Clearwisdom.net, Tuesday, August 12, 2003

Dafa practitioner Ms. Yang Chunfang is 34 years old, and is from Goubangzi of Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province. She was illegally sentenced to a forced labor camp for going to Beijing to validate Dafa in 2001. In the No. 2 Team of the Second Division, No. 2 Branch of Masanjia Labor Camp, she suffered from severe persecution and was forcibly brainwashed. She resisted the torture and held hunger strikes, but was force-fed by the guards. Because she refused to wear the jail uniforms, which are meant for prisoners, and refused to recite the jail rules, she was deprived of sleep. Three collaborators* took turns torturing her for 24 hours. They held her down to the floor and folded her legs. Two of them then pressed her legs and another one beat her head. In order to prevent her from shouting out so that others could hear, they gagged her with a towel. Over ten days later, her legs were so badly damaged from the torture that she could not walk. Two people dragged her along the floor by holding her legs.

Fearing Yang's family would see from her appearance that she was being tortured, the guards did not allow them to visit her. They also deceived her family. Presently Yang Chunfang still cannot walk by herself, but she never gives in and always remains firm in her belief.

* Collaborators are former Falun Gong practitioners who have gone astray due to brainwashing and torture.

Officials from the 6410 Military Factory in Jinxing County, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, utilize the manpower from the entire factory to persecute local Falun Dafa practitioners. These officials put practitioners under surveillance, arranged workers to follow them, limit their travel, and restrict their freedom of speech. They conspire with 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.] and local police to arrest and illegally detain practitioners. They also send practitioners to forced labor camps and brainwashing centers. They violate practitioners' basic human rights, including the freedom of speech. In addition, they continuously broadcast practitioners' personal records over loud speakers throughout the factory. These records include birthplace, social status, gender, age, work and social acquaintances. It is no different from the public denouncement excesses that occurred during the "Great Cultural Revolution." Such denouncement usually lasts many days. It is even broadcasted on the factory's internal television network and has caused many bad impressions upon the general public.

Many practitioners that have gone to Beijing to appeal for Falun Dafa lost their jobs, some are not allowed to work full time, and some were demoted. Even their family members and children were implicated. The ruffians punish the practitioners by not allowing their children to work or deducting their children's salary. They use all sorts of methods to persecute Falun Dafa practitioners. Practitioners' salaries and benefits are taken away illegally. Some practitioners have to live on only 90 Yuan [500 Yuan is the average monthly income for an urban worker in China] of pay each month for over a year. During the so called "sensitive days", such as Labor Day, National Day, or when the national congress was in session, the family members of the practitioner are not allowed to work and must stay home to keep an eye on them. This causes great stress within the family. Some families that used to be very happy are now facing divorces. The children of some practitioners seek out other practitioners and harass them. In summary, the ruffians use all types of methods to cause conflict among practitioners and their families.

The following people were illegally terminated from their jobs: Ms. Cho Lihua, Ms. Bai Yumei, Mr. Li Guangmin, and Mr. Wu Jianjun. These four practitioners were sent to a forced labor camp for going to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong.

Among them, Ms. Cho Lihua was detained at the Shijiazhuang Labor Camp for several months until her physical condition deteriorated so badly that she was released for medical treatment. Thugs from the 6410 military factory, however, continued to harass her after she was sent home. Ms. Cho was forced to leave home to avoid harassment. She was arrested in Taiyuan City of Shanxi Province in October 2002. It is not known if she is still alive or not.

(Clearwisdom.net) Mr. Yu Jinfang, 59 years old, is a retired worker of the 2^nd Auto Maintenance Factory of Gansu Province.

On July 20, 1999, Lanzhou City police arrested four practitioners for their belief in Falun Gong. Yu Jinfang and other practitioners went to the provincial government to clarify the truth of Dafa and demand that they release the detained practitioners. For doing this, he was detained for six months, and his workplace stopped paying his monthly pension of 400 Yuan [500 Yuan is the average monthly income for an urban worker in China]. It wasn't until January 20, 2000 that he was released.

At the end of 2000, Yu Jinfang overcame all kinds of difficulties and went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. Police arrested him at his temporary home in Beijing and brutally tortured him. Police used high voltage electric batons to shock and burn his face leaving his mouth full of large blisters. After being detained in Dongguancun Police Station for twenty days, Yu was escorted back to Lanzhou City. He was then detained for another 15 days in Tiaoshupin Detention Center.

In the middle of the night of November 26, 2001, Lanzhou City Police dispatched over two thousand policemen to conduct a manhunt for practitioner Yuan Jiang. He was captured and tortured to death later. They broke into Yu Jinfang's home. At 3 p.m. on December 11, policeman Lu Zhibing from the first section of Lanzhou City Public Security Bureau at Chengguan District leading a group of officers broke into Yu's home again. They ransacked and then confiscated his third daughter's home. They took away Yu Jinfang, Yu's wife, Ms. Xia Fuying (59 years old), their third daughter, their son-in-law and their maid. Ms. Xia was released two days later. Their daughter and son-in-law were detained for three days and forced to submit 1,000 Yuan before getting released.

Yu Jinfang was detained in Yuzhong County Detention Center in Gansu Province on December 11. After he suffered more than ten days of torture, the detention police informed his family that Yu had been hospitalized at Recovery Center Hospital of Dashapin Forced Labor Camp in Lanzhou City, with a bleeding stomach ulcer. Yu Jinfang went on several days of hunger strike to protest the police's brutal treatment. Police tied him up on an iron bed frame to interrogate him for four days and nights. When Yu was released from the hospital in April 2002, the person of the first section of Public Security Bureau who handled his release process extorted 4,000 Yuan from his family. But the family did not have that much money. His daughters managed to hand in 2,000 Yuan, and Yu's workplace loaned the family 2,000 Yuan. Later, the workplace withheld 2,000 Yuan from Yu's wife's salary.

Later, Yu Jinfang was sent to Dashapin Detention Center in Lanzhou City for two months. Up until June 2003, Mr. Yu lived in an extremely deteriorated situation. The extended period of sleeping on a cold and wet floor left his body covered with scabies and running, bleeding sores. His body had no patch of healthy skin. In the final two months of torture, he was at the edge of death. He had a constant high fever and was unable to take in any food or water. The clinic in the detention center had to inform his daughter. In March 2003, Mr. Yu's daughter handed in 2,000 Yuan to the Recovery Center Hospital of Dashapin Forced Labor Camp in Lanzhou City to get him to be accepted by the hospital. Within a month, Mr. Yu was sent back to the detention center to be tortured again. Under the family's repeated request, he was allowed to stay in the hospital after his family was forced to pay 4,000 Yuan. It has been over three months since Mr. Yu was hospitalized, yet the torture and persecution against him continues and he shows no sign of recovery.

The police are still holding Mr. Yu's third daughter's (Ms. Yu Xia) house and refuse to give it back, which has caused the family to have nowhere to stay.

