Third Party Commentary: The World Psychiatric Association should First Treat Jiang Zemin

September 4, 2002

(Clearwisdom.net) The World Psychiatric Association (WPA) held a one week-long conference in Yokohama, Japan in late August, the primary focus of which was a research report regarding the abuse of psychiatry in China. WPA President Juan J. Lopez-Ibor said that the Chinese government had agreed that a team of psychiatrists could enter China and work with the Chinese National Psychiatric Association. According to him, China is very cooperative on this issue. He pointed out that he had discussed this matter with an official of vice-ministerial rank in the Chinese Health Department to ensure cooperation between the WPA and the Chinese National Psychiatric Association.

However, Robin Munro, the author of the research report and an expert on Chinese problems, is not so optimistic. He said that the Chinese Health Department actually has only agreed to the "educational visit" of the WPA. Under international pressure, rather than completely refuse, the Chinese government has to show a willingness to cooperate with the WPA. However, he said that he was not sure that it would be a substantive cooperation. It needs to be determined in the future. Munro pointed out in his report that China follows the method of the former Soviet Union and often declares political dissidents mentally ill. The situation worsened ever since China started the persecution against Falun Gong.

It seems that Munro is indeed an expert on Chinese problems. He truly knows the methods that China uses to cope with such an international organization. That is, through so-called contact and dialogue, China never reaches out to the international community; rather, it forces the international organizations to reach out to China. Anyone who happens to know the story of how China dissembled and deceived when President Nixon visited China must know that any visit or investigation conducted by a foreign organization will never uncover the true situation in China, because the Chinese ruling Party will "mobilize all their people" so that the international community will not be able to find out the truth.

Take the example of visiting mental hospitals. China will fabricate a whole set of materials to deceive outsiders. It will ensure that no single dissident exists. Even if the organization must see certain dissidents or Falun Gong practitioners mentioned by name, China has its own way to create a "false person" who would be considered to conform to the standard of human rights to deceive outsiders. Even if the delegation gets to see the real person, that person would not be allowed to tell the truth after receiving threats and warnings, since once the organization leaves, the fate of this person and his friends and family will be controlled by the Jiang government.

Rather than investigating the mental hospitals, the WPA should consider running a psychiatric test on Jiang Zemin to see if this "extraordinary person" has the same psychiatric problems as Hitler, Stalin and Mao Tzedong. Why would he abuse dissidents? Regarding the power shift in the Sixteenth People's Conference, why would he dazzle the whole world with his ridiculous performance? If the WPA can diagnose Jiang's problems and give him the appropriate treatment, the political situation in China might develop on the right track.