(Clearwisdom.net) Ms. Jing Cai, her elder sister Ms. Jing Tian, and brother-in-law Mr. Chen Song stepped onto soil of the free land of Canada on May 13, 2009, the very day of the 17th annual celebration of World Falun Dafa Day. They said goodbye to a nightmarish life in China, and began their new life in a foreign land.
Ms. Jing Cai's mother and daughters, from left, Ms. Jing Tian, Ms. Chen Jun (mother) and Ms. Jing Cai
Ms. Jing Cai began practicing Falun Gong in October 1995, and her elder sister and mother also joined the practice. After the persecution of Falun Gong began on July 20, 1999, the three appealed to the government, as permissible under the law, and called for a stop to the persecution. In response, they were arrested, detained, tortured, force-fed and subjected to other maltreatment.
Ms. Jing Tian said, "What happened was like a nightmare. Blood tests were taken about five times [when I was detained] after unfurling a banner in Tiananmen Square. I was imprisoned in another city, and my family had no news of me. Later, when the organ harvesting from living practitioners was exposed, I realized that I also was a target for organ removal. If my family members had not searched for me non-stop, I might not be here today."
Ms. Jing continued, "We cannot be joyful for having escaped the evil hands of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), because in China, tens of thousands of Falun Dafa practitioners are suffering in prisons at this moment. Practitioners are losing their lives daily. We were not allowed to speak up in China. Therefore, we came to speak outside of China. We want the entire world to clearly see the evilness of the CCP. We hope that kind people will pay attention to the persecution suffered by practitioners in China, with the wish that people from the international community will reach out and help bring about an end to the persecution."
Ms. Jing Cai (right) and Ms. Jing Tian peacefully protest at the Chinese Consulate
Mr. Chen Song (first left), Ms. Jing Tian (second left) and Ms. Jing Cai (third left) peacefully protest outside the Chinese Consulate
"The ten-year-long persecution is not only the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, as it truly is a persecution that brings harm to all people. It is more serious than anything that has taken place in historical times. Given the CCP's lies, many people don't understand the facts, and they assist the CCP in committing crimes, and don't know that their futures will be pitiful," Ms. Jing Cai said. "The facts have proven that the CCP's persecution is suffering defeat. At the beginning of the persecution, Jiang [Zemin] said he would, 'Eliminate Falun Gong within three months.' However we have seen that practitioners have not been frightened, but have instead become more firm, and more people have learned about Falun Gong and have even taken up the practice."
Mother and Daughters Practice Falun Dafa
In October 1995, Jing Cai, who worked in a bookshop, saw three new books. One of them was "Zhuan Falun". She glanced through it, and was attracted to it. After reading Lecture Four, she could not help saying, "This is a book from heaven!" The book answered many of her questions, which she could not find answers to for many years.
Ms. Jing Cai soon learned the five sets of exercises, and went to the park early in the morning to practice the exercises daily. One day, a week later, her elder sister asked, "What have you been doing so early every morning?" After her sister heard the reason, she immediately said, "I also want to practice." So, both got up at 5:00 a.m. daily and went to the park to practice the exercises, read one lecture of Zhuan Falun and then go to work.
Ms. Chen Jun practices the fifth set of exercises at home
In January 1996, their mother Chen Jun also began to practice Falun Gong. Soon after, her physical problems including gallstones, hemorrhoids, bursitis in the shoulder and diabetes were cured. From then on, the three happily practiced Dafa and hosted a group study at their home.
Ms. Jing Cai said that in the beginning, there were just over ten people at the practice site. Later more and more people joined and the number increased to over 100 people before the persecution started in 1999. At that time, however, their younger brother had not yet joined them.
Harmonious Family Suffers Tribulations
After the persecution began, in mid-October 1999, Ms. Jing Cai, her mother and elder sister went to Beijing to appeal for justice for Falun Gong. On October 18, Ms. Jing Cai and her mother went to the Beijing Appeals Bureau, but did not return.
Ms. Jing Tian heard that her mother and sister had been arrested. After she exchanged views with some practitioners from Shenyang and Beijing, she decided to go display a banner on Tiananmen Square.