On June 5, 2003, Shanhaiguan police abducted Dafa practitioner Mei Yingjiu, and then tortured him to obtain information and a false confession.

At 2 am on June 7, police surrounded the home of Dafa practitioner Wei Danquan. After a siege of a few days, he and his wife, Zheng Jie, and Sun Yang were abducted. The home was ransacked and among other items, a computer was taken away.

At 4 am on June 7, Dafa practitioner Gao Feng was abducted and his home ransacked. It was unclear about the items that were taken away. The computer service shop run by Gao was also closed down illegally.

On June 6, Dafa practitioner Liu Changfu was taken away. The police confiscated his computer, printer, copier, and many other items.

On June 7, another site was sabotaged by the police where materials for truth clarification were being printed. Four Dafa practitioners were arrested--Ms. Mo Huiqiu, Ms. Xie Jingzhen (who has been wanted by the China National Security Ministry because the Qinhuangdao police framed him as a "murderer"), Wu Wenjing, and Wu Wenfeng. The police confiscated a computer, printer, color printer, plastic sealing machine, big and small paper cutters, Dafa VCD's, recorder, cassette, individuals personal savings equaling about 3000 Yuan [about six months salary for an average Chinese urban worker], and other items without leaving any receipt.

On June 8, another site in the Haigang district for making truth-clarification materials was destroyed. Dafa practitioners--He Xiuhua (female), He Xiujie, Guo Jie, and Dong Junming--were abducted. The police took away a printer, a notebook computer, recorder, a large sum of personal savings, and lots of materials.

Around June 8, another material site at Haigang was sabotaged. Dafa practitioners Yang Yuzhu (female), Yang Yufu, and others were arrested. The police confiscated a computer, printer, and other items.

Most Dafa practitioners abducted above were able to walk out of the detention centers using righteous thoughts.

Shanhaiguan Dafa practitioner, He Xiuhua, female and over 50-years old, was just released and was in poor health. Recently, she was abducted again by the Shanhaiguan police. Fellow practitioners, please help her by sending forth righteous thoughts to eliminate those persecuting, evil elements.

Practitioner Mr. Wei Danquan from Qinhuangdao was illegally sent to the infamous Tangshan Forced Labor camp (Hehuatang forced labor camp) for further persecution. Police over there are known for being very cruel in persecuting Dafa practitioners. Without renouncing their faith, Dafa practitioners are not allowed to sleep and are inflicted with various tortures. Dafa practitioners without freedom are also forced to do hard labor, exceeding their capacity. Fellow practitioners, who are reading this message, please send forth righteous thoughts to help Wei break through the evil camp.

Zhou Weidong, Head of the "610 Office" and Secretary of the Political and Judiciary Committee.

Lu Chunli, deputy Chief of the city public security bureau (the major persecutor).

In March 2002, the military cordoned off all of Yushu City in Jilin Province. The police illegally arrested Dafa practitioners, and thoroughly searched every place they had been. On the first day alone, 29 Dafa practitioners, including Xu Xiuhui, Wang Yurong (female), Zhang Huayun, and Zheng Fuxiang, were sentenced to "re-education through labor" at the forced labor camp. Cui Shangyun, Yang Daguang, Wang Shuqin (female), Li Lin, Feng Lijun, Yu Donghui, Guo Shuxue, Lu Shuhua (female) and many other practitioners were taken away. In August 2002, police again illegally arrested Yang Zhanjiu, Liu Dajun, Zhang Xiuli (female), Ren Chunying (female), Yun Qingbin, Liu Guanqun and two other practitioners. Yushu City Public Security Bureau illegally seized Dafa practitioners' substantial property.

Around 7 pm on March 1, 2003, Zhengyang local police station arrested Dafa practitioners Liu Huijun, Zhang Yajie, Li Xiujuan (female), Fan Huifang (female), and confiscated Liu Huijun's home. They took away valuable property, such as a stamp album and money, then they monitored Liu's home, and arrested Guo Shuxue, Fan Yuqin (female), Chen Shujie, Su Yucai, Gao Xiuqin (female), Ren Chunying (female), Lu Shulin and other practitioners. On the same night, the Yushu City Public and Security Bureau tortured Li Xiujuan (female) and Fan Huifang (female) so badly, that their entire bodies were full of black and blue bruises.

On March 3, No. 1 division of Changchun City Public and Security Bureau and Yushu City Political Security Office illegally interrogated Zhang Yujie and Liu Huijun for more than 26 hours, and Chen Shujie for 16 to 17 hours at the detention center. It was called "interrogation", but actually consisted of brutal beatings and extorting confessions through torture. On March 28, Dafa practitioners Guo Shuxue, Fan Yaqin (female), Chen Shujie, Gao Xiuqin (female) and Ren Chunying (female) were illegally sent to Changchun City's Heizuizi Forced Labor Camp, and Su Yucai was sent to Jiutai City's Yinmahe Forced Labor Camp. On April 15, Dafa practitioner Liu Huijun walked out of the forced labor camp with righteous thoughts.

Currently, Yushu City detention center is still illegally detaining Dafa practitioners, including Yang Zhanjiu, Wang Shiqin (female), Feng Lijun, Liu Guanqun, Yang Daguang, Xiao Xu and Xu Hongbo. They have been detained for over 8 months.

Dafa practitioners from Wuchang City, Heilongjiang Province, Ms. Luan Hongying and Ms. Wang Wenli had been illegally detained and brutally tortured because they would not give up their practice of Falun Dafa and their belief in the principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance. They received an 8-12 year sentence. Currently they are both being detained in the Wuchang Detention Center.

Dafa practitioners from Wuchang City, Heilongjiang Province, Ms. Zhao Xia and Mr. Gao Jingbao who persisted in their cultivation of Dafa were illegally seized from their home by police from Laling police station on February 2003. They are being detained in the Wuchang "610 Office" [a bureau specifically created by the Chinese government to persecute Falun Gong. It has absolute power over each level of administration in the Party, as well as over the political and judiciary branches] Brainwashing Center and have not been released.

Policemen Hu Fengling and the deputy secretary of Aanjia town government forcefully took Dafa practitioner Mr. Li Guosheng of Wuchang City, Heilongjiang Province, from his home before the Chinese New Year for his persistence in practicing Dafa. Currently, he is being detained in the Wuchang "610 Office" Brainwashing Center.

Dafa practitioner from Wuchang City, Heilongjiang Province, Ms. Zhang Fengzhen was forcefully taken away from home by police on February 2002 simply because she persisted in practicing Dafa. She was illegally detained in the Number Two Detention Center in Wuchang City for almost five months and is now being detained the Wanjia forced labor camp.

Dafa practitioner from Wuchang City, Heilongjiang Province, Ms. Yuan Rong was forced to become homeless and destitute for several years because she persisted in her practice of Dafa. She went home in May and was forcefully taken away early one morning by police from Qianjin police station of Wuchang City. She was illegally detained in the Number Two Detention Center in Wuchang City and sentenced to 2 years of imprisonment. She is now being detained in the Wushjia Detention Center.

