March 9, 2002

Australian David Rubacek is determined to expose the persecution of his fellow Falun Gong members in China after he was beaten and kicked out of the communist country.

Mr Rubacek was one of 10 Australians who returned home after being arrested by Chinese police in Tiananmen Square on Thursday.

[...]

Mr Rubacek, a retail worker from Hurstville, touched down in Sydney while nine others returned to Melbourne.

Mr Rubacek told how he had been interrogated for six hours alone in a hotel room by Beijing police.

One of the officers went into a rage and beat him for about a minute.

The 24-year-old said he was struck on his head and body and kicked, although he did not have any bruising or other injuries.

Despite his ordeal, Mr Rubacek still described the trip as a success and he would continue to campaign for freedom for other Falun Gong believers in China.

"I didn't really take it personally that they were beating me," he said in Sydney today.

"They just got so angry I don't even think they knew what they were doing.

"Because I have personal experience and I've seen what it's like and I've seen how deluded the people are there, even police, I'll have to tell more people in Australia about my experience."

As a westerner, Mr Rubacek said he received light treatment from Chinese authorities compared to local Falun members.

But Mr Rubacek did not think his visit would worsen the persecution for Chinese Falun members.

"I think it would mean a lot to them that westerners were there, that people care from other countries, they care about what's happening to them," he said.

"I know it was just a few minutes (of violence for me) but Chinese practitioners who are there are dealing with this every day of the week for years now, I can't imagine it.

"It's really a peaceful practice with meditation to calm the mind and every day to become a better person just through the choices you make, to try and have higher and higher standards every day, to be kinder, more honest, more genuine and tolerant towards other people."

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/story_27284.asp