torn off, a cloud of dust permeates the room. The substance in the dust caused many people's hands to itch and blister. There was no protection at all. The manufacturing of disposable chopsticks is also located in this workshop. The factory transports the disposable bamboo or wooden chopsticks to the labor camp where the laborers put them into small plastic packages. This is called "chopstick packing."
"Tear the notes" and "chopstick packing" are mostly done by those who are old, weak, sick or disabled. Most of them are Falun Gong practitioners. The elderly practitioners are concentrated in this workshop. Every day there is a team head sitting close by to supervise them, and some young drug offenders examine the final product. No talking is allowed. There is a quota every day. The detainee's term is extended if the day's quota is not met. Some younger practitioners detained in the Third Division were working at the dishwashing and glove-weaving workshop.
In the dishwashing shop, the factory packs dirty dishes into a collection box to be sent to the labor camp. Detainees need to remove any leftovers from the dish, classify and rinse. Dishwashing is the most intensive form of heavy-labor. By the time the dishes arrive at the labor camp, the leftovers are utterly rancid, and foul smelling especially in the summer (normally the dishes were used the day before being washed). Facing the filthy dishes piled up in heaps, everyone would like a dishwashing machine. At the end of the day, one becomes exhausted and one's entire body is in pain. Because dishwashing requires one's hands to be kept immersed in water for hours, many people had symptoms of rheumatism and felt aches or numbness in their joints. The dishwashing and electrical component sticker removal work starts at 7:00 a.m. and ends at 7:00 p.m. Only one hour of rest is allowed between those hours.
The glove-weaving work starts at 6:30 a.m. and ends at 9:30 p.m. It has the longest working hours in the labor camp, and laborers are not allowed a break at noon. The glove-weaving and electrical components work generates 15,000 "yuan" revenue per month for the labor camp. The dishwashing workshop generates another 15,000 yuan revenue per month.
In the labor camp, when one is sick, she can go to the clinic, but all expenses have to be paid by the detainee or her family. If they can't afford it, then the clinic refuses to take them.
Practitioner Wang Guihong, in her fifties, had a lump on her outer vulva and inflammation. As she had no money, the clinic refused to take care of her, but she was still required to work as hard as the others at the electrical components shop. When one just arrived at the labor camp, the team heads would let them call their family to tell them to send money, but no clothes, food or other articles are allowed. This is because everything has to be bought from the store that is affiliated with the labor camp. All the items in this store are basically double the price or more compared to a store outside the camp. The dish detergent that costs two yuan in a regular grocery store costs six yuan here, and it's a mandatory purchase. A one or two yuan bar of soap sells for 6 yuan here, etc. In the winter of 2008, everyone was forced to buy a coat that cost 240 yuan. However, that coat was not allowed to be taken out of the labor camp.
The primary means of "management" used in the labor camp is to extend or reduce the length of imprisonment. Every team head has the authority to extend one's term for up to one year. Many practitioners have had their terms extended because they could not complete the unreasonable quotas for the tasks, or because they wrote a solemn declaration stating that they believed in Falun Gong. The guards think that anything related to Falun Gong is reason to extend a term at will. All people at the labor camp have had their terms extended because of this or that reason. Sometimes, even talking, bathing, drying clothes, or eating can become a reason.
"Extend your term!" is the most frequently heard phrase and threat used by every team head. Those who are detained in the labor camp have truly lost their freedom, are shut off from the outside, and all their phone calls and mail are monitored. Most detainees want to reduce their terms so they can return home as soon as possible. To gain favor with the team heads, they buy them expensive food from a local grocery store. They wash their clothes and even make their beds for them. Some even massage the team head every night. In this way, they get a chance to reduce their terms. Team heads can also provide them the means to call outside (regulation says only one outside call per month). However, many practitioners are restricted or not allowed to talk at all to their families.
Besides Falun Gong practitioners, the most common type of detained people are drug offenders. Some have been sent to the labor camp twice, or even five times. However, these people are treated as "elite" by the guards. They are familiar with the situation here and are the foreman in each workshop. They coordinate with team heads to persecute and monitor Falun Gong practitioners. Thus, they become the candidates that are most likely to receive term reductions.