Ms. Xu Lianzhi, a sixty-nine year old Dafa practitioner from Wuchang City, Heilongjiang Province was taken away from her home on May 2003 by local police because she persisted in practicing Dafa. She is now illegally detained in the Number Two Detention Center in Wuchang City.

(Clearwisdom.net) On June 9, 2002, Massachusetts State Representatives Martin J. Walsh and Mark J. Carron initiated a letter to the Members of the Massachusetts Congressional Delegations seeking support for the class action lawsuit filed by Falun Gong practitioners against the former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin and the Falun Gong Control Office, (the "610" office). Twenty-four State Representatives and two State Senators jointly co-signed the letter. Below is the text and image of the letter.

I am writing to seek your support in the class action lawsuit filed by Falun Gong practitioners against the ex-President of China Jiang Zemin and the Falun Gong Control Office, "the 610 office."

Falun Gong is practiced in over fifty countries including the United States. Due to its increased popularity in China Falun Gong has been declared illegal by the Jiang regime. Since 1999 the Chinese Government has imprisoned, tortured and even executed practitioners of Falun Gong.

The number of people who have been tortured to death has risen to over 700 and persecution has been extended to relatives, neighbors and to coworkers of people who practice Falun Gong.

Dr. Haiying He, a biomedical researcher from Boston, is one example of how devastating Jiang's persecution is. Dr. He's father, mother, brother and sister have all been imprisoned or sent to labor camps in China because they refuse to give up Falun Gong and its principles of Truth, Compassion and Forbearance.

By supporting this lawsuit we seek to hold Jiang Zemin and the Falun Gong Control Office accountable for the crimes they are committing against the people of China.


The Letter	The signatures of 26 State Representatives and 2 Senators from Massachusetts

(Clearwisdom.net, August 12, 2003) I am a 22-year-old graduate who has been practicing Falun Gong for almost two years. After I learned Falun Gong in 2001, I immediately experienced great benefits to my health; I felt full of energy and was no longer so tired and run-down all the time. The stress and worry of being a student just seemed to disappear. My family soon began to tell their friends how I had become a lot more peaceful, kind and happy after taking up the practice. I felt really lucky to have discovered something so wonderful and wanted to share it with everyone.

However, I soon found out about the wicked persecution, instigated by Chinese tyrant Jiang Zemin, which had already been going on for over two years in China. I was startled and confused. How could hundreds of people, including babies and the elderly, be killed for practicing the peaceful and beautiful exercises that I had learned? How could thousands be imprisoned and tortured for wanting to improve their health and become better people, just like I did? How could millions of innocent people be living in constant fear and suffering, losing their families, houses and jobs, because they wanted to live by Falun Gong's main principles: Truthfulness, Kindness, Tolerance? I immediately knew that this persecution was wrong and felt that I wanted to take action to stop it. To persecute those who want to improve their character through following Truthfulness, Kindness, Tolerance is to persecute morality, goodness and the essence of humanity. Jiang Zemin is trying to destroy human nature and make it illegal to be a good person. The people of the world must take whatever peaceful actions they can to stop him continuing his reign of terror. The courts of our just and democratic societies were actually created to deal with such wicked and brutal people. Now is our chance to use them to save the people of China.

I began to tell people about what is happening in China and about this wicked guy Jiang Zemin. After the persecution began in 1999, Jiang issued an order about Falun Gong practitioners: "Ruin their reputations, bankrupt them financially and physically destroy them." What amazed me most was that the Falun Gong practitioners being severely persecuted in China were grassroots members of society: teachers, doctors, policemen and government officials. How could they suddenly change from the most respected public figures to public enemies? Jiang used China's state-controlled media to spread lies about Falun Gong practitioners and turn the hearts of the Chinese people against them. I collected information to send to the media and let people know the truth and I was more and more shocked as events unfolded. I felt that I wanted to let the Chinese people know that what they were seeing and hearing was not true: Falun Gong is good and practitioners are suffering the most severe persecution. In February 2002, I went to China.

Before my journey to China, I had several thoughts in my mind: I wanted to show the Chinese people the truth behind Jiang's lies -- Falun Gong is a part of people's lives throughout the world and by 2002 was already being practiced in around 50 countries; I wanted to let the practitioners suffering every imaginable method of torture in prisons and forced labor camps, who were going without sleep and food, who were even subject to rape and forced abortion, that Falun Gong practitioners around the world are thinking of them and are doing everything they can to secure their freedom; I wanted to show the policemen who were persecuting practitioners because they had been misled by Jiang's lies, that what they are doing is wrong and they should ignore the propaganda and listen to their conscience; and finally, I wanted to show those evil policemen in Jiang's regime, who no longer have any human heart left and who gain pride and enjoyment from persecuting Dafa practitioners, that the world knows about their evil actions and they cannot escape the tightening net. The lawsuit against Jiang Zemin is truly bringing justice to the dictator who has damaged the lives of tens of millions of innocent practitioners, and who has caused the death of countless fathers, mothers, sons and daughters due to his own jealousy and greed. I still vividly remember the story of the lady Wang Lixuan who was found with a broken neck and crushed skull after being tortured by the police; next to her lay the body of her 7-month old baby whose head was dented after he had been shackled and hung upside down. Jiang even rewards the police officers who carry out this kind of atrocity. This tyrant must be punished in the courts of law, conscience and morality for the heinous crimes against humanity that he has committed. Humankind must stand up and call for justice when the fundamental principles of our existence are under threat.

I never made it to the appeal on Tiananmen Square during my time in China. After spending the day sightseeing, I returned to my hostel to find the place swarming with police. They burst into our room and searched our stuff. They didn't want to arrest us but instead said that they would take us away to an unknown destination. Because we were not under arrest, we were not allowed to contact the British Embassy. We knew what happens to Falun Gong practitioners in China and we refused to go anywhere with the police. I saw a big policeman grab the only female in our group and drag her from the room. He threw her down the stairs and once outside he dragged her into the waiting van by her hair. We could not let the police take this lady away so myself and two others, including an elderly gentleman, followed her downstairs and were violently forced into the police van. We were taken to a detention centre, interrogated individually by groups of 3 or 4 police officers for around 3 hours and then, after 23 hours of detention were up, we were deported. Our belongings were stolen, included a video camera valued at around 1,600 pounds. The Chinese police even confiscated my bus ticket that got me home from the airport in England, though it was of no value to them.

The persecution we suffered in this ordeal was really nothing compared to the suffering Chinese practitioners have been through. When they leave their home to go to appeal on Tiananmen Square, they know it's possible that they'll never return; when they lift a banner saying "Falun Dafa is Great" they know that within the hour they could be suffering beatings and torture; when they hand out a leaflet, they know that they may never see their family again; when they tell a person the truth and let them see how evil Jiang's crimes really are, they know that this could be the last thing they ever do. The bravery, courage and adamantine determination displayed by Dafa practitioners in China is the exact opposite of Jiang's evil, violent and corrupt nature. All kind-hearted people can call for this wicked dictator to face justice in the court of law. Not only is this our duty as people of the world, but is also our honor as we see an end to his enormous crimes and know that we played a role, however small, in stopping him from harming many more innocent people.

