(Clearwisdom.net) It has been nearly ten years since a small group of Falun Gong practitioners in Changchun (a large city in China's northeast) intercepted television broadcasts on March 5, 2002, replacing them with content about Falun Gong and about the Communist suppression of Falun Gong. Five Falun Gong practitioners involved have been tortured to death. Another, Mr. Sun Changjun, only 26 years old at the time, has been imprisoned at Jilin Prison for nine years for his involvement. At one point the cruel torture nearly took his life.
Mr. Sun Changjun has endured many types of torture, including the Tiger Bench, electric shocks, fractured ribs and more. The long periods of torture have taken a severe toll on his health. He suffers from tuberculosis, pleural cavities as a result of his late-term tuberculosis, tuberculous peritonitis, pleural effusion and ascites (accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity, causing abdominal swelling). Authorities have refused to allow his release on bail for medical attention even though he is in immediate need of medical help. We implore the people of the world to speak up and be heard so that Mr. Sun Changjun can be immediately released from prison.
Cable TV Broadcasts Pre-Empted With Falun Gong Content in 2002
On March 5, 2002, a small group of Falun Gong practitioners intercepted the state-run cable television broadcast in Changchun, a city in northeast China, a bold protest that sent shockwaves through the country. They replaced regular programming with two short films about the persecution of Falun Gong, "Self-Immolation or Propaganda [against Falun Gong]?" and "Falun Gong Around the World." The pre-empted broadcast lasted 50 minutes. The first film revealed loopholes in one of the most widespread hate propaganda stunts against Falun Gong, the staged self-immolation at Tiananmen Square, with frame-by-frame analysis of the official footage from the Chinese state-run media. On March 6, Minghui.org, Falun Gong's official news website, reported the news. On March 7, BBC, Reuters, AFP and CNN reported the news. "The television takeover was one of the most defiant protests by members of the Falun Gong", CNN said.[1]
Jiang Zemin, then-Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), was said to be furious about the action and ordered all participants killed at sight. "Over the next three days [of the broadcast], security forces arrested some 5,000 Falun Gong practitioners in Changchun."[2] During the massive raids, at least seven Falun Gong practitioners were killed. Another 15 practitioners were sentenced to 4 to 20 years in prison. On March 15, Amnesty Internationl issued a press release, which raised concerns for the detained practitioners because "they are at serious risk of torture or ill-treatment."[3]
Since 2002, 15 Falun Gong practitioners directly involved in the TV broadcast interception have been imprisoned. Four of them have been tortured to death and one mentally collapsed during brainwashing. Mr. Sun Changjun has been imprisoned for nine years. The on-going torture in prison has almost killed him.
Not long ago, his parents (in their 80s) traveled over 1,000 miles from Yanbian to Jilin Prison. Mrs. Sun asked via telephone behind the glass window, "My son, when will you be released? I am afraid your father and I might not live to see you out of prison."
Falun Gong practitioners come from all walks of life. Since the CCP began its suppression of Falun Gong on July 20, 1999, those practitioners who presevered in their faith in Falun Gong have paid a dear price for the sake of telling people what Falun Gong is really about and the cruel suppression by the Communist regime.
The Severity of the Suppression before the March 5 Airwave Takeover
Shortly before the Chinese New Year in February 2002, the Chairman of the 610 Office headquarters Liu Jing held a meeting at Nanhu Hotel in Changchun, Jilin Province, during which he allegedly reproached Jilin officials for their "lack of effort [in suppressing Falun Gong]" and gave permission to "shoot Falun Gong practitioners".
After the meeting, Clearwisdom.net received reports from China that the Chinese police shot Falun Gong practitioners in Mishan City, Heilongjiang Province and Anshan City, Liaoning Province. On February 16, 2002, Mr. Xu Zhaobin was shot in the leg when he tried to tap into a local cable TV network [to broadcast films containing important facts about Falun Gong] in Anshan. [4] On Chinese New Year's Eve of 2002, Mr. Jiang Honglu posted important facts about Falun Gong on the streets, when police shot him in his left leg. [5]
As of February 2002, 375 Falun Gong practitioners had been confirmed dead according to Clearwisdom.net. It is alleged that at least 1,600 Falun Gong practitioners died in Chinese police custody between 1999 and 2002.
Mr. Sun Changjun is Known to be Honest and Kind
Mr. Sun Changjun was born and raised in Daxinggou, Wangqing County, Yanbian Autonomous Region, Jilin Province. His parents are known to be good and simple folks. Mr. Sun excelled academically. He was a good kid growing up and never bullied other kids.
When he went to college, Mr. Sun began to feel lost in the complicated society. He recalled, "Today's Chinese people are different. Good people are ridiculed as foolish. Am I supposed to abandon kindness and start playing games like others?" He said he was fortunate to have found Falun Gong, which helped him find the meaning of life. He decided that he ought to be kind, truthful and tolerant toward others. He decided that he would focus on doing his job well because he would have what he was destined to have. After that, he no longer felt lost. Tranquility and solidity entered his heart.
