Contacts: Gail Rachlin (+1 917-757-9780), Levi Browde (+1 914-720-0963), Erping Zhang (+1 646-533-6147), or Christina Chai (+1 917-386-5068).
Fax: 646-792-3916 Email:
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(Clearwisdom.net) Clearwisdom reporter Su Jing reports: Bo Xilai, the Chinese Minister of Commerce, who is visiting Washington DC, was served with a lawsuit on the afternoon of April 22, 2004 in the United States District Court of the District of Columbia by Falun Gong practitioners on charges of "torture, genocide and crimes against humanity."
According to the process server, he hand delivered complaints and other related documents to Bo Xilai in front of the Fairmont Hotel (2401 M Street, N.W.) in Washington D.C. around 6:35 p.m. on April 22, 2004. When Bo Xilai realized he had been served with a lawsuit, he proceeded to throw the papers on to the ground. His entourage immediately attacked the process server.
Bo Xilai is infamous for closely following Jiang in the persecution of Falun Gong
Bo Xilai, the Chinese Minister of Commerce, previously Deputy Secretary of CCPC of Liaoning Providence and Governor of Liaoning Providence, a former Mayor of Dalian City and General Party Secretary of Dalian City. Since Jiang's group openly launched the persecution of Falun Gong on July 20, 1999, Bo Xilai has managed and directed the persecution of Falun Gong in Dalian City and Liaoning Province. The schemes used to persecute Falun Gong practitioners in these areas are inhumane and brutal. Bo Xilai is one of those who should bear direct responsibility.
During his term as Dalian City Mayor, Dalian City officials ordered forcible brainwashings, ransacking of homes, illegal detentions, all kinds of tortures, and long-term forced labor to persecute Falun Gong practitioners in Dalian City, making Dalian one of the cities where severe persecution of Falun Gong was carried out. According to Clearwisdom.net reports, as of today, at least 17 Falun Gong practitioners have been verified to have died as a result of persecution (referring to the cases that the persecution process, victims and perpetrators have been identified, many other cases that have not completely verified clearly are not included).
Notorious Dalian Reformatory and other institutes conducted horrible sexual abuses and brutal torture to the practitioners, and was thus commented as national "Advanced Group" for "Transformation Work." Dalian City's Political and Judiciary Branches actively followed Jiang in the persecution of Falun Gong. Dalian City Police Department was given the first-grade citation by the Ministry of Public Security. Jiang Zemin personally promoted Bo Xilai to be Governor of Liaoning Province.
During his term as Governor, Liaoning Province became one of the provinces that persecuted Falun Gong the most severely. Masanjia Labor Camp, located in the suburb of Shenyang City, is infamous for its inhumane and brutal tortures. As of April 19, 2004, according to international human rights organizations, the verified number of Falun Gong practitioners who have died as a result of the persecution in Liaoning Province was 103, ranking fourth in the country. At least three mental hospitals in Liaoning Province have been confirmed to participate in the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, namely, Anshan City's Tangjiafang Mental Hospital, Yingkou City Mental Hospital and a mental hospital in Lingyuan City.
During his term as Dalian City Mayor, General Secretary of City Party Committee and Governor of Liaoning Province, Bo Xilai summarized and arranged at numerous meetings and reports the persecution of Falun Gong. In the process of persecuting Falun Gong, Jiang's group implemented the "leadership responsibility system" and the "single-veto system." Heads of the Party and administrations should be fully responsible to the higher-level authorities. In order to get promoted, Bo Xilai transferred responsibilities to lower government departments, encouraging grassroots authorities to brutally torture Falun Gong practitioners, which caused the sharp increase of death cases. For example, No. 2 Prison of the Prison Complex secretly colluded with Shenyang City Court and Procurator's Office and obtained more than 20 "normal" death quotas each year; the prison guards dare to ruthlessly persecute Falun Gong practitioners who refuse to renounce their belief.
Human rights scoundrel is not welcome
Bo Xilai is not welcome wherever he goes due to his evil deeds. He once planned to visit Germany on March 25, 2004, yet Germany Falun Gong practitioners and human rights groups protested and condemned him and requested the German government to prohibit his entry. Bo Xilai's ignominious human rights records became the focus of people's concern. China postponed his visit to Germany that time.
This time he accompanied vice premier Wu Yi to visit the US, Bo Xilai is also facing a lot of condemnation.
During the night of April 20, 2004, New York Falun Gong practitioners unfurled banners in front of the Chinese Consulate, "Bo Xilai, following Jiang in the persecution of Falun Gong, is unable to evade the trial of history," to sternly warn Bo Xilai that he is unable to evade punishment from the law. At the same time, the practitioners called on people from all walks of life to stop the persecution that harms all of humanity and bring Jiang to justice.
At noon on April 21, 2004, Falun Gong practitioners in Washington DC and "The World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong" and "Friends of Falun Gong" jointly held a press conference in front of the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. to appeal to the U.S. government to immediately deport human rights scoundrel Bo Xilai.
Spokesperson for "Friends of Falun Gong" Mr. Court Pearman said in his statement that "In accordance with Section 212(a)(2)(G) of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and Section 3 of International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA), which provide that foreign government officials who have engaged in particularly severe violations of religious freedom in the past 24 months, and their spouses and children, are inadmissible to the United States." He said that based on U.S. law, Bo Xilai should be among the list of people who are prohibited to enter the U.S., and he is not welcome in the U.S. "Friends of Falun Gong" calls for his immediate deportation.
Perpetrators who persecute Falun Gong are unable to evade justice
Other than the lawsuit in Washington DC, Bo Xilai was also sued in other countries for actively participating in the persecution of Falun Gong. Bo Xilai is also among the defendants listed in a criminal lawsuit filed with the Federal Prosecutor's Office in Germany by forty Falun Gong practitioners. The charges here again are genocide and crimes against humanity.
As of the end of January 2004, forty-five members of various Chinese Communist Party committees, heads of the "610 Office," government officials and personnel of forced labor camps have been added to the watch list of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Bo Xilai was among those people. If these people try to enter Canada, they will be subject to investigation. The findings of the investigation may lead to denial of visa applications, prohibition of entry, and even prosecution in Canada on charges of "crimes against humanity."
On March 9, 2004, "Friends of Falun Gong" and "The World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong" (WOIPFG) submitted a list of 102 key responsible persons in the persecution of Falun Gong to the U.S. government, including Jiang Zemin, Luo Gan, Liu Jing, Zhou Yongkang, Li Lanqing, Wang Maolin, etc., and urged the U.S. government to prohibit these people from entering the U.S.
Besides Bo Xilai, other accomplices that follow Jiang in the persecution of Falun Gong are also unable to evade justice. Luo Gan, Zeng Qinghong, Li Lanqing, Zhao Zhifei, Liu Qi, Xia Deren, Zhou Yongkang, Wu Guanzheng, Sun Jiazheng, Song Fatang, Yang Guanghong, Wang Donghua, Tang Xianqiang, Xu Youfang, Wen Shizhen, and Song Shanyuan and other Chinese officials have been respectively sued in the US, Belgium, France, Iceland, Finland, Moldova, Armenia, Spain, Taiwan, Korea, and Germany. Zhao Zhifei, Liu Qi and Xia Deren have been convicted.
Jiang Zemin, the main culprit for persecuting Falun Gong has been successively sued in the US, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Taiwan and Korea on charges of "genocide," "torture," "crimes against humanity," and "crimes for trampling on human rights," "crimes for depriving people's right for livelihood," "plotting," and "crimes for depriving people of their freedom of conscience and freedom."
WASHINGTON DC (FDI) Bo Xilai, the Minister of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, was served with a lawsuit today during his visit to the United States. The complaint, brought by Li Weixun and others, alleges such serious human rights abuses as torture, genocide and other crimes against humanity carried out while persecuting Falun Gong practitioners in China.
Bo Xilai was served with papers in front of the Fairmont Hotel (2401 M Street, N.W.) in Washington D.C. around 6:35 p.m. on April 22, 2004. A copy of the Summons, Complaint, Notice of Right to Consent to Trial before the Magistrate Judge were hand delivered to the defendant, Bo Xilai, in civil case no. 1.04CV00649 (Li Weixun v. Bo Xilai). The documents were filed this morning in the United States District Court of the District of Columbia by attorney Morton Sklar and attorney Lana Han.
According to the process server, the defendant identified himself and accepted the legal papers, but then realizing he had been served with a lawsuit, proceeded to throw the papers on to the ground. The defendant's entourage immediately physically attacked the process server.
On March 9th, 2004, "Friends of Falun Gong" and "The World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong" (WOIPFG) submitted a list of 102 key responsible persons in the persecution of Falun Gong to the U.S. government, including Jiang Zemin, Luo Gan, Liu Jing, Zhou Yongkang, Li Lanqing, Wang Maolin, etc., and urged the U.S. government to prohibit these people from entering the U.S. Bo Xilai's name is on both of the lists.
Bo Xilai is also among the defendants listed in a criminal lawsuit filed with the Federal Prosecutors Office in Germany by forty Falun Gong practitioners. The charges here again: genocide and crimes against humanity.
For background on Bo Xilai's crimes, please visit http://faluninfo.net/displayAnArticle.asp?ID=8535
Lana Han, co-counsel on the case can be reached at 516-850-9299.