Master Li has told us to cultivate ourselves well many times in his recent Fa lectures. Master also said: "Only when problems arise in the body at large or that have to do with Dafa's overall situation, or when there's a problem with the situation of your validating Dafa, only then do I talk about it." ("Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Vancouver, Canada, in 2003"). Reflecting upon myself and then looking at my surroundings, I realized that there exists the phenomenon of slacking off in our individual cultivation. Sometimes we even fail to guarantee our daily Fa-study and practice of the exercises.

Strengthening the practice site will allow every practitioner who participates to encourage each other, and it is an effective way of improving our own cultivation.

In fact, prior to July 20^th, 1999, it was at practice sites that practitioners shared their experiences, encouraged each other and improved together. Later on as Fa-rectification advanced, many teams were set up to validate the Fa from different angles. We have overlooked the importance of practice sites, and as more and more teams were established, our basic Fa study and practice of the exercises decreased. Moreover, because various teams' goals were to participate in specific Fa-rectification projects, and because we have not yet fully let go of the attachment for achievement, we tend to spend more time on studying Master's new lectures than on reading Zhuan Falun, and we tend to have more discussions on specific projects than on problems relating directly to our own cultivation.

If we strengthen the practice sites, then practitioners participating in different projects can communicate, cooperate and complement each other.

From the experience sharing with practitioners from Taiwan, I found that they are improving steadily and quickly as a whole. I think this is closely related to their perseverance in maintaining and developing practice sites. Strengthening the environment of practice sites is not that difficult to do, because practitioners all want to improve their cultivation and improve as a whole body. The most important part is that we recognise this matter and put ourselves in action.

Recently, there have been practitioners who have stepped forward to join the Fa rectification; there are also practitioners from China who came to North America via immigration. Helping them to quickly fit into the Fa rectification process is an important task. This can be achieved by helping each other at the practice sites.

There will soon be many people who come to look for the Fa and attain the Fa. The strengthening of practice sites will naturally prepare us for this.

Master wants every practitioner to do well, and to walk the last leg of our journey well. Strengthening the practice site can allow us to encourage each other, to kindly remind and look after each other.

Master Li once told us: "the best forms I leave for you for spreading the Fa are group exercises and experience-sharing conferences." ("Lecture At The Conference

In Switzerland") For a few years, we have done well in maintaining the Fa conference. If we can also strengthen our practice sites, we can improve even faster as a whole.

This is only my personal understanding; please kindly point out anything inappropriate.

Before I started to practice Falun Dafa, I had been studying Buddhism for 20 years. Yet I still had many unanswered questions in my heart. A friend introduced Dafa to me. The principle of loss and gain and looking inward shocked my heart. I realized that Falun Dafa is the true Buddha Fa that I had been searching for all my life. Every sentence in the book went into my heart, and I was especially moved by the principle of gaining things naturally without pursuing them. Shortly after I started to practice the five sets of exercises, I became healthier and had more energy: I can walk like the wind and never feel tired.

Even before I started to practice, I knew from my study of Buddhism that modern people had degenerated: the qualities of selfishness and greed have caused morality to continuously deteriorate; they also bring suffering and misfortune to people. After I obtained Dafa, I actively promoted Dafa to other people. I hoped that more people with predestined relationships would also learn Dafa. As a businessman, I frequently travel, so I have met many people and introduced Dafa to them.

One thing that is worth mentioning is to promote Dafa in schools. I used to visit schools a lot, so I asked the teachers I knew to introduce me to other teachers. Afterwards I introduced Dafa to them one by one. For those who showed an interest, I taught them the exercises or introduced them to attend the 9-day video lecture or the teacher's study sessions during the summer or winter vacations. After a while, I would go back to the new practitioners and share experiences with them. In two years, I visited about 50 schools, including primary, high schools and colleges, and introduced Dafa to many teachers.

Since my children are all over the age of 18 and can take care of themselves, and because my work schedule is flexible and I have a stable and good income, I wanted to spend more time promoting Dafa. Knowing that Dafa has developed well in Taiwan and that many people outside Taiwan still don't have the chance to know Dafa, I travel outside of Taiwan to promote Dafa almost every month. Although traveling is very tiring, I can feel that my mind-nature has improved rapidly in the process. To me the process of introducing Falun Dafa can bring on hardships and tests where one often has to face such things as hot and cold weather, hunger and staying up all night. My mind became firmer through the tests and tribulations. I validated Dafa and improved my ability to go through hardships. Every time I travel abroad, I feel that my xinxing has upgraded.

I felt the urgency of clarifying the truth to the precious Chinese people in person. Clarifying the truth and saving sentient beings is the mission and responsibility of every Dafa practitioner. I thought that everyone could make phone calls, and I have fallen behind, so I made a rule for myself: clarify the truth by making 50 phone calls a day. Since I was very eager to tell people the truth, I spoke very fast and very loudly. The Chinese people on the other end often had to remind me to not be in such a rush, talk slowly and keep my voice down a little. Sometimes they even asked me to repeat what I had said and then I realized that I should lower my voice and stop acting like a salesman promoting merchandise, because I was offering salvation to people.

When I make phone calls with a pure, peaceful, and compassionate mind, thinking of others and smiling in the face of curses, more and more people like to listen to me. There were fewer experiences of being hung up on or people refusing to talk. However, most people were deceived to such an extent that they were afraid to talk with me. Although they would listen until I finished reading the draft I had prepared, they rarely talked back to me. As a result, I had no idea of what was on their minds, and it seemed that I did not completely eliminate their negative thoughts about Dafa. I hoped that I could talk to them like friends, understand their thoughts and clarify the truth more in depth.

Teacher has taught us everything. It's only because of my poor enlightenment quality, that I can only enlighten to the true meaning of the Fa after making many mistakes in my cultivation. Through further studying the Fa, I understood that if I truly and completely think of others, the person I talk to will be moved to tears. When I speak my words with compassion, it can touch the side of people that is aware. When I tell people the truth with human attachments like fear or zealotry, the effect is not good. Sending forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the interference from the evil is also very important. With a much better understanding of the Fa, I could finally talk to the Chinese people over the phone like friends, with laughter and communicate. Now I spend 2 to 3 hours daily on the phone talking to the Chinese, and 4 to 5 hours on holidays, when the phone charges are reduced. I became friends with many people from Mainland China; many people I talked to learned the truth, and some even want to learn Dafa. I wrote down their addresses and mailed them many Dafa materials.