Huang Xuhong, deputy team head of the Third Division, was in charge of persecuting practitioners. As soon as someone arrives at the labor camp, she is sent to work that same day or the next day at the workshop. If she is a Falun Gong practitioner, she is forced to write the so-called guarantee statement, promsing to "transform." Huang Xuhong went out of her way to harshly treat practitioners who refused to be "transformed." All of those who refused to "transform" suffered some kind of physical punishment or abuse from her. Practitioner Song Caiping in her sixties. Huang Xuhong forced her to write a guarantee letter and made her stand for seven days in a row. She also instructed the drug offender who was on duty at night to twice put an unknown drug into her drinking glass while she was asleep.
The most commonly used physical punishment that the third division uses is forcing one to stand for a long time. They also instigate drug offenders to beat practitioners in the warehouse. Huang Xuhong was good at picking out the most vicious criminals in the division, and took advantage of their desire to reduce their term and incited them to persecute Falun Gong practitioners. For example, drug offender Wang Hongxia directly told Huang Xuhong that she would like to reduce her term, and that she could monitor the practitioners. Another example was drug offender Bao Huaying, who had stayed five years in prison and was sent to the labor camp twice because of drug use and stealing. She monitored practitioner Zhou Liying for a long time under the orders from Huang Xuhong. In the winter of 2008, Zhou Liying didn't want to go to work because she didn't feel good. She was scolded by Bao Huaying. Zhou Liying was subsequently ordered by Huang Xuhong to stand in the warehouse for about two weeks, even during the lunar New Year's Eve. Her feet became purple and swollen. She was also beaten by drug offenders Gao Yumei and Xu Meixia in the warehouse until she agreed to write the guarantee letter, promising that she would go to work. She was later warned not to disclose to anyone that she had been beaten.
Practitioner Wang Guihong, who was in her fifties, was locked up in the warehouse by Huang Xuhong because she refused to slander Falun Gong. Huang also incited drug offenders Yuan Nana, Lu Dan, and Gao Yumei to insult and beat her. Practitioner Yang Liping was locked up in the warehouse by Huang because she refused to write the guarantee statement promising to stop practicing Falun Gong. It was winter time, and Huang ordered drug offender Xu Meixia to remove Yang Liping's coat, force her to stand for a long time, and deprive her of sleep.
Practitioner Liu Yulan who was from Chifeng City of the Nei Monggol held a hunger strike. She had been on a hunger strike since she was detained in the labor camp, from November 2008. She became as thin as stick and worked at the glove-weaving workshop every day, where Bao Huaying and Fan Junying were assigned to monitor her. They force-fed her. The labor camp assigned two people to monitor each practitioner who did not give up their beliefs or were not "transformed" as expected. No matter where it was, working at the workshop, eating a meal, or in the dormitory, they have to report everything Falun Gong practitioners said or did to the team heads. Some prisoners used money to bribe their way out, so they could fulfill their terms outside the labor camp, or they were bailed out. Some spent 40,000-50,000 yuan. Some spent 70,000-80,000 yuan. All this money went directly to the Labor Camp Bureau. This kind of deal is a public trade here.
In the labor camp, besides Falun Gong practitioners, there were also some Christians and others who went to the government to appeal. Currently, there are about one hundred or so Falun Gong practitioners detained at the Hohhot Women's Forced Labor Camp. Not only have they been forced to participate in arduous labor, they have also been subjected to persecution and public humiliation.
We hereby appeal to all levels of society to pay attention to the terrible situation regarding Falun Gong practitioners. We ask that you appeal on their behalf and help them regain their freedom soon.