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NEWS
- Apr. 22, 2004
Falun Dafa Information Center, http://www.faluninfo.net/
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE FALUN DAFA
INFORMATION CENTER
Contacts: Gail Rachlin (+1 917-757-9780), Levi Browde (+1 914-720-0963), Erping
Zhang (+1 646-533-6147), or Christina Chai (+1 917-386-5068).
Fax: 646-792-3916 Email: ,
Website: http://www.faluninfo.net/
(4/20/2004 19:57)
NEW YORK (FDI) -- The deaths of 25 more Falun Gong practitioners in China as a result of state-run persecution were verified in March, according to reliable sources. Among them are details of recent deaths, as well as information about deaths that had been covered up for over four years.
Twenty-year-old Mr. Chang Baoli was arrested while appealing in Beijing in November 1999. He was then transferred to Gongyi City where police beat him to death the next day.
The delay in verifying Mr. Chang's death reveals the difficulty in getting such information out of the country. For every verified death, an additional five to ten such cases are believed to remain unreported.
The Falun Dafa Information Center receives dozens of reports of practitioners being tortured for every report of a practitioner killed.
One of those killed in March was Daqing City-resident Mr. Li Yuanguang, 34. He died weighing less than one hundred pounds after prolonged torture, leaving behind his wife and a family bankrupted by police extortions.
Mr. Li nearly dropped out of college due to severe kidney problems. After he started practicing Falun Gong his health greatly improved and he continued his studies, earning a master's degree. Before Falun Gong was banned, Mr. Li received government recognition for contributing to his hometown.
After traveling to Beijing's Office of Appeals in 1999 Mr. Li was repeatedly harassed by police. Police abducted him from his home on April 24, 2001 and sent him to the Sha District Detention Center. There, officers forced him to sit on a metal chair, thumped his eyes, placed lit cigarettes in his mouth, force-fed him drugs, inserted mustard into his nose, stomped on his body and fingers, and subjected him to other abuses.
To protest the inhumane treatment, Mr. Li went on hunger strike. He was then repeatedly force-fed -- a violent procedure that has been the direct cause of death in 10% of all verified killings of Falun Gong practitioners.
In a terrible condition, Mr. Li was released from detention only to pass away at home.
"The frequency and consistency of the torture and murder cases throughout China underscores the fact that this is a premeditated campaign directed by high ranking officials," says Falun Dafa Information Center spokesman Mr. Erping Zhang, "not simply the crimes of a few overzealous prison guards."
The March reports indicate that many of the guards received bonuses for torturing practitioners. Criminal inmates also tortured practitioners in order to gain an early release.
Torture methods include dousing practitioners with cold water, leaving them outdoors in freezing temperatures, shocking them with electric batons, depriving them of sleep, starving them, and tying them in agonizing positions.
Practitioners also die after being forced to become homeless, as in the case of Ms. Fang Yuqin, 78. Police harassment forced Ms. Fang and her family out into the street and into destitution. She died several months after her daughter and granddaughter were both sent to the notorious Masanjia Labor Camp.
The names of practitioners whose deaths were confirmed in the month of March 2004 are: Liu Jie, Dong Ruilain, Chen Rongyao, Xiao Yali, Zhang Yanju, Di Xishun, Chang Baoli, Liao Furong, Luo Junling, Wang Jihua, Fang Yuqin, Yu Xianjiang, Li Yuanguang, Sun Yuhua, Zhang Yanxun, Xie Caile, Duan Qingfang, Song Yulian, Zhang Guoqing, Chen Dexi, Zhao Fengyun, Gu Xiuxian, Jing Fengyun, Chen Hanchang, and Cao Yali.
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NEWS - Apr. 20, 2004 Falun Dafa Information Center,
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Background
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa (about), is a practice of meditation and exercises with teachings based on the universal principle of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance." Practiced in over 50 countries world-wide, Falun Gong has roots in traditional Chinese culture. With government estimates of as many as 100 million practicing Falun Gong, China's Communist leader Jiang Zemin outlawed the peaceful practice in July 1999 (report). Since that time, Jiang's regime has intensified its propaganda campaign to turn public opinion against the practice while imprisoning, torturing and even murdering those who practice it. The Falun Dafa Information Center has verified details of 951 deaths (reports / sources) since the persecution of Falun Gong in China began in 1999. In October 2001, however, Government officials inside China reported that the actual death toll was well over 1,600. Expert sources now estimate that figure to be much higher. Hundreds of thousands have been detained, with more than 100,000 being sentenced to forced labor camps, typically without trial.
Source: http://www.faluninfo.net/displayAnArticle.asp?ID=8528
(Clearwisdom.net) Dafa Practitioner Mr. Wang Shouqi, 49 years old, was a Dafa practitioner from Caiyuanzi Town of Dehui City, Jilin Province. Between December 6 and 19, 2000, he went to Beijing twice to peacefully appeal for Dafa. He was arrested in Beijing on December 21, 2000 and was then illegally sent to forced labor, being detained in the Yinmahe Forced Labor Camp, Jiutai City, Jilin Province. As he was firm in his belief in Dafa, he suffered from all kinds of torture methods as well as extremely hard, forced labor. His lung function turned abnormal and he vomited blood. On May 14, 2001, he was bailed out and allowed back home. On March 11, 2003, during a mass search and arrest action by Jilin police, he was forcibly taken away from home. As he refused to write the "guarantee statement" to give up practicing Dafa, he was detained for 15 days and again suffered serious bodily harm. After returning home, he passed away on June 19, 2003.
(Clearwisdom.net)
Forty practitioners from Shuangcheng City, Helongjiang Province were illegally arrested recently. Within a couple of days, three practitioners had been tortured to death. Gu Xiuxian succumbed to her injuries on March 4, 2004, five days after she was sent to No. 2 Detention Center in Shuangcheng City. The names of the other two practitioners who died are unknown.
Ms. Gu Xiuxian (36), was a practitioner from Zhaoshitun, Kaoshan Village, Lanlin Town, Shuangcheng City, Helongjiang Province. At around 6 or 7 p.m. on February 28, 2004, she was taken from her home by over 10 people, including the chief of the Lanling Town Police Station, Zhao Yinglin, the town government officer, Li Jiaming, and the head of the village, Zhang Zhifa, and sent to Detention Center No. 2 in Shuangcheng City. Gu Xiuxian repeatedly explained the truth about Falun Gong to the policemen and went on a hunger strike to protest her detention. She was force-fed violently. Only five days later, on the morning of March 4, 2004 Gu Xiuxian died.
Since February 11, 2004, personnel from the "610 Office" and policemen in Shuangcheng City illegally rounded up Dafa practitioners. According to incomplete statistics, by February 28, over forty practitioners had been arrested. Based on the most recent information, among the arrested, three practitioners were tortured to death within a couple of days, including two unidentified practitioners. We have learned that this action was ordered by the assistant director of the political and security department in Shuangcheng City and was executed by the director of the national security department, Jin Wanzhi.
On February 12, 2004, policemen illegally arrested thirteen practitioners, eight female, including Lu Guizhen, Yu Xianna, Liu Junshuan, Lin Yanjie, Zhang Hongmei, Wang Xiuju, Meng Qingzhi, Mu Xiuqing, and five male, including Zhang Shiping, Jia Ying, Yao Shiguo, Wang Shiwei, Guo Shijun.
On the night of February 13, 2004, the "610 Office" personnel from Shuangcheng City seized six practitioners from Guanghui Village, Lequn Township.
On February 27, 2004, they illegally arrested over 20 practitioners, including Kou Fangqi, Na Zhenxian, Zhang Hongxia, Wang Yunshan from Xiqin Village, Shuangcheng City, and Liang Shuwen, Fu Zhiying, Zhang Fengtian, Sun Xiuqin from Jinchen Village, six unidentified practitioners from Handian Town, one from Danchen, and four others from Chaoyang Township and Qianjin Township.
On the night of February 28, 2004, Wei Zhixue from Chaoyang town police station, Shuangcheng City and others from the Shengde Village committee seized practitioners Zhang Hongru and Pan Mingzhen. On the same night, they captured a total of six practitioners from Shaoyang Township, four whom were sent to the Shuangcheng Detention Center. Practitioners identified by name are below.
From Xinxin township, Ms. Jin Guirong, Ms. Wu Yanqiu, and Mr. Liu Jingrong ; from Xianjie Village, Lianxing township, Zhou Shengkai; from Xingtuan Village, Lianxing township, Zhang Guiyun; from Anjia Village, Lianxing township, an elderly lady named Li.