After I started clarifying the truth on the telephone, I could feel rapid improvement. When I practiced the third exercise, I could feel my hands floating up and down. I can do the exercise according to the guideline of relaxed, slow, and smooth. When making phone calls or in everyday life, I can keep a peaceful and calm mind. One time, I reached a pay phone in China. The person who picked it up was very happy and asked me to call his home in ten minutes: he wanted me to tell him more in detail at home. He even asked me to also call his friends and clarify the truth to them. Miraculously, sometimes when I spent a few hours making 30 phone calls, it seemed that all of that was done in a second. Moreover, sometimes phone numbers would appear in front of my third eye, and when I called the numbers, everyone I talked to wanted to learn the truth about Dafa. One time, about 20 numbers appeared in front of my third eye one by one as I was making calls. As I dialed those numbers, all the calls went through, and everyone I talked with learned the truth.

On the afternoon of July 29, 2003, Dafa practitioner Mr. Zhao Lianyuan, from Gangnan Village, Gangtun Township, Lianshan District, Huludao City, Liaoning Province, was forcibly taken away by police headed by Chief Jin of the local Police Station. Zhao Lianyuan refused to get into the police van, and shouted loudly, "Falun Dafa is good." The police beat him in his own backyard, which stirred the anger and condemnation of the local people who were present. The officers were frightened and called another group of police who arrived quickly. In spite of more and more people gathering around, the police, in front of the public's view, brutally beat him while he was on the ground. Zhao Lianyuan was tortured for more than one hour, resulting in injuries to his head, face, and many other parts of his body. The officers threw him into the van and hurriedly escaped from the spot under the intensive condemnation of the local people.

Along the way, Zhao Lianyuan kept shouting loudly in the police van, "Falun Dafa is good, Falun Dafa is the righteous Fa." The van stopped at a brainwashing center in the Xingcheng area, and Zhao Lianyuan was detained in a room on the first floor. By that time, several Dafa practitioners had already been abducted to that place.

Zhao Lianyuan firmly resisted all the requests, orders, and instigations of the evil. He was separately detained in a room, and was watched by a person on duty with two additional guards. Facing this tribulation, Zhao Lianyuan let go of considerations of life and death, and kept sending forth righteous thoughts to eliminate all the evil in other dimensions of this dark den, which made the villains dare not have eye contact with him. Eventually, due to his strong righteous thoughts, he was sent back home from the brainwashing center openly, and with dignity on the morning of July 31.

Phone numbers of Gangtun Township:
Police station: 86-429-4131376, 86-429-4131810, 86-429-4131483
Gangnan Village: 86-429-4131446
Security Team: 86-429-4131252

(Clearwisdom.net) Recently the police actively seized Dafa practitioners and set up some brainwashing sessions. Government officials visit Dafa practitioners' houses frequently and try to "reform" them. As Dafa practitioner's, how do we stop this elevated persecution with our righteous thoughts and acts? I would like to share my thoughts on how I am dealing with the situation:

Dafa practitioners have passed through four years of persecution. Let's complete what's left of our journey with righteous thoughts and actions!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 8, 2003

Contact: Anne Johnson, Director of Communications, (202) 523-3240, ext. 27

China: Commission trip to China postponed
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent and bipartisan federal agency, is disappointed that a scheduled visit to China in early August 2003 could not proceed as planned due to unacceptable last-minute conditions imposed upon the Commission's visit by the Chinese government. Since its inception, the Commission has made several formal requests for an official invitation to visit China. In December 2002, at the U.S.-China bilateral human rights dialogue in Beijing, the Commission was informed that Chinese officials conveyed to Assistant Secretary of State Lorne Craner the Chinese government's decision to invite the USCIRF to visit China. The Commission believes that a successful visit is in the mutual interests of the United States and China, and should have gone forward with the full access to relevant areas and people as was promised to Assistant Secretary Craner. Since February 2003, when the Commission began negotiations with the Chinese government regarding the parameters of a visit, the Commission made it clear that Hong Kong was an integral part of the visit. The Chinese government has always assured the United States that Hong Kong is an open city not requiring special access. The USCIRF was also given assurances by Chinese Embassy staff that Hong Kong would not be a problematic part of our itinerary. The Commission proceeded with that assumption until two weeks ago when it was informed that the Chinese government "strongly discouraged" our visit to Hong Kong. The Chinese government's position then moved from discouragement to "insistence" that the Commission drop Hong Kong from its itinerary. "This action on the part of the Chinese government suggests a degree of Chinese control over foreign access to Hong Kong that is unprecedented and in contradiction to the concept of 'one country, two systems.' It further raises the concern that just six years after the handover, Hong Kong's autonomy is already seriously in doubt. As a commission concerned with religious freedom and related rights, we cannot possibly accede to such a condition," said USCIRF Chair Michael K. Young. In addition, the Commission is deeply concerned that just one week before the Commission delegation's scheduled arrival in China, the Chinese government did not provide the Commission with an itinerary of confirmed meetings with government and Communist Party officials responsible for religious policy and its implementation in each of the places the Commission requested. Nor did the Commission receive assurances it would be able to visit prominent religious houses of worship and meet privately with religious leaders. Instead, the Commission was simply told that there would be meetings appropriate to the important nature of its visit. In light of the circumstances and last-minute limitations that the Chinese government imposed, the Commission could not accede to the conditions and the trip was postponed. "The Commission fully anticipates and hopes that the Chinese government will honor its commitment to Assistant Secretary Craner and allow the trip to proceed as originally promised," said Young.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to give independent recommendations to the executive branch and the Congress.
Dean Michael K. Young, Chair? ? Felice D. Gaer, Vice Chair? ? Nina Shea, Vice Chair? ? Preeta Bansal? ? Richard Land? ? Bishop William F. Murphy? ? Bishop Ricardo Ramirez? ? Leila Nadya Sadat? ? Ambassador John V. Hanford III, Ex-Officio? ? Joseph R. Crapa, Executive Director*

800 NORTH CAPITOL STREET, NW, SUITE 790 \| WASHINGTON, DC? 20002 \| 202-523-3240 \| 202-523-5020 (FAX)

(Clearwisdom.net, August 12, 2003) "You are very patient with her. She will learn quickly. That's why she is so advanced for her age." The elderly lady continued to watch me and my nine-month old daughter playing, as I took a break from handing out leaflets. This lady had been sitting on a bench for most of the afternoon quietly watching the practitioners performing the Falun Gong exercises in the centre of Solihull, a large town in the West Midlands of the UK. At first she was just interested in the baby, seemingly indifferent to the performance only a few yards away, but as she came to understand that the baby was related to those who were giving the demonstration, this lovely elderly lady began to pay more attention to the practitioners, slowly adjusting her mind to the new phenomenon in front of her, asking a few simple questions, and marveling at the way they performed the exercises so harmoniously and elegantly together. It was clear that the serene energy field and the conduct of practitioners had left her with a warm impression of Dafa, and that she understood the kind of people we were. When she came to leave, she called out to me as I was sitting meditating to say goodbye. Many other people were also charmed by the beauty of the exercises and the benevolent field around us, stopping to sit on benches and watch, or standing in the shade for a while to soak in the sights or chat with practitioners.