Hohhot Women's Forced Labor Camp
Director: Sun Jinyan 86-471-5692968
Deputy director: Wang Dianyun, 86-471-5693025; Guo Xiangzhi, 86-471-5693039
Political head: Mu Jianfeng, 86-471-5693088
Falun Gong practitioners detained in the third division are:
Qiao Fengshuang (Nei Monggol), Li Fengqin (Beijing), Wang Guihong (Hubei Province), Chang Bingying (Beijing), He Guiqin (Beijing), Song Caiping (Dalian City, Liaoning Province), Wang Shuxian (Beijing), Huang Ronghua (Beijing), Kang Dongqing (Mianyang City, Sichuan Province), Dong Turong (Beijing), Zhou Liying (Nei Monggol), Liang Lifen (Hebei Province) Liu Yulan (Chifeng City, Nei Monggol), Zhao Yan (North of China), Cai Yuqing (Nei Monggol), Fu Yanyan (Beijing), Wang Guirong (Shanxi Province), Wang Yuhua (Beijing), Liu Shuzhen (Baoding City, Hebei), Wang Shuzhen (Lanzhou City, Gansu Province), Zhang Aimin (Nei Monggol) Huang Runyu (Beijing), Ma Longzhen (Heilongjiang), Yang Liping (Guangzhou), Zhu Shuqin (Beijing), Guo Xiumei (Beijing), Jin Siyun (Beijing), Li Guiyun (Beijing), Chen Jiaolong (Hebei Province), Liu Fengxia (Beijing), Xiao Guanglan (Nei Monggol), Xiao Yafang (Beijing), Guo Wenyan (Heilongjiang Province), Wu Aihong (Nei Monggol), and Yang Guifang (Hebei)
On the evening of March 30, 2009, detainees in the First Division had just gotten off of work from the workshop and had their daily meeting in the corridor. Team head Lu Junqing scolded Falun Gong practitioners, saying that one practitioner took a break on her desk because she didn't feel good. She then escalated into talking about not spreading Falun Gong. Practitioner Du Xiuqin interrupted her and said, "Falun Dafa is the Fa of the universe. It can be gracefully cultivated anywhere." For this she was forcibly dragged away by a gang of drug offenders to the warehouse. Her mouth was sealed. They pushed her and cuffed her hands behind her back. Using the excuse that Ms. Du wanted to practice Falun Gong, Lu cuffed the practitioner for seven days. Ms. Du's screams could be heard during that period. Whether she suffered any physical abuse was unclear, because during this period, Ms. Du was still detained separately in the warehouse. Team head Lu later came to the sixth class to continue scolding the practitioner who had rested at her desk. This time, another practitioner,Yan Xiurong, stood up for her. Lu scolded Ms. Yan, saying she had no right to talk. Ms. Yan replied, "You scolded a Dafa practitioner. I am also a Dafa practitioner." Lu was so angry. She took Ms. Yan to her office, closed the windows and doors, quickly pulled down the window blind, and proceeded to pull Ms. Yan's hair and beat and kick her. While beating Ms. Yan, she shouted, "The Chinese Communist Party fed me, so I am against Falun Gong. You said that I persecuted you. I will persecute you more today. Nobody will know if you are dead." She then used an electric baton to shock Ms. Yan. But because the battery was not fully charged, after only using it a short time, she had to recharge it. Thus, for more than one hour, she shocked Ms. Yan. Ms. Yan injured her lower back while trying to avoid being shocked, and she could no longer stand up. Lu poured cold water on Ms. Yan. Later, Ms. Yan was monitored by an assigned person. She had difficulty walking and needed others to help her. When taking a bath, other practitioners saw blue and purple bruises on her arms and thigh.
When other practitioners asked Lu about Ms. Yan, Lu totally denied the fact that Ms. Yan had been beaten and shocked. This was not the first time that Lu used an electric baton to shock practitioners. On the evening of October 27, 2008, Practitioner Chen Chunhua was tortured by Lu with an electric baton because she exposed the fact that she was beaten by drug offenders, who were attempting to force her to write the three statements at the daily meeting. They also poured boiling water on her face and body. She was not released until 2:00 a.m. that night.
On April 13, 2009, there was a terrible event that took place in the First Division of the labor camp, in which the guards beat practitioners.
It happened as follows: That night at about 9:00 p.m., after a long day of arduous labor, all the practitioners went back to the dormitory and started their daily meeting. The division leader, Lu Junqing, presided over the meeting in person. During the meeting, at first Lu harshly criticized several practitioners and pointed out that they were slacking off at work and 30 points would be deducted as a penalty. Lu then began to berate all practitioners and made slanderous remarks. This not only hurt the practitioners' personal dignity, but also stirred up a general feeling of hostility towards practitioners in the labor camp. All the practitioners in the first division remained silent while she was talking. Finally, practitioner Du Xiuqin stood up to defend Falun Gong. After being rudely stopped, Du Xiuqin started to recite "Lun Yu." She was then taken to the warehouse. To prevent her from doing the exercises, Lu cuffed her hands. Lu ordered all practitioners to sit silently. She then went to the sixth class for the meeting. To those who objected to her speech, Lu took them to her office, to scold and beat them. The method they used to beat the practitioners included slapping the face, shocking with electric batons, punching, kicking with shoes, and pouring cold water over them. Practitioners beaten included Zhao Ping and Yan Xiurong.
Du Xiuqin is currently still imprisoned in the warehouse. No more information is known about her. Zhao Ping was monitored around the clock by two criminals. Yan Xiurong's lower back was injured and she needs support to walk.