On the morning of October 25, Ms. Jing Tian and more than ten other practitioners arrived at Tiananmen Square. They had a banner one-meter wide and over five meters long, with an inscription of red characters on a white background. At that time, Tiananmen Square was in a state of high alert, with uniformed and plainclothes police everywhere.
Ms. Jing Tian said, "Between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m., we displayed the banner, with me standing in the middle. The banner's inscription was, "Falun Dafa practitioners peacefully appeal." Within less than a minute, police surrounded us, grabbed the banner and dragged us into a police car."
The practitioners were first taken to the Tiananmen Police Sub-bureau, and then detained at the Dongcheng Detention Center. Two months later, on December 30, Ms. Jing Tian was transferred to the Hebei Province No. 1 Forced Labor Camp (also known as Tangshang City Kaiping District Forced Labor Camp), for one year of forced labor. When the one-year term was over, Ms. Jing Tian was not released, so she protested with a hunger strike until December 24, 2000, when she was finally released.
During her imprisonment, the forced labor camp blocked news about Ms. Jing Tian's whereabouts. Her family searched for her everywhere, but was unable to find out where she was. She said, "In the labor camp, I suffered torture, such as being hung up from a basketball hoop and being punched in the face and chest. I was very dizzy from the torture. If I was found doing the Falun Gong exercises, I was hung from a tree for one day. Afterwards I protested with a hunger strike. They force-fed me in such a way that I felt uncomfortably full. They often dragged me around by my hair and threw me to the ground. They also put me in a brick kiln to roast in summer and in an icy room in the winter. I witnessed several practitioners being killed due to torture."
63-Year-Old Woman Subjected to Electric Shock Torture for Legally Appealing for Justice
Ms. Jing Cai and her mother Chen Jun went to the Appeals Bureau to once again call for justice for Falun Gong. Officers from Shenyan arrested them outside the bureau and detained them at the Appeals Bureau boarding house for two days. Then, on October 20, they were taken back to Shenyan and detained for seven months at Fangjialan Detention Center.
Ms. Jing Cai recalled that on November 12, the guards handcuffed them and 18 other practitioners, with two people to one handcuff, and took them to Longshan Forced Labor Camp in Zhujia Town, Dongling District, Shenyang City. They were held there until May 26, 2000, when she and her mother were released.
During that time, the practitioners suffered all sorts of torture, including being beaten with electric batons, and were forced to stand, squat and dig for hours. They were also subjected to a torture known as "gecko climbing a wall." "Gecko climbing a wall" requires the victim to stand facing a wall with both feet closely together and both hands pressed up against the wall. Standing in this posture for a long time results in the arms becoming sore until one trembles uncontrollably and can't unbend the arms. The guards tortured practitioners with electric batons. Ms. Jing Cai said that her 63-year-old mother's mouth was very swollen from the torture, to the extent that her upper lip touched her nose.
Ms. Jing Cai said that they slept on the floor in the detention center. In the Appeals Bureau boarding house, they saw some young practitioners from Liaozhong, Shenyang, Mr. Qi Xiangyang and Ms. Li Xuguang. At that time, Ms. Li was six months pregnant. The officials said she had to choose between Falun Gong or the child. She refused to renounce Falun Gong, so they aborted the child.
Ms. Jing Cai recalled that in the Huanghai Police Station of Shenyang an officer wanted them to sign the detention document stating that appealing in Beijing was a "hindrance of social order." She recounted, "I refused to sign, and told him, 'I appealed as stipulated under the Constitution, and it was reasonable and legitimate. Moreover, before I even saw the Appeals Bureau building and entered through its door, I was arrested and detained by you. I did not hinder the social order, but you are violating the law by detaining me.'" The officer replied, "I can still detain you without your signature."
Police and Guards Know the Truth
On the way to Shenyang, Ms. Jing Cai and her mother "clarified the truth" to the police. One of the police officers said, "How come it feels that you look like a good person and we look like the villains instead?"