Saturday the 9th of August was one of the hottest days for a long time in the UK, but the heat didn't particularly bother the practitioners as they gave out flyers, performed the exercises and asked people to sign a petition calling for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong. The heat just seemed to melt into the serene atmosphere and music. This was the first time practitioners had been to this town, and it felt very special and very peaceful.

(Clearwisdom.net) After visiting with US Senator Christopher Bond's Legislative Assistant, Falun Gong practitioners were also invited to attend an Open House Breakfast to meet the senior Senator from the state of Missouri. Towards the end of the meeting, when Senator Bond asked if anyone wanted to raise any questions, a Vietnamese-American Falun Gong practitioner from Missouri raised her hand and said, "Senator Bond, we want to thank you for the support you have given to Falun Gong." The practitioner then presented the Senator a framed certificate of appreciation from Falun Gong practitioners. The Senator gladly accepted the certificate and said that he is happy to do what he can to help the persecuted Falun Gong practitioners.

On September 25, 2002, Senator Bond made remarks on the Senate floor praising Falun Gong and condemning the Beijing regime's persecution of Falun Gong.

At this year's rally of over 5,000 Falun Gong practitioners and supporters in Washington DC on July 22, 2003, Senator Bond sent another letter expressing his support and calling for the end of the persecution in China. [For details see: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2003/7/27/38556.html]

(Clearwisdom.net, Aug. 12, 2003) On the afternoon of Aug. 9, 2003, Falun Gong practitioners from San Diego and Los Angles successfully introduced Dafa in the Pomona Public Library in southern California.

Around 2pm, in a conference room of the library, local residents watched with great interest a video program that introduced Falun Dafa and practitioners' experiences. They praised the miracle of Dafa and asked many questions about its health-related effects. Following the video and questions was an exercise demo and teaching session. Fascinated by Falun Gong's principles and exercises, the local residents, including a newspaper reporter who came to gather news, learned the five sets of exercises seriously. The beautiful exercise music resounded in the conference room and the atmosphere was very peaceful.

(Clearwisdom.net August 12, 2003) Falun Gong of Florida rented a booth at two recent Expos so as to make Dafa and the facts of the persecution widely known. The booth displayed posters, Dafa flyers, literature, books, and pictures, as well as stories from China and letters of support from local and national Governments. Practitioners demonstrated and taught the exercises.

Efforts to get signatures for the rescue petitions and the yellow rescue banners were successful. Practitioners told people about the vicious and unwarranted persecution of peaceful Dafa students in China. The audience was moved and deeply felt the injustice.

In addition, a brief lecture was presented with topics such as qigong versus athletics, the importance of upgrading virtue and the Falun Gong exercise instructions.

Practitioners were very kind and supportive of one another, which demonstrated the harmonious dignity of the new Cosmos as well as the eternal principles of "Truth, Compassion and Forbearance." Dafa practitioners in other states are encouraged to utilize similar opportunities by checking the Event Schedule at http://bmse.net/ for an Expo near you.

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U.S. Congress Holds Hearing on the Group Attack Case on Falun Gong practitioners in New York

An Appeal to the International Criminal Court (ICC) from Qinhuangdao City, China

The guards in Jiamusi Forced Labor Camp resort to the following means to torment Dafa practitioners: sleep deprivation, forced standing, forced intravenous injection, forced drug injection, force-feeding of concentrated salt water and other abuses. Falun Gong practitioners were very weak after a hunger strike, yet they were forced to walk in the yard non-stop all day long, except at mealtimes. After a week, most practitioners can no longer walk; then the thugs force them to sit in the room all day long. During the "strict control" period, practitioners were forced to sit on small round stools. No daylight enters the room and green moss grows on the walls. The practitioners sit in a room of a few square meters in size in which they eat, drink and relieve themselves. There is no air circulation in the room at all.

Helping lost practitioners to return to their path: during these four years, some fellow practitioners got lost and fell behind. Many of them used to be very good practitioners--they were assistants and veteran practitioners whom other practitioners respected. These good people had made huge contributions to Dafa, but were temporarily hindered by human concerns in this brutal environment. The side of them that was well cultivated as well as beings in their cosmic systems are anxiously waiting for them to escape the maze of the human world.

If we consider their historical circumstances, it becomes apparent that many veteran practitioners and assistants were the first to encounter the full-force of this earth-blanketing persecution from the beginning, and they endured much more than other practitioners. It's would have been very difficult for them to handle themselves well in that kind of environment of huge pressure, so we should not easily ignore them. To completely negate the old force's arrangement, we also must negate the result of the old force's persecution against Dafa practitioners. Master has always been benevolently waiting and calling for them. In fact, we also know they have a deep understanding of the Fa; they merely closed themselves off in this vicious environment. If they can overcome this barrier, they will still be determined members among us, and this is exactly where they need our help to get over the barrier. We can also feel their complex and sensitive emotions mixed with anguish, which requires us to think for them from their own perspective, with their mentality and with greater patience and benevolence, and actually help them to solve some specific problems. We should share with them from Fa principles and xinxing, do away with human's way of thinking and the human's thoughts that restricts them, so we can help them to gradually return to the state of cultivation.

My thoughts after seeing the disciples on the classic paintings: I saw three classic paintings showing Catholics and other Christians suffering persecution. What moved me was there was no fear of death in the eyes of the tortured believers, which is usually present in non-believers who are facing death; instead, I found only trust and longing for God in their eyes. When they faced brutal torture and death, they treated it as nothing and they placed everything they had, including their life, unreservedly in the hands of God. This supernatural power of pure and righteous faith transcends time without reducing the shocking power! I look at Fa-rectification taking place right now: Master arranges for every Dafa disciple to reach Consummation and return in an open and dignified manner, and we don't need to go through death in the human world as in the past, but the law of the cosmos has the same basic requirements for practitioners in tribulations: we must have pure and rock-solid faith in gods and in Master. No human thoughts and ideas can completely defeat the evil; only by trusting 100 percent in all of the Fa that Master has taught us and completely giving up our human will would make the old forces give up their intention to destroy our faith through brainwashing and torture. If we comply with all of Master's Fa, we can fulfill the historic mission given to us by Master in a satisfactory manner.

An elementary school teacher's explanation of "ten thousand rays of light:" A young practitioner in China put a truth clarification VCD at his teacher's door and sent forth righteous thoughts with his mother to let the teacher obtain the VCD. During class the next day, the teacher said to the students, "I think 'Truth-Compassion-Tolerance' by Falun Gong is correct." From then on, the teacher often said during class "Falun Dafa is good." At a writing class, the teacher talked about the phrase "ten thousand rays of light." "What are ten thousand rays of light? The light illuminated by a Buddha is ten thousand rays of light, and when Dafa practitioners do exercises it's also ten thousand rays of light." Once, the teacher asked a question and the students made the heshi gesture instead of raising their hands to answer.