Institutions and people responsible for Gu Xiuxian's death may be reached at the following phone numbers:
China Country code: 86
Lanling town police station: 451-53200110;
The mayor of Zhao Shaitun Village, Zhang Zhifa: 451-57854966;
Detention Center No.2 in Shuangcheng city: 451-53118256;
The chief of No.2 detention center: Liu Qingyu: 451-53122717 (O), 451-53117978 (H);
The instructor of No.2 detention center in Shuangcheng: Sun Shiyou 451-53122717 (O), 451-53116188(H), 13504818966 (C);
The vice president of No. 2 detention center: Zhu Xiaopo 451-53122717 (O), 451-53115376 (H), 13604812389 (C);
The person mainly responsible for the arrests:
Director of the country security department Jin Wanzhi: 13836095820 (C ), 451-53005826 (H), 451-53117733 (O);
The Assistant Director of the political and security department, Tong Huiqun: 451-53117733 (O), 451-53122377(H), 13704889707 (C);
The relevant numbers of the Shuangcheng city committee and police station:
610 Office: 451-53165610;
Zhang Guofu: 451-53115778 (H), 451-53115596 (O);
Jiang Hongwei: 13936022121 (C);
Liu Shanzhong: 13091722617 (C), 451-53169372 (H);
Feng Haijun: 13074597976 (C);
Police station:
Zhang Shengchen: 13936110007 (C);
Li Xinsong: 13804621188 (C), 451-53161888 (H);
Chen Yangxin (former director of the detention center, current instructor at the Chenjiao police station): 451-53117178 (H);
The city police stations:
The chief of the Hongqi police station: Shi Weiguo, 451-53124211 (O), 451-53115326 (H);
The chief of the Mingzhu police station: Xin Chao, 451-53124348 (O), 451-53117668 (H);
The chief of the Zhiguo police station: Jia Junpeng, 451-53124483 (O), 451-53126845 (H);
The chief of the Zhanqian police station: Wang Jinwu, 451-53182219 (O), 451-53117986 (H);
The chief of the Zhanbei police station: Li Bingquan, 451-53184807 (O), 451-53115393 (H);
The chief of the Chenjiao police station: Pei Congtai, 451-53122875 (O), 451-53115599 (H);
Director of detention center no.1: Li Zhongxiu 451-53124803(O), 451-53117887 (H);
Instructor at the detention center no.1: Jia Shuangfu 451-53124803 (O), 451-53115891(H), 13804636627 (C);
The Assistant Director of detention center No.1: Guo Qingwen 451-53124803 (O), 451-53116009 (H), 13054279932 (C);
The village police stations:
The chief of the Wejia police station: Xiao Jitian 451-53250513 (O), 451-53116010 (H);
The chief of the Lianlin police station: Wang Yonghe 451-53201298(O), 451-53117856 (H);
The chief of the Zhoujia police station: Jiang Yuxiang 451-53276885(O), 451-53160618 (H);
The president of Political and Judiciary Committee in Handian town: Sun Jihua 451-53230081, 13936489088 (C), 13199527365 (C)
The chief of the Handian town police station, Shuangcheng city: Zhang Chunhua 451-53230407(O), 451-53115873 (H), 13945116883(C);
Assistant chief of the Handain town police station: Yu Zhanjun 451-53230407 (O), 451-53230286(H), 13104080676(C), 13936045882 (C);
Handain town police station, Sui Guangcheng 451-53230407 (O), 451-53230386(H), 13504818048 (C);
The chief of the Xinshan police station: Liu Hongtong, 451-53233110 (O), 451-53115608 (H);
The chief of the Dongguang police station: Liu Baogang, 451-53277407 (O), 451-53115925(H);
The chief of the Danchen police station: Han Shuanghai, 451-53243013 (O), 451-53117976 (H);
The chief of the Nongfeng police station: He Zhongxian, 451-53260160 (O), 451-53115863 (H), 13804626365 (C);
The chief of the Xinxing police station: Wang Guangzhong, 451-53227512 (O), 451-53115899 (H);
The chief of the Xinfu police station: Yu Wenquan, 451-53210037 (O), 451-53115862 (H);
The chief of the Yongsheng police station: An Chenyu, 451-53268580 (O), 451-53117104 (H);
The chief of the Chaoyang police station: Sui Zhongqiang, 451-53246009 (O), 451-53115808 (H);
The chief of the Lianxing police station: Zou Xiaoling, 451-53241568 (O), 451-53115860 (H);
The chief of Qinglin police station: Bai Shenggang, 451-53240616 (O), 451-53121997(H);
The chief of Dongzheng police station: Xin Peiyan, 451-53263034 (O), 451-53163383 (H);
The chief of Jinchen police station: Liu Buocheng, 451-53248017 (O), 451-53115276(H)
The chief of Xiqin police station: Sun Jinxing, 451-53217518(O), 451-53115357(H)
The chief of Duanjie police station: Xu Dongsheng, 451-53225104 (O), 451-53116768 (H);
The chief of Tongxin police station: Sun Ming, 451-53296233 (O), 451-53163517 (H);
The chief of Linjiang police station: Chen Ce, 451-53266013 (O), 451-53115386(H)
The chief of Wanlong police station: Fa Dongjun, 451-53212520 (O), 451-53116398(H)
The chief of Shuiquan police station: Zhao Shipo, 451-53236110 (O), 451-53131578 (H);
Lequn town police station in Shuangcheng city: 451-53220003
The mayor of Guanghui village, Lequn town, Shuangchengg city: Jin Zhongguo 451-53294098 (H).
(Clearwisdom.net) I am Chu Jianjun (female), 53 years old this year, residing at Room 308, Kouzhong Beili Block One, Xicheng District, Beijing. I work at the Central Office of the National Environmental Protection Department, China Environment Science Institute. I suffered from serious illnesses during the prime of my life. As I graduated from college, I was looking forward to a wonderful life. I never imagined that I would be tormented by serious illnesses for twelve long years.
Learning Dafa and Eliminating the Stubborn Illnesses to Gain a New Life
At the end of 1979, I suddenly became ill with a rare and unpleasant affliction known as lupus, and was admitted to the Peking Union Hospital, the best hospital in China for treating skin diseases. No medicine could control the rapidly spreading condition. In only one month, the red rashes spread from my head to my toes. There was not a single patch of skin on my body that was not affected, and I was rapidly losing my hair. All the hair of my eyebrows dropped off and skin was flaking off my whole body daily. Because my body was unable to replace the skin fast enough, my flesh began to split and ooze. The itch and pain were unbearable, and my suffering was beyond description. I could only sleep by consuming sleeping pills. Despite being in the Peking Union Hospital for six months, my condition deteriorated.
After being discharged from the hospital, I traveled all over China seeking a cure. I consulted the famous Tanggangzi Hot Spring Physiotherapy Hospital in Anshan, and the Wuda Lianchi Cold Fountain Recuperation Hospital in Heilongjiang Province to no avail. All types of folk remedies also did not work. I had been physically weak and full of illnesses since I was very young. I suffered from low blood pressure, rhinitis (inflammation of the nose), chronic pharyngitis (inflammation of the throat), rheumatoid arthritis (inflammation of the joints), dysmenorrhoea (menstrual problem), migraine headaches, inflammation of the shoulders, and Meineire's syndrome (ringing in the ear). With the onset of lupus, my health became even worse. After consuming large quantities of both Chinese and Western medicines year-round, I developed heart and liver problems, stomach convulsions, weak kidneys, and very often caught colds, with a continuous slight fever throughout the whole year. I could not bear the hot or cold weather. When the illnesses became severe, I was unable to get out of bed and could not take care of myself. I added much burden to my family members and pressure on my work unit. The incurable diseases made me lose courage to face life.
One day in May 1993, when I was at the end of my endurance, a friend of mine who was very keen in qigong gave me the book Falun Gong. I immediately read it. I did not realize that my face was covered in tears, but I finished reading the whole book in one sitting. Because of the long-term illnesses my eyesight was not good, and when I read, everything appeared blurry. But, in reading this book, the more I read it, the clearer I could see. I began to perform the exercises by following the diagrams shown in the book. Having learned the movements of the exercises, I found a practice site at a park the next morning.
In July, I attended a lecture by Teacher at the Public Security Hall for the first time. [Note: I had participated in various qigong classes and had paid very high fees, but only Teacher Li Hongzhi charged extremely low fees for attending his lectures. Veteran practitioners paid 20 yuan and new practitioners paid 40 yuan for the series of ten lectures.] Every word that Teacher said touched my heart and spirit. I was like a child who had lost her way. That day, I had found my way home. I listened to six of Teacher's lectures and at every lecture I shed tears. My outlook of the world changed tremendously, as I understood that the purpose of my being a human is to return to my true origin. It also solved the numerous questions that I had always wanted answers for, but was never able to understand.
I had not worked for the previous twelve years. After I practiced Falun Gong for only two months, my body and mind were cleansed swiftly. At the end of July 1993, I went back to work. From that point on, I bade farewell to being a chronic invalid. I experienced the feeling of being free from illnesses and the taste of light-heartedness.
I have practiced in accordance to the requirements of "Zhen, Shan, Ren" (Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance) as instructed by Teacher and to elevate my character continuously. At the work unit, I took the initiative to perform duties avoided by others. Before I learned to practice Dafa, I was very ill tempered, never gave way to anyone, and was in conflict with one of the leaders whom I had not spoken to for many years. After I started practicing Dafa, I strictly required myself to "look within when confronted with problems." I took the initiative to be friendly with him and often helped him with his work. Thus, I didn't have any more conflicts with my co-workers, and we got along very well. When someone had a problem, they would approach me saying: "As you are what 'Zhen, Shan, Ren' is about, we feel assured in whatever you do."