After college, Mr. Sun passed the civil service examination and became the mayor's assistant at a town government as part of the management training program. It was early 2000 when the suppression of Falun Gong reached the first peak. The Chinese media ran hate propaganda against Falun Gong every day. Falun Gong practitioners were arrested in Beijing every day for speaking out for Falun Gong. Mr. Sun decided that he would never give up his belief in Falun Gong. In early 2000, Mr. Sun wrote a letter to his boss in which he announced his plan to travel to Beijing and exercise his constitutional right to appeal for Falun Gong. However, his boss stopped him before he reached Beijing. Mr. Sun ended up in a detention center for 30 days. The assistant secretary in his residence county met with him and promised to reinstate his job as long as he renounced Falun Gong in writing. Mr. Sun lost his job when he refused the offer.
In September 2001, Mr. Sun found a job in Changchun, where he met fellow Falun Gong practitioners. Together they often went out to distribute free materials containing important facts about Falun Gong.
One day Mr. Sun saw a report that a Falun Gong practitioner successfully tapped into a cable TV network in a forest farm and broadcasted a film containing the truth about Falun Gong.
There is no media in China that reports the truth about Falun Gong.
"If only we could run a film in a large city, wouldn't more people know the truth about Falun Gong?" Mr. Sun shared his idea with fellow practitioners. He thought of tapping into the TV network in Changchun. Mr. Sun and several other Falun Gong practitioners began to learn the relevant technology required for the operatiion. Soon they learned what was needed to make it happen. They decided to make it a reality in Changchun on March 5, 2002.
The CCP's suppression was at its peak at the time. Every Falun Gong practitioner was fully aware of the danger of hijacking television in China to broadcast the truth about Falun Gong. But no one backed off. After repeated discussions, every practitioner involved in the operation decided that they would do it as long as they could save people from the CCP's lies.
Mr. Sun is known to be a very kind man. It is "every man for himself" in prison, but not with Sun. After all, Falun Gong teaches its practitioners to be kind at all times. There was a prison inmate who suffered from cerebral cysticercosis and was paralyzed. He was filthy and smelled foul. Everyone avoided him. When Mr. Sun saw that his outgrown fingernails and toe nails had cut into his flesh, he decided to trim them for him. Mr. Sun soaked the inmate's hands and feet in warm water before he trimmed the nails.
When Mr. Sun lived with his parents, he trimmed the toe nails for his elderly mother as well. His mother was subjected to the cruel "foot binding", which had caused her feet and toes to arch unnaturally. His mother tried to stop him. "You are now a government official. People might make fun of you if they see you." Mr. Sun replied, "You are my mother. I am showing filial piety to serve you. Who will make fun of me?"
Mr. Sun has spent nearly 10 years in prison. His parents have been missing their only son. When Mrs. Sun first heard the news of the arrest and imprisonment, she became ill for two years. His parents had problems with hypertension and stroke. They live over 1,000 miles away from Jilin Prison. It takes several days for them to journey to Jilin Prison. His father gets carsick easily, but they always buy the cheapest seats with no cushion to save money. When they visit their son in prison, they never spend the night in Changchun to save hotel expenses. They have aged very quickly in the past 9 years.
Yet Mr. Sun remains steadfast in his faith in Falun Gong.
10,000 Viewers in Changchun Saw the Broadcast on March 5
The operation took place in three different locations—Songyuan, the province hotel and Nanguan District. The practitioners prepared for the operations separately and executed them at the same time. They were determined to show the truth about Falun Gong to the world.
At around 8:00 p.m., on March 5, 2002, viewers of Changchun Cable TV Network were watching news, movies and other programs on eight different channels when the content was replaced with two video programs, "Self-Immolation or Propaganda [against Falun Gong]?" and "Falun Gong Around the World". The broadcast lasted 50 minutes.
It took people by surprise as they watched Mr. Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong, and Falun Gong practitioners practicing Falun Gong exercises in public around the world. Viewers were surprised, amazed, afraid, excited or simply speechless. Some even thought it might have been a paid advertisement. It sent shockwaves to the viewers. The next day it was the only thing people in Changchun were talking about. The films showed people that Falun Gong is embraced by people around the world and that the so-called "Self-Immolation of Falun Gong practitioners" was a staged act to justify the CCP's suppression of Falun Gong.
Since its initial introduction in Changchun in May 1992, Falun Gong has been known for its principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. The speeches and actions of Falun Gong practitioners who follow these principles have left a remarkable impression on the people in China. People in Changchun have also heard about Falun Gong's miraculous healing power. When the films were broadcasted on TV on March 5, many people in Changchun thought the suppression of Falun Gong had been lifted and rejoiced.
References:
[1] CNN, "Falun Gong 'hijacks' Chinese airwaves", March 7, 2002
[2] Ethan Gutmann, “Into Thin Airwaves”, Weekly Standard Dec. 6, 2010, Vol. 16, No. 12
[3] Amnesty Internation, "People's Republic of China: Fear for safety/Fear of torture or ill-treatment, Falun Gong practitioners in Changchun City", March 15, 2002
[4] Clearwisdom.net, "More Details about the Shooting of Falun Dafa Practitioner Xu Zhaobin in Anshan City, Liaoning Province", April 24, 2003
[5] Clearwisom.net, "Relatives Appeal to Government Regarding Police Shooting of Practitioner Jiang Honglu", March 26, 2002
Continued in Part 2: http://www.clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2011/10/25/128976.html