Two years ago, the mother of Sun, a person in Jilin Province was diagnosed with lung cancer and became unconscious in May 2003. Sun's wife is my relative, and I told her, "Call your husband and tell him to say to his mother 'Truth-Compassion-Tolerance,' 'Falun Dafa is good'." Right away his mother came to. Recently when I called, she had almost recovered. Right now she says, "Truth-Compassion-Tolerance," "Falun Dafa is good" everyday. Sun has a son whose head and the upper half of his face turned black when he turned one month old. I told her to let the boy listen to Dafa music. Three days later, the black color faded. Originally, one of the boy's pupils was of an indistinct mixture of black and white. Now it is a distinct color and clear. Twenty days later, the black color on the boy's head and face turned light blue and the disease went away. When the boy listens to Dafa music, sometimes he makes the gesture of heshi and sleeps with the cassette player. After seeing the miracles of Dafa, the whole family began listening to Master's lecture tapes.

Jiang Zemin does not represent China: many years of Party education and propaganda muddled the relationships among different aspects of the nation, such as the government, the Party and the people. Rulers who came to power through illegal and abnormal processes do not have a legal ground to stand on to represent the country and the people. Jiang Zemin's personal history and true identity remain unclear. Besides, he stole into power by stepping on the blood of the students who were killed during the June 4^th 1989 Massacre. He is a complete thief, acting outside the law. He does not even fit the Party's policy.

Jiang's crimes: secretly selling Chinese territory and humiliating the nation of China; allowing and sheltering corrupt government officials. He uses autocracy and accomplices to erode the Party and the political system and dispels dissidents; he strictly controls the media and blocks information; he deprives the people of their right to know; he suppresses democracy and freedom, and he suppresses and persecutes dissidents; he intentionally staged the "Tiananmen Self-immolation Incident" to frame Falun Gong; he forced the Hong Kong SAR government to propose Article 23 of the Basic Law and he destroyed the "One country, Two systems" policy, which threatens the unity of China; he concealed the SARS epidemic and treats human life like dirt; he strikes down and destroys the most basic human morality and conscience; he is extremely egotistical and tries to grab attention whenever the opportunity arises; he wastes tremendous amounts of time and national resources; he plays trickery and plans conspiracies, as he refuses to leave the post of Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party Central Military Commission.

Jiang Zemin is a tremendous barrier that obstructs the development of China and human advancement; Jiang is currently the greatest element threatening the stability of China. The fact that Jiang deceived the Chinese people and refused to give up military power has caused great turbulence and political conflict among the ranks of people in high-level Beijing government circles. Jiang is the greatest countercurrent in the anti-corruption campaign and reform; Jiang is the source of hypocrisy, malice and violence.

Jiang's brutal persecution and suppression of Truth-Compassion-Tolerance is the persecution against the conscience and justice of the whole human society; it's completely destroying the most fundamental values and human nature upon which the human race exists, therefore it far exceeds the common persecution, both physical and mental. It's only reasonable that Jiang be brought to trial in a court of human society and in the court of history. Jiang is devoid of human nature and is not granted immunity.

In December 2002, the police at Masanjia Forced Labor Camp carried out a large-scale persecution of Falun Gong practitioners for over 20 days. On the first day they threatened practitioners to "transform." On the second day those who did not give in were forced to squat. After the 3^rd or 4^th days, practitioners who did not give in were hung up while handcuffed and shocked with electric batons. Those who still did not renounce their beliefs would be bound up with their legs crossed. Practitioners who had difficulty tolerating the pain and yelled had tape put over their mouths. Most of those who were tortured in this way could not walk. Hu Ying, Su Ming, and Tian Li have not spent even one night in bed since they arrived at the "re-education" center. They sit on small boards day and night, and some of them have been there for almost 2 years. Zhang Haiyan and others were tortured until they suffered a mental collapse. Zhang Yunxia and Liu Yanwen were only allowed to sleep half a night.

A New Falun Gong Practitioner from Mainland China: I obtained Dafa in April, 2003. I am 66-years old. Before I obtained Dafa I suffered from blood clots, heart diseases, and many other illnesses that were hard to cure. I was on injections and medication continuously but the illnesses got more and more serious. I felt that my life would not last much longer. One morning, I ran into a Falun Gong practitioner. A week later I learned all five exercises. Now I can walk without difficulty in breathing, and I do not feel tired when working. My legs are not painful anymore. I no longer need injections nor medication. When I finished reading Zhuan Falun for the first time, I understood many questions that used to be hard to resolve. Upon the fourth year of the persecution of Falun Dafa, I want to sincerely advise those in a maze: the Master of Falun Gong is the most compassionate and greatest Master of the whole world who offers salvation. Jiang is the most ugly, most brutal, and most vicious criminal leader. I warn those who only focus on bonuses while ignoring heavenly principles and those who only believe in the power of authority instead of the power of gods, to learn the truth about Falun Gong. If you do not stop quickly, karmic retributions will come immediately.

A family letter became the "proof" for detention. Through normal procedures, Xiao Haiying went to Hong Kong to travel and visit her family. On July 2^nd, she went back to Beijing and was searched at the airport. A family letter from her sister to her mom was found. The Chinese Public Security Bureau took her away for interrogation. She was asked to tell the whereabouts of her mom, who was forced to leave home by the government in October 2000 for practicing Falun Gong. The police wanted to send her mom to a brainwashing class. Her sister Xiao Wenhong is one of the spokespersons of Falun Gong in Hong Kong. She thinks that Xiao Haiying's being released on bail early is only a compromise on the surface by the Chinese Communist government under pressure from the international community. But the persecution toward Xiao Haiying has not ended. At present Xiao Haiying has lost her job and is under constant surveillance while out on bail.

A warning to the judges who go against the law by participating in the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners at Lixia District Court in Jingnan City: the Falun Gong practitioners that were illegally sentenced are all innocent people. The only excuses for the sentences are that they went to Beijing to appeal, distributed flyers, or posted truth clarification materials. Those are the most peaceful actions of responsibility toward the nation, toward human beings, and toward oneself under the totalitarian control and terror against the people's voice. You are the guardians of law, but you do not conform to the law; instead you are directly against the law. We hereby advise you once again to immediately stop committing crimes.

Police from Wuhan City abducted Mr. Huang Deyang, and he is now being detained in Qingling Detention Center.

Ms. Guo Zhi, a 42-year-old Falun Dafa practitioner from Beijing, was originally a teacher at the Beijing Broadcast Institute. She went to Tiananmen Square to appeal at the end of 2000 and was illegally detained for one month. At the beginning of 2001 she obtained an immigration visa to Canada; however she was intercepted at Customs in the Capital Airport. Later the same year, police attempted to send her to a brainwashing class in Tuanhe by force, but on the way she escaped using righteous thoughts. Since then she has been homeless.