Cultivating to be Kind and Good People, But Repeatedly Persecuted
Since July 20, 1999, Jiang Zemin, out of jealousy, initiated this unprecedented persecution of Falun Gong and fabricated charges to frame Teacher. I went to the Appeals Office and was forcibly dragged by armed policemen to a vehicle that took me to the Shijingshan Stadium. The stadium was already packed with Falun Gong practitioners who also had gone to appeal. I was released and went home after midnight. At about 2 to 3 a.m. on July 22, more than ten plain-clothes policemen from the Fuwai Police Station and the director of the Residents Association Committee came to my house and confiscated all of my Dafa books, Falun diagrams and Teacher's photos. Soon after that, I was taken to the Fuwai Police Station. It was about noon when the leader of my work unit was allowed to get me from the police station.
After July 21, my house phone was put under surveillance. On so-called sensitive days and holidays, my husband and I would be either unlawfully taken into custody at the police station or not allowed to leave our house. Sometimes we were detained for a few hours and sometimes we were detained for up to one month, and our home was searched on many occasions. My work unit was also pressured into persecuting us. The police often harassed my relatives on our account. To avoid unnecessary inconvenience and mental pressures on our relatives, we dared not go home or visit our relatives for the past three years, and we went from place to place to avoid persecution. There are thousands upon thousands of Dafa practitioners being unlawfully detained in prisons and forced labor camps, where they face inhuman, savage persecution for long periods of time.
I appeal to the authorities to immediately cease the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and re-instate and recognize the reputation of Falun Dafa and our Teacher.
(Clearwisdom.net) Since June 2003, when Falun Dafa practitioners in Chongqing City exposed the Wei Xingyan incident (1), the local authorities have been acting outside the law and have furiously retaliated against practitioners. Several truth-clarification materials production sites were raided, and a dozen or so practitioners were arrested. In February 2004, five of those arrested were illegally put on trial and sentenced to severe prison terms.
The practitioners and their current situations are as follows:
Chen Shumin, male, General Manager of Juxian Technology Development Company; sentenced to 14 years in prison.
Lu Zhengqi, male, Vice General Manager of Juxian Technology Development Company; sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Yan Qiuyan, female; sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Li Jian, male, 41, from Dazu County, graduated from Huaxi Medical University; sentenced to 13 years in prison. In 1999 he went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Dafa and was sentenced to forced labor reeducation. After he was abducted this time, he was first sent to a labor camp where suffered brutal torture, including sleep deprivation for eight days straight. Later, Mr. Li was transferred to a detention center.
Yin Yan, female; sentenced to 5 years in prison. Her father is a lawyer. In 1999 when Jiang's regime put Gu Zhiyi, a Falun Gong volunteer contact person from Chongqing City, on trial, her father was the defense attorney for Gu Zhiyi.
Other practitioners arrested include Ms. Liu Fanqin, He Mingli and Ms. Tang Guorong. Some of these practitioners were sent to forced labor camps and some still remain in detention centers.
We call upon all people with a sense of justice to help stop the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.
(1) Wei Xingyan is a twenty-eight-year-old female Falun Gong practitioner and graduate student majoring in the High Voltage Continuous Current Transmission and Simulation Technology at Chongqing University. On May 11, 2003, she was arrested and interrogated in 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] in the Shapingba District of Chongqing City. On the night of May 13, 2003, at the Baihelin Detention Center, a policeman raped her right in front of two female inmates. Ms. Wei went on a hunger strike to protest afterwards. Her whereabouts remain unknown at present. After the incident was exposed, the "610 Office" has blocked Ms. Wei's student documents at Chongqing University and ordered the university to announce to the outside that, "there is no such student named Wei Xingyan, and there is no such major called High Voltage Continuous Current Transmission and Simulation Technology."
(Clearwisdom.net) Recently, fellow practitioners are discussing "Mainland China Practitioners Are Suggested to Use Legal Knowledge in Resisting the Persecution." Some think "We should have fellow practitioners who have legal knowledge (lawyers, judges, and legal workers) systematically put all the instances of Jiang breaking the law into a booklet." I recall that Clearwisdom.net had an article posted called "Laws Broken by Jiang Zemin's Government" (http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2001/3/6/5850.html). It was very thoroughly compiled. Because of the changes in the past three years, I have edited the article for the convenience of fellow practitioners.
Laws Broken by Jiang in Persecuting Falun Gong
1. Constitution of People's Republic of China
The State should protect citizens' possession of personal property and allow for inheritance of personal property according to regulations.
For the sake of public benefit, the State can purchase or rent personal property according to the law, but should give compensation.
Chinese police now take Falun Dafa practitioners' personal property at will, including their incomes, savings, and personal belongings. Police never compensate Falun Dafa practitioners' for the personal loses caused by their wrongful arrests.
Basic human rights include the right to live, the right to be educated, the right to possessions, the right to personal information, the right to know, the right to human dignity, the right to housing, the right to personal freedom, the right to express oneself, the right to religious freedom, the right to vote or to be voted into public office, the right to assemble, the right to parade/protest, etc.
All Chinese citizens, including Falun Gong practitioners, should be able to enjoy the freedom to peacefully assemble. For Falun Gong practitioners this means joining group practices and attending experience-sharing conferences. At present, however, this right has been completely denied in China.
Yet, Falun Gong practitioners have been completely deprived of this right. Chinese police have arrested Falun Gong practitioners and taken away their personal property at will without any warrant. Furthermore, the police in Tiananmen Square wrongfully arrest Falun Gong practitioners almost every day.
Falun Gong practitioners have also been deprived of this right, as police simply intrude into their homes at will without any warrant. In addition, the government leaders who Jiang Zemin controls have been inciting the masses to fight against each other since the so-called "Tiananmen Self-Immolation Incident." Unconstitutional actions targeting Falun Gong practitioners have already occurred in some regions of China, including breaking into practitioner's home with iron shovels or other tools to "forcibly reform" the practitioners.
State agencies must investigate all complaints and filed charges by citizens, taking responsible measures. No one is allowed to suppress anyone else or seek revenge.
Whoever has their rights violated by a State agency has the right to receive compensation according to the law.
Falun Gong practitioners have been deprived of this right. If Falun Gong practitioners appeal to higher authorities, they will be arrested. The Appeals Bureau, a subsidiary department of the State Council, has actually become a police station.
2. Criminal Law
At present, at least 942 Falun Gong practitioners have died because of the persecution, many of those from being tortured to death (refer to: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/special_column/death_list.html). Currently, the police in China still intentionally torture practitioners even though they are fully aware of the potential for death.
The Chinese police have intentionally caused injuries to countless Falun Gong practitioners in China without being held culpable (refer to the human rights reports at: http://www.faluninfo.net/).
Raping women less than 14 years old, is subject to heavier sentencing.
Raping women, or a young girl with one of the following situations, is to be sentenced with death, life imprisonment, or not less than 10 years of imprisonment:
(1) Raping women in an especially cruel way, or raping young girls
(2) Raping many women or young girls
(3) Raping women in public view
(4) Gang raping with two or more rapists
(5) Causing severe injury, death, or other such serious results
If the above crime is committed in public, the rapist is to be sentenced to more than five years in prison.
Some female Falun Dafa practitioner in China have been locked in male prison cells. Some have been raped, gang raped, or even raped in public. Some pregnant Falun Dafa practitioners were forced to have an abortion, which harmed them physically.
The police have systematically tortured Falun Gong practitioners for the purpose of getting them to write so-called "statements of repentance." They have received no punishment for this (refer to http://www.clearwisdom.net/eng/weekly_category/news.html and http://www.faluninfo.net/).
If supervisory and management personnel of prisons, detention centers, and other penal facilities encourage inmates to beat or physically abuse other inmates, it is the same as the previous articles.
However, it is very common for police to abuse Falun Dafa practitioners. Police have heartlessly tortured practitioners, sexually abusing and even raping them (see http://www.faluninfo.net/).
The media in China, used the "self-immolation" hoax, and the "poisoning incidents" to deceive the whole nation and fan hatred towards Falun Dafa practitioners. This has led those deceived people to report Falun Dafa practitioners to the authorities, and harass practitioners in their daily lives.
Postal workers in China are violating Falun Dafa practitioners' personal rights, and are taking away their personal possessions.
3. Criminal Procedural Law
Falun Gong practitioners have been deprived of this right completely. Lawyers in Mainland China are not allowed to provide legal assistance to Falun Gong practitioners. Under pressure and threats from the government, currently, no lawyers dare to defend Falun Gong practitioners in court.
4. Public Order Violation Ordinances
5. The "Cult" Issue [slanderous term omitted]
On October 25 1999, Jiang Zemin publicly announced that "Falun Gong is an evil cult that is dangerous to society and to people," when being interviewed by the Chair of the Editorial Committee of the French Newspaper LeFigaro. Right after that, a special editorial comment entitled "Falun Gong is an evil cult" was broadcasted and published respectively by Chinese Central TV (CCTV) and the People's Daily on October 27 and 28. The Public Security Department then took this speech as the legal basis for the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners who appealed to higher authorities. However, the announcement made by President Jiang Zemin was not a decision made by the National People's Congress Standing Committee. According to Articles 5 and 80 in the Chinese constitution, the President of the People's Republic of China should act in pursuance of decisions of the National People's Congress and its Standing Committee. Therefore, the President does not have the power to independently determine the nature of or to declare the guilt or innocence of any groups. Since in the above-mentioned speech, Jiang Zemin overstepped his power as it is defined in the constitution, his words have no standing in law.