Ms. Jing Cai said that many police officers knew the truth. One officer in a police station near their home often passed news to them, and once he ran into the restroom to cry after he beat Dafa practitioners.
Guard Zhang in the Fangjialan Detention Center was very vicious to practitioners in the beginning. He often brutally tortured practitioners with an electric baton. After having more contact with practitioners and learning the truth, this guard felt regretful for his behavior and changed his attitude towards Falun Gong.
Guard: "The CCP Has Too Many Methods in Tormenting People"
In late October 1999, a review in the People's Daily claimed, "Falun Gong is a cult." Therefore, Ms. Jing Cai and other practitioners protested in the detention center with a hunger strike. A female guard urged them to eat, saying, "If you indeed conduct a hunger strike, the Communist Party has too many methods to torture you. They will ignore you in the beginning, let you be on the hunger strike and when you are too weak, they will force-feed you. Before force-feeding, they will film you and then find a cadre to urge you to eat. They want the TV viewers think that the government is humane. They know very well how to grasp an opportunity. They will do their best to urge you to eat. But, even if you want to eat, they won't let you and they'll take away the food the moment you want to eat. Then, they'll torment you through force-feeding and claim that they are saving you. They dare to do anything. You are all good people and I don't want to see you suffering. You are really very kind. I have been in contact with many of you, and understand you well."
Mother Almost Lost Her Life During Second Imprisonment
On May 14, 2001, officers from the Huanghai Police Station broke into the family's home and threatened to take Ms. Jing Tian and her mother to a brainwashing center. Ms. Jing Cai decided to become homeless to avoid being arrested. Officers then discovered that Ms. Jing Tian took part in downloading materials from the Internet that exposed the persecution. She hung loudspeakers outside every forced labor camp and park in the area to clarify the facts about Falun Gong. In response, they transferred Ms. Jing to the Shenyang City Detention Center and sentenced her to a ten-year term. Ms. Jing Tian went on a hunger strike to protest. On November 16, 2001, she was released on bail for medical treatment, as her health had deteriorated and she was emaciated.
Their mother Ms. Chen Jun was sentenced to three years of forced labor and imprisoned in Longshan Forced Labor Camp. During the imprisonment, Ms. Chen developed symptoms of severe diabetes from the torture. She lost all vision in one eye and partial vision in the other eye. She displayed symptoms of stroke, a regarded a life-threatening condition. Ms. Chen was released on medical bail on June 6, 2002.
Witnessing the Persecution of His Family, Brother Joins the Practice
A family was broken up, with the mother and eldest sister arrested and the second eldest sister homeless and destitute. The only one left at home was brother Jing Yu, who was not a practitioner.
Mr. Jing Yu's life was very tough, because his family members were repeatedly arrested, detained, fined, and fired from their jobs. They found themselves in a difficult financial position. To maintain some semblance of family life, Mr. Jing delivered milk before dawn, mineral water during the day and saved money so he could visit his mother and eldest sister who were detained at different locations. He also worried about his second eldest sister whose whereabouts were unknown.
Mr. Jing Yu
Mr. Jing thought deeply about what he had observed and experienced. His mother and two sisters had urged him to practice Falun Gong many times. He had witnessed their changes for the better and knew that Dafa was good. Yet, he did not wish to practice Falun Gong. When he was alone at home, he felt confused, and just could not understand why such kind people as his mother and sisters were imprisoned.
Mr. Jing Yu made contact with local practitioners and thus gained a clearer understanding of the practice. After understanding the facts about Falun Gong, he decided to join the practice and began doing the "three things" that the Teacher of the practice asked of practitioners. He hoped to rescue his mother and sister soon.
On the night of October 1, 2001, the police attempted to arrest Ms. Jing Cai at the family home. She was not at home, so they arrested Mr. Jing Yu. At Huanghai Police Station in the Hong District, Mr. Jing was deprived of sleep around the clock, and he was interrogated and tortured. He suffered beatings, as the officers wanted him to tell them Ms. Jing Cai's whereabouts and other practitioners' situations. Mr. Jing didn't cooperate with the police, so they imprisoned him in the Fangjialan Detention Center for 15 days and called it administrative detention. They claimed that he was violating the "People's Republic of China Public Security Management Punishment Rule." Mr. Jing was brutally tortured, and after his release he kept coughing and felt pain in his chest. He was diagnosed by the Hong District Hospital with two fractured ribs, which had punctured his lungs, and caused a pulmonary cyst.