Xia from the safety office at the Beijing Broadcast Institute kept looking for her to ask her to come back to work. Finally, Xia asked someone to deliver a letter to her, asking her to come back to work and solemnly promising that they would not send her to a brainwashing class. In order to let more people to know the truth about the persecution of Falun Dafa, she went back to school in October 2001. On the first day of the 2002 Winter Vacation, the safety office of the Beijing Broadcast Institute colluded with the police office of her resident area and took her to a brainwashing class by force. Even during the Spring Festival [a major Chinese holiday], they did not let her go home. After the Spring Festival, she was allowed to return home for several days. Later she was arrested by police from the Haidian Police Department and was detained there. In October 2002 she was illegally sentenced to three years in jail. The Beijing Broadcast Institute dismissed her instantly.

Guo Zhi's parents, who are eighty years old, and her daughter, who is in high school, have nobody to take care of them. They all depend on a little retirement pension to live. The brother of Guo Zhi, Mr. Guo (detail's not known), is a citizen of the United States. We hope the brother of Guo Zhi, after learning of her situation, can work together with the overseas Falun Gong practitioners to help rescue her out of the demon's den as early as possible.

(Clearwisdom.net) A "solemn declaration" is a person's public statement declaring to the world that whatever he or she has done or said under duress or deception that was against Falun Dafa is null and void. Most of these statements have come from Falun Dafa practitioners in China who wished to express regret that, in the face of physical torture and brainwashing, they had signed documents renouncing Dafa and guaranteeing not to practice again. Also, as more and more people in China learn the truth about how they have been deceived and lied to by the Jiang regime, many non-practitioners are also submitting "solemn declarations."

With the progress of Fa-rectification, and especially after studying Teacher's latest lectures, I have enlightened to the requirement of rectifying myself strictly, and eliminating bad things in my every thought and every word and action. The article "Rationally Rectifying Oneself" published on Clearwisdom.net has emphasized this point. (http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2003/5/17/35694.html)

Now I'll declare a few things I have done in the path of my own cultivation that did not conform to Dafa, and declare all these actions as void. I'll completely eliminate unrighteous elements in my own thoughts, as well as all evil factors within the range of my field.

1. On July 20, 1999, under the illegal detention and coercion of the local police department, the Ministry of Organization, the Economy and Trade Committee, and my work unit, I wrote a "Guarantee Statement"* against my conscience. This deed seriously violated Dafa and is what a cultivator following "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance" absolutely shouldn't do. I deeply regret it. I let Teacher and Dafa down. To thoroughly rectify myself in the depths of my thoughts, now I declare that as void. I resolutely deny and completely eliminate all of the evil's arrangements.

2. In August 1999, under pressure in a forced brainwashing class that my work unit held, I wrote one "reflection and thoughts material," statement, thus violating Dafa with evasive methods. I actually cooperated with the evil's persecution and did what a Dafa practitioner shouldn't. Now I declare this as void.

3. Due to repeatedly going to Beijing to appeal for Dafa between 1999 and 2001, I was detained by the detention center of the Beijing Police Department, the local government's liaison office in Beijing and the district detention center. During the detention, I cooperated with the evil in allowing myself to be body searched, photographed, and handcuffed. I also filled out a form and signed it, and recited the prison rules. I now declare that all these words and actions, and every thought that didn't conform to Dafa, are completely void.

The above items are where I haven't walked my path righteously in my cultivation. I deeply regret that I have left a stain on the path of my cultivation. I must take this as a profound lesson. From now on I'll redouble my efforts to make up for the loss I caused Dafa, be strict with myself, completely negate the old forces' arrangements, become a truly qualified Dafa practitioner, and satisfactorily complete one Dafa practitioner's historical mission.

* Guarantee Statement is a statement to declare that he or she is remorseful for practicing Falun Gong and guarantees not to practice Falun Gong again, not to go to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong, and never again associate with any Falun Dafa practitioners.


Grasshoppers are everywhere outdoors	An elderly man catching grasshoppers

According to report by "Morning Post of Inner Mongolia", millions of grasshoppers raided Hohhot--the green city beyond the border.

Mrs. Liu from Shiyangqiao Road at Yuquan district of Hohhot called reporters early this morning and informed us that countless grasshoppers had descended in front of her house. It is almost unimaginable that there could be so many.

The reporter swiftly arrived at the place informed by Mrs. Liu. Our news vehicle had barely parked when swarms of grasshoppers launched their attack. The windshields resounded with the thumps made by flying insects. Even though the reporter got out of the vehicle promptly and closed the door, a dozen grasshoppers had already flown inside. As soon as the reporter set his feet on the ground, dozens of grasshoppers took off . After standing still, it was discovered that grasshoppers were densely distributed in a length of more than 200 meters on the 4-5 meter-wide roads. While observing this spectacle, grasshoppers periodically charged at the reporter. An old woman of over 70 years told the reporter: "I have never seen so many grasshoppers all my life." A waiter from a nearby restaurant also told the reporter, "Around 11 pm on the 30^th, many grasshoppers suddenly flew in. By 1:00 am on the 31^st, the grasshoppers numbered so many that waiters at the restaurant dared not go outside. On the scene, the reporter watched as an old man filled a linen bag full of grasshoppers. He said he was taking grasshoppers home to feed his chickens. Afterwards, the reporter found grasshoppers covering many areas, such as Yili Plaza, West Zhongshan Road, the Green-City alley, and more.

The Central News Agency reported on August 1 that Hohhot City of Inner Mongolia has encountered a rarely seen grasshopper rampage. Countless grasshoppers filled the streets and alleys in Hohhot City, flying everywhere and devouring all vegetation from the city's green belt.

Xinhua News Net reports that on the boulevards of Hohhot City, including the Green-City Alley, Zhongshan Road, grasshoppers densely covered the road surface, meadow, tree and walls of roadside buildings. They were about one-inch long and mostly brown or green.

Everywhere on the road were fallen leaves cut by the grasshoppers and run over carcasses of grasshoppers. When people or vehicles approached, swarms of startled grasshoppers flew into the air to disperse. Along the road of the Green-City Alley, grasshoppers were crushed into piles by passing-by vehicles. City clean-up workers swept the street every once in a while, yet the grasshoppers rapidly covered the ground once again and a thick odor from the crushed grasshoppers permeated in the air.

Walking on the street of Hohhot, our faces were intermittently hit by flying hoppers. From time to time, the hoppers landed on our clothes and hair. 84-year-old Wang, Fengying said that she has lived here for 67 years and it is the first time she has seen so many grasshoppers.

Bai Quanjiang, Director of the Institute of Plant Protection at the Academy of Agriculture in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, explained that these hoppers belong to the Asian little-wheel locust. They mainly come from pastures and fields in Wuchuan County, Darlminan Combined Communities, and other locations. These hoppers are light sensitive and are attracted to the city area by illumination at night.

Some residents questioned that Hohhot City is illuminated every night, so why are these hoppers only doing this now? The explanation offered by Director Bai is stretched too far; surely he himself does not believe it himself.