In November 1999, the Judicial Department created a booklet of questions and answers entitled "Outlaw the Cult, Prevent and Punish the Activities of the Cult" in response to people's doubts and discontentment with the police's extensive arrests and detention. The Judicial Department is an administrative state organ and has no right to determine the nature of Falun Gong. However, it unreasonably insisted that Falun Gong is a "cult."
On October 9, 1999, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate together published a document entitled "Directions on How to Implement Regulations Against the Criminal Acts of Cults." However, Falun Gong was not mentioned in the document. It means that the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate clearly know that they don't have the right to determine the nature of Falun Gong.
On October 30, 1999, the National People's Congress Standing Committee passed a resolution called "Outlaw Cults, Prevent and Punish the Activities of Cults." Again, Falun Gong was not mentioned in the resolution. It means that the Committee did not determine the nature of Falun Gong even though it has the power to enact laws and make decisions on major events. In summary, there is no legal basis for the claim that "Falun Gong is a cult," even to this day.
According to the constitution, the National People's Congress and its Standing Committee are the only two state governing bodies that have the power to enact, change, and explain laws, and make major decisions. The claim that "Falun Gong is an evil cult" has to be passed by the National People's Congress as a resolution before being announced. Otherwise, it is unconstitutional.
(1) Yuan: the Chinese currency; the average monthly pay of an urban worker is 500 yuan.
(Clearwisdom.net) A Clearwisdom reporter reports in Washington DC: Bo Xilai, the Chinese Minister of Commerce, who has been sued in Germany for actively persecuting Falun Gong, is currently accompanying vice premier Wu Yi in the US to attend the 15th meeting of China-US trade and commerce.
At noon on April 21, 2004, Falun Gong practitioners in Washington DC, "World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong," and "Friends of Falun Gong" jointly held a press conference in front of the Chinese Embassy in the US, requesting the US to immediately deport human rights scoundrel Bo Xilai.
 Bring Jiang to Justice, Dismiss "610 Office," Bring Bo Xilai to Justice |
 Immediately deport human rights scoundrel Bo Xilai |
 Spokesperson of Falun Gong practitioners Mr. Joshua Jordan |
Spokesperson for Falun Gong practitioners Mr. Joshua Jordan read a report from the Falun Dafa Information Center on the persecution imposed upon Cheng Ling and her family at Masanjia Forced Labor Camp in Liaoning Province. Twenty-year-old Cheng Ling is from Lingyuan City, Liaoning Province. She was illegally sentenced to seven years in prison three years ago for exercising the right of speech and belief endowed by the constitution and making Falun Gong truth clarification materials. She was imprisoned in the notorious Mansanjia Forced Labor Camp. Her parents and her sister were also successively imprisoned at Masanjia, where they suffered brutal persecution.
According to the first-hand information from Clearwisdom.net, as of April 18, 2004, the verified number of Falun Gong practitioners who have died as a result of persecution in Liaoning Province was 103, ranking fourth in the country. During his term as Deputy Secretary of CCPC of Liaoning Province and Governor of Liaoning Province, Mayor of Dalian City and General Party Secretary of Dalian City, Bo Xilai spared no effort to follow Jiang Zemin to persecute Falun Gong. He managed and directed the persecution against Falun Gong in Liaoning Province. The methods
used were extremely cruel. Bo Xilai is one of the major people responsible for managing and directing the persecution of Falun Gong in Liaoning Province, and Jiang Zemin thus promoted him as Governor of Liaoning Province.
Bo Xilai is not welcome in the US
Representative of "World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong" Mr. Huang Zuwei listed in his statement some investigation results of the organization. He pointed out that during his term as Mayor of Dalian City (from 1993 to 2001) and Governor of Liaoning Province (from January 2001 to February 2004), Bo Xilai acted as Jiang's political hatchet man, ordering persecuting and murdering of Falun Gong practitioners. Mr. Huang said illegal use of slave labor and collection of human body's apparatus have been an open secret in China's labor camps, Dalian City and Liaoning Province have very vicious labor camps and prisons. Mr. Huang also revealed that the organization is conducting a thorough investigation on Bo Xilai.
Representative of the US "Friends of Falun Gong" Mr. Court Pearman said in his statement, "In accordance with Section 212(a)(2)(G) of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and Section 3 of International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA), which provide that foreign government officials who have engaged in particularly severe violations of religious freedom in the past 24 months, and their spouses and children, are inadmissible to the United States." He continued that according to US law, Bo Xilai is on the list of those who should be denied entry to the US. He is not welcome in the US. "Friends of Falun Gong" requested to immediately deport him.
"Benefits are temporary, morality and justice are eternal"
On March 9, 2004, "Friends of Falun Gong" and "World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong" delivered a list of 102 human rights violators who have been most heavily involved in the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China, including Jiang Zemin, Luo Gan, Liu Jing, Zhou Yongkang, Li Lanqing, Wang Maolin and Bo Xilai, and requested the US government to deny entry of these people to the US.
An attendee said that Bo Xilai is a criminal. He killed people, but comes here like nothing has happened. This person said, "Benefits are temporary; morality and justice are eternal."
Dozens of Falun Gong practitioners in Washington DC and local people attended the rally. They held banners reading, "Immediately deport human rights scoundrel Bo Xilai," "Bring Jiang to justice globally," "Falun Dafa is great," and banners in English reading, "China stops the persecution of Falun Gong," "Dismiss 610 Office," and "Bring Bo Xilai to justice."
(Clearwisdom.net) A Clearwisdom reporter reports in New York: Learning that political hatchet man Bo Xilai, who has been closely following Jiang Zemin in the brutal persecution of Falun Gong, is visiting the US, New York Falun Gong practitioners gathered during the night of April 20, 2004 in front of the Chinese Consulate to sternly warn Bo Xilai that he cannot escape the punishment of the law. The practitioners also called on people from all walks of life to stop the persecution that harms the whole humanity and bring Jiang Zemin to justice.
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Following Jiang in the persecution of Falun Gong, Bo Xilai has committed countless crimes
Bo Xilai, the Chinese Minister of Commerce, previously Deputy Secretary of CCPC of Liaoning Province and Governor of Liaoning Province, a former Mayor of Dalian City and General Party Secretary of Dalian City. Since Jiang's group openly launched the persecution of Falun Gong on July 20, 1999, Bo Xilai has managed and directed the persecution of Falun Gong in Dalian City and Liaoning Province. The methods used for the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in these areas are extremely brutal and inhumane. Bo Xilai is one of the key responsible persons.
During his term as Mayor of Dalian City, Dalian City officials ordered forcible brainwashing, ransacking homes, illegal detention, all kinds of brutal torture methods, and long-term forced labor to persecute Falun Gong practitioners, making Dalian City one of the cities nationwide where the persecution of Falun Gong is the most severe. According to Clearwisdom.net report, as of today, at least 17 Falun Gong practitioners have been verified to have died as a result of the persecution (referring to the cases that have detailed facts of the persecution, victims and murderers have been verified, not including countless cases that have not been completely verified). Notorious Dalian City Labor Camp conducted sexual abuses, brutal torture against Falun Gong practitioners, and thus was commented as nationwide "Advanced Group" for "reforming through education." Dalian City's political and judiciary departments actively followed Jiang in the persecution of Falun Gong. The Department of Public Security issued the first award to Dalian City Police Department. Jiang Zemin personally promoted Bo Xilai as Governor of Liaoning Province.
Liaoning Province, where Bo Xilai worked as provincial leader, became one of the provinces where the persecution of Falun Gong was most severe. Masanja Labor Camp, located in the suburb of Shenyang City, was infamous for its inhumane and brutal torture of Falun Gong practitioners. As of April 19, 2004, according to the international human rights organizations, the verified number of Falun Gong practitioners who have died as a result of persecution in Liaoning Province was 103, ranking fourth in the country. Liaoning Province's Judicial Department officials once said at an assembly at Masanjia Labor Camp, "financial investment in dealing with Falun Gong has exceeded the outlay of a war."
During his term as Mayor of Dalian City, General Secretary of the city and Governor of Liaoning Province, Bo Xilai summarized and arranged at numerous meetings and reports the persecution of Falun Gong. During the persecution of Falun Gong, Jiang's group implemented the policy of "leadership responsibility system" and the "single-veto system." The first head of the party and the administration take full responsibility to the higher authority. In order to get promoted, Bo Xilai transferred the responsibilities to lower governments, to encourage the grassroots departments to use brutal torture methods on Falun Gong practitioners, causing the sharp increase of death cases. For example, No. 2 Prison in the Prison City secretly colluded with Shenyang City Court and Procurator's Office and obtained more than 20 "normal" death quotas, so that the guards dared to ruthlessly persecute Falun Gong practitioners who refused to renounce their belief.
Peaceful appeal to sternly warn the persecutor that he cannot escape the punishment of the law
New York Falun Gong practitioners set up four banners in front of the Chinese Consulate, with one banner in Chinese reading, "Bo Xilai follows Jiang in the persecution of Falun Gong; he cannot escape the trial of history," two banners in both Chinese and English, reading, "Bring Jiang to justice globally," "Falun Dafa is great," and one banner in English, reading, "Chinese Consulates stop persecuting Falun Gong." Practitioners peacefully practiced the exercises, the scene was solemn and respectful.
M.d. Wang expressed that they would expose to the American people these corrupt Chinese officials' crimes for persecuting human rights. They followed Jiang's group to brutally persecute Falun Gong practitioners. It is heavenly principle that good and evil will get due retributions. They will definitely be put on just and fair trial.