After being imprisoned for 15 days and brutally tortured, Jing Yu saw even more clearly what was right and wrong, and good and evil, and he felt proud of being a practitioner. The entire episode strengthened his determination to practice Falun Gong.
Sisters and Brother Sentenced, Brother Still in Prison
After Ms. Jing Tian was released on bail for medical treatment, Ms. Jing Cai contacted her brother. They realized that they could no longer live at home and decided to rent a room somewhere else. Two other practitioners lived with them, who were engaged in producing materials that exposed the persecution and clarified the facts about Falun Gong. Three out of these five people were on the CCP's wanted list.
On March 7, 2002, the sisters and brother were reported for buying supplies for making the truth-clarification materials, and they were arrested that same night. The police put handcuffs on them, but covered the handcuffs so people could not see them. Ms. Jing Cai said, "Take off the cloth, so people can see the handcuffs, and shout Falun Dafa is good."
On October 25, 2002, they were taken to the Shenyang Intermediate People's Court for a trial. They were not represented by a lawyer. Ms. Jing Cai said that this was illegal, and requested to know which law allowed them to be arrested. They were told that the information was available, but the official did not produce it.
Ms. Jing Tian and Ms. Jing Cai were sentenced to 13 years, Mr. Jing Yu to10 years, and another practitioner, Mr. Zhang Huiyu, was sentenced to 15 years. Mr. Zhang was considered the leader of the group. The court didn't notify the defendants' relatives and friends about the trial. Only officers from the Shenyang Police station, the "Procuratorate," the court, judicial bureau and directors of several prisons and forced labor camps were present at the trial.
Mr. Jing Yu is still detained at Nanguanling Prison in Dalian, where he is forced to perform heavy labor daily.
Sisters Finally Attain Freedom
On October 22, 2003, Ms. Jing Tian and her younger sister came to the understanding that they were treated unfairly and not as stipulated under Chinese law. They made the decision to escape as soon as possible.
"Both of us went on a hunger strike. Fifty days later, my younger sister's life was in danger. My symptoms were heart palpations and renal failure. Even the hospital refused to accept me, claiming that whatever I had was not curable. By now, the prison staff no longer wanted to accept responsibility for our condition and released us on bail for medical treatment." On December 9, 2003, the two sisters were taken home by other practitioners. Both were critically ill.
On May 18, 2006, because of overseas practitioners' rescue efforts, Ms. Jing Cai, Ms. Jing Tian and Jing Tian's husband Mr. Chen Song left China. They were granted United Nations refugee status in Thailand and moved on to Vancouver, Canada on May 13, 2009, with the help of the United Nations Refugee Agency.
Ms. Jing Tian's husband Mr. Chen Song had been detained at Shenyang's notorious Zhangshi Forced Labor Camp for three years. Because he refused to renounce his belief in Falun Gong, he was tortured with electric batons and suffered merciless beatings. A guard once used all the electric batons in the labor camp, more than twenty batons, on him in the course of one day. His entire body was burned. When he was asked about his plans in Canada, Mr. Chen said, "Expose the persecution and explain the truth."
Mr. Chen Song, Ms. Jing Tian and Ms. Jing Cai practicing the exercises at Vancouver's Chinatown practice site
Ms. Jing Cai attended a parade with young practitioners
After they came to Vancouver, the family immediately joined local efforts to clarify the facts about Falun Gong and expose the inhuman persecution. They have peacefully protested outside the Chinese Consulate and participated in parades.
Of course, they constantly think about the elderly Ms. Chen Jun who still suffers persecution, and their brother Mr. Jing Yu who is still imprisoned, as well as millions of other Falun Gong practitioners who are being persecuted in China. They hope to end the persecution soon through their efforts.