Bo Xilai and several more accomplices of Jiang who have been heavily involved in the persecution of Falun Gong, including Luo Gan, Zeng Qinghong, Li Lanqing, Zhao Zhifei, Liu Qi, Xia Deren, Zhou Yongkang, Wu Guanzheng, Sun Jiangzheng, Song Fatang, Yang Guanghong, Wang Donghua, Tang Xianqiang, Xu Youfang, Wen Shizhen, Song Shanyun, have been respectively sued in the US, Belgium, France, Ice Land, Finland, Moldova, Armenia, Spain, Taiwan, Korea and Germany.
(Clearwisdom.net) Under pressure from Jiang Zemin's political group in China, French police, who were unaware of the truth about Falun Gong, arrested practitioners. After the incident, French practitioners let people in French political circles know more about Falun Gong and requested that the responsible persons bear legal responsibilities and apologize. The Falun Gong practitioners' appeal is receiving more and more attention and support from people. The president of the "French Democratic Alliance" Epaignes, Mayor Canton de Cormeilles, who is also an MP and member of the local legislative assembly, Mr. Herve Morin, wrote a supporting letter to practitioner regarding this incident.
President of the "French Democratic Alliance"
Mayor Canton de Cormeilles, Member of Parliament
Member of local legislative assembly, Mr. Herve Morin
February 28, 2004, Paris
Dear Sir,
Thank you very much for informing me on the difficulties that Falun Gong encountered in France. The persecution of Falun Gong in China should be strongly exposed by western governments because this is a violation of human rights that should not be tolerated.
No one should interfere with public order and under these circumstances, they should not harass practitioners like that. I will continuously pay attention to this incident.
Sir, please accept my best wishes.
Regards,
(Signed)
Herve Morin
Source: http://clearharmony.net/articles/200404/19167.html
(Clearwisdom.net) On Saipan Island, middle and late April is flame tree blossoming season and it provides a good opportunity for practitioners to spread Falun Dafa because the local government holds an annual phoenix flower art festival during this period. Just like previous years, dozens of Saipan and Taiwan Falun Gong practitioners participated in this annual event.
Practitioners encountered interference at the beginning of their participation. Saipan Falun Gong practitioners provisionally prepared a dance program "The Flying Falun," however, the event host initially didn't approve practitioners' request to perform the dance on stage. After going through many difficulties, the host organization eventually agreed to allow practitioners to perform the dance. Through the dance, practitioners presented the beauty of Falun Dafa to tourists from many countries and regions. The dance concluded in enthusiastic applause. After the performance, the host said in Chinese: "Falun Dafa is great."
Throughout the event, in front of the stage, Taiwan and Saipan practitioners were taking turns to display a banner reading "Falun Dafa is Great" in both English and Chinese. Some people from Mainland China were surprised when they saw the banner.
Peaceful March Calling for an End to the Persecution Held in
Hong Kong by Falun Gong Practitioners (Photos)
(Clearwisdom.net)
On March 28, 2004, Hong Kong Falun Gong practitioners held a peaceful march, protesting against the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. The procession started from Tsuen Wan Substation and ended at Tsim Sha Tsui Wharf. They carried with them a banner which boldly displayed the words, "Stop the Persecution! Let the Truth be Known to the World." The orderly manner of the procession and the photo-display of all the practitioners killed in China attracted numerous onlookers.
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| Speaker Mr. Feng, husband of practitioner Fu Xueying | Speaker Ms Lin, sister of practitioner Lin Junhui | Procession |
The people of Hong Kong have difficulty in understanding why Falun Gong practitioners are being persecuted in China. However, it is hoped that through these activities, they will get to know the truth, and that they will call upon the Chinese government to release the innocent practitioners that are still being held in detention centers or prisons.
The program was officially started by an address from the organizers. In this speech it was stated that: "Since the campaign against Falun Gong was launched in 1999 by Jiang's regime, over 900 practitioners have already been tortured to death. Sentences have been given to over 6,000 practitioners who did not have their legal right of a judicial trial, and over 100,000 practitioners have been illegally sent to various labor camps. Moreover, at least 8 Falun Gong practitioners and their family members have been victimized here in Hong Kong. Jiang's regime has also applied pressure many times through its various links in the Hong Kong government to stop Falun Gong activities: In mid-March 2002, a group of practitioners were accused of blocking the sidewalk during a peaceful appeal; other cases include those that occurred in January and May 2001, July 2002, and in February 2003, when the Immigration Authority has stopped overseas practitioners from entering the territory..."
The second speaker was Mr. Feng, the husband of Fu Xueying, who is a practitioner that has been detained in China for five months. Mr. Feng said that since Ms. Fu started practicing Falun Gong, she recovered from various ailments and skin disease; her temperament changed, and she became more gentle and considerate. Mr. Feng said he would support his wife fully despite the fact that he is a Christian. Ms. Fu was arrested for distributing Falun Dafa materials near Shenzhen College last October. She was placed on trial on March 9, 2004. During the court session, Ms. Fu emphasized three times that following the practice of "Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance" was not a crime. The court adjourned without a verdict.
The next speaker was Ms. Lin, sister of practitioner Lin Junhui of Hong Kong. Ms. Lin said that her sister was deprived of her employment because she practiced Falun Gong. In November 2003, while visiting her family in China, Lin Junhui was arrested for carrying Falun Dafa materials while crossing the Hong Kong-China border at Luohu. At present, she is still in detention at Luohu.
Despite the persecution in China, every year, over a thousand Falun Gong practitioners, from some twenty countries all over the world participate in the Hong Kong Annual Fa Experience Sharing Conference. As an appreciation of support from the public, in October 2002, the Hong Kong Falun Dafa Association staged two cultural shows, which drew a crowd of approximately eight hundred people.
At present, Hong Kong is the only place in China where Falun Gong can be practiced freely. In 2003, to protest the breach of human rights and right to freedom of religion, nearly a million people participated in the anti-Article 23 rally.
(Clearwisdom.net) On April 17, greater Kansas City Falun Gong practitioners participated in the 4th Earth Day Festival in the city of Lawrence, Kansas. In the morning, practitioners divided into two groups: one group participated in the parade while the other group manned a booth in a designated park. Practitioners displayed newly designed Falun Dafa introduction posters, distributed Falun Gong truth-clarifying materials and collected signatures to rescue U.S. Falun Gong practitioner Charles Lee who is being illegally detained in China.
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Among the parade groups, the practitioners' float was very eye-catching: The blue "Falun Dafa" banner, pink lotus flowers, serene music and relaxing exercises brought the people of this small city a new realm. What was even more unforgettable for the local people was that with a flower basket in hand a Falun Gong practitioner in blue traditional Chinese attire stood on the float and cast out flower petals, just like a "heavenly beauty scattering flowers!" People were happy to accept Falun Gong materials and many exclaimed, "This float is so beautiful!"
After the parade, the organizer of this event found practitioners and invited them to participate in another upcoming parade. Practitioners manning the booth were also very busy--almost every passersby took Falun Gong fliers happily and many took initiative to leave their contact numbers and wanted to learn Falun Gong.
In the afternoon, except some practitioners who were manning the booth, all practitioners went to another city to participate in Northland Ethnic Festival. About 2,500 people attended the festival. Practitioners' solemn and peaceful Falun Gong exercise demonstration delivered the "Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance" principle into people's hearts.
The next day, the largest local newspaper Kansas Star published a news report about this event on the cover page of its metropolitan edition. The report started with a huge color photo (6 in by 7 in) of a young Falun Dafa practitioner doing the sitting meditation, the caption above the photo read: "Understanding who I am." The title of the report is "Ethnic Festival Teaches Tolerance." This report caused a sensation among the residents. Practitioners, especially Lois, the young practitioner in the photo, received many phone calls. Many classmates and teachers in Lois' school asked her about Falun Gong. Some classmates told her, "We are so proud of you!"
Issue 7, March 2004
News and Events from Around the World
Falun Gong Practitioners' Personal Experience
The People Awaken to the Truth in China
News and Events from Around the World
US to Introduce China Resolution at U.N. Commission on Human Rights Meeting
The United States will introduce a resolution regarding China's human rights practices at the 2004 U.N. Commission on Human Rights meeting in Geneva, which began on March 15 and will conclude April 23.
A press release from the U.S. Department of State reads, "Our goal in sponsoring this resolution is to encourage China to take positive, concrete steps to meet its international obligations to protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the Chinese people.
On March 23, a day after Washington made the above announcement, China's Assistant Foreign Minister threatened that China will suspend dialogues and exchanges on human rights with the United States if the resolution is made.
Chinese officials accuse the United States of failing to recognize its actions regarding human rights, which included a decision at this year's National People's Congress to include, for the first time, the term "human rights" in China's constitution.
However, according to a report from Voice of America, organizations such as the Human Rights in China group say they doubt Beijing's resolve to improve its rights record. Nicolas Bequelin at the group's Hong Kong office said the government's definition of "food and shelter" as human rights is a narrow one. He also said compliance with the terms of international rights accords has been uneven.
"When it is favorable to the government of China to appear to be engaging with the human rights mechanism, they are doing it," said Mr. Bequelin. "At other times, when it is convenient and whenever they want to avoid public criticism of their human rights record, they retract to this narrow definition."
According to reports from Associated Press and Associated Foreign Press, the United States has voiced concern over China's arrests of democracy activists, alleged extrajudicial executions, and the torture of and mistreatment of prisoners. The reports also highlighted the repression of the Falun Gong practitioners, a spiritual group who number approximately 100 million in the Mainland.
The reports stated, "Chinese officials have reportedly spoken by telephone several times with their U.S. counterparts in recent weeks, including Secretary of State Colin Powell and President George W. Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, to discourage Washington from seeking the resolution."
The State Department's spokesman, Richard Boucher, stated in a press release, "The United States has been disappointed by China's failure to meet the commitments made at the U.S.-China Human Rights Dialogue in December 2002 as well as its failure to follow through on its stated intention to expand cooperation on human rights in 2003. We are also concerned about backsliding on key human rights issues that has occurred in a variety of areas since that time."
He continued, "We call on other members of the international community, especially members of the Commission on Human Rights, to join with us in supporting a resolution. We also call on members of the Commission to vote against procedural no-action motions that seek to prevent debate on resolutions and, as such, are not consistent with democratic principles such as freedom of speech. Such no-action motions prevent the only global body charged specifically with human rights from fulfilling its mandate."
According to the AP and AFP reports, human rights groups welcomed the U.S. resolution, stating that the American government could not ignore its own Department of State's annual human rights assessment, which last month highlighted the arrest of democracy activists and the suppression of religious [spiritual] groups in China.
"This resolution criticizing China's human rights record is an important step in attempts by the international community to promote the development of human rights in China," said Human Rights in China, an advocacy group based in New York. "Although China has made some progress in its social, economic and cultural rights over the past year, there has actually been a marked deterioration in civil and political rights."
European Union Nations Raised the Issue of the Persecution of Falun Gong in the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue
In early March, the Irish Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a conference to inform Irish non-governmental organizations of the result of its human rights dialogue with China. "The EU-China Human Right Dialogue" in the first half of 2004 was held for two days at the end of February in Dublin, Ireland, the capital of the incumbent EU President's home country. The conference was presided over by Mr. John Bigger, head of the Human Rights Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Amnesty International Ireland, The Frontline Human Right Defense, the Tibetan Human Rights Organization and the Irish Falun Gong Association were invited to the conference.
John Bigger reported on China's human rights issues raised in the dialogue and the responses by the Chinese side. The Irish government brought up a series of China's human rights issues in the dialogue, including the persecution of Falun Gong, Tibetan issues, capital punishment, etc. Mr. Bigger said that when mentioning various human right issues such as freedom of speech and freedom of belief, the Irish government repeatedly touched on the matter concerning the persecution of Falun Gong. The individual cases pertaining to the victims of the persecution raised include Liu Feng and Yang Fang, the Chinese students who used to study in Ireland. Liu Feng and Yang Fang returned to China on vacation at the end of 1999, but were arrested and their passports were confiscated because they practice Falun Gong. They have not been allowed to return to Ireland to continue their studies so far. As to China's responses to the issues regarding Falun Gong, Mr. Bigger didn't elaborate on it. Mr. Bigger's comment on the result of this dialogue was: "achieve limited results in limited areas."
One thing strange to those from non-governmental organizations was that "The EU-China Human Right Dialogue" turned out to be proposed by the Chinese side. According to international custom, a dialogue is supposed to address both sides' issues, but this dialogue only discussed China's human right situation. When looking at it from the Chinese perspective, it was an unfair dialogue. To the condemnation of China's human rights situation by international society including the U.S., the Chinese Government has always maintained a denying position. However, on the contrary, it proposed to proceed with an unfair dialogue this time. It will inevitably make people feel very strange. In his comment, the representative of the Irish Falun Gong Association, Zhao Ming, who attended the dialogue said: "This cooperative human rights dialogue will make sense only after China has the sincerity to improve its human rights. Nonetheless, the cruel persecution participated and inflicted by all levels of the entire Chinese government system on Falun Gong has lasted more than four years. The facts showed that the Chinese government doesn't have any sincerity to improve its human rights." Another fact is that since the EU started to have human rights dialogues with China, the governments of the EU countries have basically ceased to openly condemn China's human rights situation. At present, more and more human rights organizations have perceived the limitation of this kind of human rights dialogue, and urged the EU to improve its human rights dialogue with China.
Prior to this dialogue, FIDH and HRIC wrote an open letter to the EU, along with a twenty-six-page evaluation report on "The EU-China Human Rights Dialogue." In the letter, these two human rights organizations stated: "The human rights dialogue can and must be more effective and more transparent, and it should be related to China's human rights situation. We believe that these indicators are an effective means for evaluation. The application of these indicators is of help to create a more 'result-oriented' dialogue, and generate 'noticeable improvements.'"
Switzerland: Falun Gong Practitioners Promote Falun Dafa in Bern - Compassion Appeals to Public Opinion
On March 17, 2004, Swiss practitioners introduced Falun Dafa in Bern, the capital of Switzerland. We set up our stand downtown. The neighborhood around the train station is the end of the line for all kinds of vehicles, and it is also situated on Bern's main thoroughfare. Crowds of people passed through one after another. The first things that everyone could see were the five big eye-catching Chinese characters: "Falun Dafa is great." They attracted a lot of attention and people with predestined relationships stopped and watched the Dafa practitioners sending righteous thoughts and practicing the five sets of exercises. They stopped to watch us doing the exercises and some followed the movements intently and wanted to learn how to do the practice. Some also asked us where the exercise site was and voluntarily asked for truth-clarification materials.
A lot of people looked carefully at the display boards and chatted about their contents as they watched the practitioners. They were deeply shocked by the pictures detailing cruel torture. They felt sympathetic and said to Dafa practitioners that they would like to know more about Falun Gong and asked for information. A lot of people signed their names on a petition form immediately after seeing the display boards and voluntarily asked for information in different languages.
One elderly gentleman was happy to find us and said, "I've read a lot of Falun Gong materials. I conclude that the Communist Party will fall because of the persecution of Falun Gong. Falun Gong is just a belief in which people are encouraged to be unselfish, to ask for nothing, and it is guided by 'Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance'. The way Falun Gong practitioners' act to stop the persecution is peaceful and without violence. Compassion can win public opinion much more effectively and compassion is the most powerful. You are bound to succeed."
The World Psychiatric Association Is Trying to Investigate Psychiatric Abuse against Falun Gong Practitioners in China
According to the latest news, China has told WPA to postpone the trip for 3 months.
The previous message sent out through an NGO, China Psychiatric Watch, said WPA would visit China in April for interviewing patients and their families or doctors who were involved in the examination of those patients after obtaining their consent and access to what was required for those cases that allegedly were subjected to psychiatric abuse.
1. This delegation will be a technical, independent, unbiased taskforce
China Psychiatric Watch pointed out that in July 1999, the Chinese government under Jiang Zemin's leadership started a nationwide suppression of the Falun Gong spiritual movement. During this political campaign in the past four years, with the goal of changing people's belief, the government resorted to its propaganda machinery, to financial control, terror and violence to savagely persecute Falun Gong practitioners in Mainland China. During this period, the government's use of mental hospitals and psychiatric misuse in the abuse of Falun Gong practitioners was the cause of great concern for international human rights groups, mental health organizations and professionals who are concerned with the development of psychiatry in China. The American Psychiatric Association, the Royal College of Psychiatrics in UK and the World Psychiatric Association passed resolutions to request China to stop persecuting Falun Gong practitioners and political dissidents through psychiatric means, and sent delegates to investigate the situation.
This delegation will be a technical, independent, unbiased taskforce, totally supported financially by the WPA central fund, aiming to achieve the appropriate answers for the alleged abuse of psychiatry on Falun Gong practitioners. Accomplishing this mission successfully will close a long-standing conflict and will lead to formulate recommendations to be presented to the general assembly during the XIII WCP in Cairo, Egypt from September 10-15, 2005.
2. Currently, people do not fully understand the Chinese government's psychiatric abuse of Falun Gong practitioners
China Psychiatric Watch further stated that The Geneva Initiative on Psychiatry, an organization that played an important role in ending psychiatric abuse of political dissidents in the former USSR, jointly published the book Dangerous Minds with Human Rights Watch, which describes in detail China's psychiatric abuse of Falun Gong practitioners. However, the average person is not yet aware of the scope and extent of cruelty carried out in this persecution.
The torture methods include forcibly locking healthy Falun Gong practitioners up in mental hospitals and injecting them with strong psychiatric drugs, which severely damage their central nervous systems, their liver functions and even lead to death. Large groups of Falun Gong practitioners are sent to drug rehabilitation centers, mental hospitals or labor camps, where they are isolated from the outside, deprived of sleep, forced to watch brainwashing videos and tortured to "reform" their minds. The government also passes off violent and sadistic psychiatric patients as Falun Gong practitioners on TV and in newspapers in order to mislead the public and incite hatred against Falun Gong. The government orders "experts" and "scholars" who lack professional ethics to make up theories and deceive the public in order to justify and cover the persecution.
Germany: International Society for Human Rights Speech during a Rally to file a Genocide Lawsuit in Germany, against Jiang Zemin
Dear Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The truth about the world's most evil human rights abuser, Jiang Zemin, finally comes to light. Jiang Zemin uses state resources and orders Chinese government officials to carry out his atrocities. Fully utilising China's media, Jiang initiated a fabricated propaganda campaign to present fictitious events, deceive people and incite hatred against Falun Gong. The Chinese state-owned national press agency, Xinhua, was used to announce that Falun Gong had to be eradicated for the good of the people and the good of the country. Murder, rape and torture of innocent people are the persecutory and destructive means used in this suppression.
The time has come when people awaken and are ready to take Jiang, given his crimes against humanity, to court. The proverb, "lies are short-lived," says it all.
Jiang's terror governance has produced an endless list of suffering. Jiang rose to power over the "blood" and death of the Chinese students on June 4th 1989.
In the near future, the world will see Jiang's scheming from the obliteration of the democratic movement. The mothers and friends of the students that were killed will assure disclosure of this incident to everyone, as they cannot forget this crime.
[...]
The truth about China's pressure regarding the enactment of Hong Kong's Article 23 will be acknowledged by people in China and worldwide.
The truth about the persecution of the peaceful Falun Gong practitioners will be acknowledged by people in China and worldwide.
The list of Jiang's crimes against humanity is endless. The world community is finally awakening and will no longer tolerate his gruesome crimes. A global coalition was founded to bring Jiang to justice. A lawsuit was filed against Jiang in the German high court in Karlsruhe last November. He was charged with genocide, crimes against humanity, murder, torture and life threatening bodily injury. Lawsuits were also filed against Jiang Zemin in other countries.
It will not be long for the day to arrive when Jiang Zemin's crimes will be exposed to the people in China and worldwide.
It will not be long for the day to arrive when Jiang Zemin will have to face the courts for his crimes.
During this historical moment, humans of the world will join together and stand united for universal human rights.
Amnesty International Press Release: China: Constitutional amendment on human rights must be backed by concrete action
The following is a press release from Amnesty International:
Amnesty International today welcomed the recent announcement by China's National People's Congress that it would enshrine human rights in the Constitution, but cautioned that these steps must be backed up by legal and institutional reforms to ensure the protection of human rights in practice.
"We welcome this amendment as an indication of greater political willingness to address the serious and widespread human rights violations that continue to be perpetrated across the country," Amnesty International said. "But fine words are not enough, they must be backed by concrete action."
China's Constitution already lists a number of freedoms, including freedom of speech, press, assembly, procession, demonstration and religious belief. Yet in practice these freedoms have been seriously restricted throughout the country, leading to widespread abuses, including the detention and imprisonment of hundreds of thousands of people in violation of their fundamental human rights.
"Even as the National People's Congress discussed the human rights clause, hundreds of peaceful petitioners and other activists were reportedly being detained in Beijing for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly, freedoms protected in international standards and included in China's own Constitution," Amnesty International said.
The detainees included Hua Huiqi, a house church leader and campaigner against forced evictions, who was reportedly detained by police on 5 March and taken to Fengtai police station in Beijing where he was severely beaten by several police officers.
While the Constitution is an important statement of principle, its role is largely symbolic and its provisions are rarely invoked in court.
"If the amendment is to have any practical effect, it must be reinforced by a fundamental review and overhaul of other laws, including the Criminal and Criminal Procedure Laws, as well as other legal and judicial reforms," Amnesty International said.
The amendment to the Constitution states simply that 'the State respects and protects human rights'. "These rights must be defined and upheld in line with international human rights standards," Amnesty International said, noting that China's record in implementing its international human rights obligations remains extremely poor.
China has ratified several international human rights instruments, including the Convention against Torture; the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women; and the International Convenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, yet has failed to take the practical measures necessary to implement many of their provisions. Another key human rights instrument, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, has been signed but not ratified by China, although the authorities have indicated their intention to ratify this treaty as soon as possible.
"Ratification of human rights standards is an important first step, but it must be accompanied by practical measures to implement their provisions at the domestic level," Amnesty International said.
To date, the Chinese authorities' cooperation with international mechanisms of human rights monitoring and investigation has been limited and highly selective. Several UN human rights monitoring mechanisms as well as international human rights NGOs, including Amnesty International, continue to be denied access to China to conduct effective research.
"We urge the Chinese authorities to build on this Constitutional reform by showing a greater openness and willingness to engage with independent human rights monitors," Amnesty International said.
"A good start would be to allow the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture; the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; and the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief to conduct visits to China in line with their own terms of reference."
Message from UN Delegate from "Association of World Citizens" Affirms Solidarity between NGO's and Falun Gong
The following is a message Ren Wadlow, United Nations representative of the non-governmental organization "Association of World Citizens", sent to Falun Gong practitioners appealing during the United Nations Human Rights Commission:
I'm not able to be with you now, but I'm with you in heart and spirit.
The repression of Falun Gong by the Chinese Government began in July 1999. Since the sub commission of Human Rights in August 1999, our NGO Association of World Citizens in the United Nations has denounced the repression of Falun Gong practitioners without trial as a direct violation of article 18 of the International Pact on civil and political rights that China has signed; it's a violation of the spirit of the declaration on elimination of all forms of intolerance and discrimination based on religion or conviction.
The repression against Falun Gong and other spiritual groups demonstrates the insecure feeling of the leaders of the Party. The Chinese Communist Party feels threatened by any group, for example: students, the unemployed, farmers troubled by the changing economy and members of Falun Gong.
In her discussion with China, the former High Commissioner of Human Rights, Mrs. Mary Robinson, denounced the violations against Falun Gong many times.
Special Rapporteurs of the Commission of Human Rights continue to report on the importance of the violations.
At the present time, the Chinese Government does not abide by the international law, as it uses different means to prevent the Commission from discussing the topic of Falun Gong.
We hope that the solidarity of the NGOs with Falun Gong practitioners will help to change the attitude of the Chinese Government, and we hope that the new Chinese leaders will not repeat the mistakes of the past.
It's very important to follow closely this Commission of Human Rights in order to witness the first signs of improvement.
Washington State Senators Stand Up to the Consul General of PRC in San Francisco: "We Will Decline Your Invitation Due to the Ongoing Persecution of Thousands of Innocent Falun Gong Practitioners by Your Government."
Washington State Senate
March 4, 2004
Consul General of the People's Republic of China
1450 Laguna St.
San Francisco, CA 94115
Dear Sir,
We, the undersigned members of the Washington State Senate, would like to acknowledge your invitation to attend a reception on March 10th in Seattle. We regret to inform you that, although we support our country's increasing contract and trade with China, and acknowledge China as a friend, we will decline your invitation due to the ongoing persecution of thousands of innocent Falun Gong practitioners by your government.
The persecution against Falun Gong practitioners has claimed at least 890 lives to date. According to a July 2003 radio interview, former US Ambassador to [Hungary] Mark Palmer estimates that number to be in the range of 10,000. Over 100,000 people have illegally been sent to forced labor camps without trials. More than 500 people have been sentenced to prison terms of up to 18 years. Hundreds of thousands have been illegally arrested, detained, and tortured since the persecution began in 1999. And more than 1,000 perfectly healthy people have been forced into mental hospitals, an act condemned by the World Psychiatric Association. All this has been part of a comprehensive campaign to make practitioners renounce their beliefs.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the UN Commission on Human Rights and numerous others have thoroughly documented the persecution. Our federal government has also expressed support for Falun Gong and condemned the persecution in China. In July 2003, House Concurrent Resolution 188 was passed unanimously and now House Concurrent Resolution 304---condemning the persecution overseas and attempts to interfere with American government officials---is before Congress. Several state elected officials have also previously expressed concern in letters to Ambassador Yang Jiechi. Again, we must unequivocally say that the harming of innocent people for their beliefs is morally wrong and cannot be tolerated by a civilized society.
Among US residents, four Washington State Falun Gong Practitioners were illegally detained while they were in Beijing in February 2002. American citizen Dr. Charles Li from Menlo Park, California was arrested upon landing in China at Guangzhou Airport in January 2003 and has been in detention for over one year, after a mock trial under the false charge of "sabotaging of radio and television equipment."
Many Falun Gong practitioners are good, hardworking citizens of Washington State. As elected officials it is our duty to listen to their voices and to uphold their rights, including the right to freedom of belief. We sincerely hope that one day soon, these Falun Gong practitioners and all those who may wish to, will be free to practice the exercises of Falun Gong in China and to be free citizens following the principles of "Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance."
Although China is our friend, we must decline your invitation, and call for an unequivocal end to the persecution of innocent people on the basis of their belief.
Sincerely,
Senator Adam Kline, 37th Legislative District
Senator Ken Jacobsen, 46th Legislative District
Senator Karen Keiser, 33rd Legislative District
Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles, 36th Legislative District
Senator Brian Murray, 6th Legislative District
Senator Erik Poulsen, 34th Legislative District
Senator Dan Swecker, 20th Legislative District
Senator Shirley Winsley, 28th Legislative District
Canadian MP Keith Martin Asks Minister of Justice to Press China for the Release of Falun Gong Practitioner
On March 15, 2004, Canadian Member of Parliament Keith Martin asked the Minister of Justice, Irwin Cotler, to speak forcefully and publicly against China's abuses of basic human rights, in particular, with respect to practitioners of Falun Gong. MP Martin also requested that the Minister ask the Chinese government to release Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Jiangang Huang.
Dear Minister Cotler:
This concerns Jiangang Huang, a 34 year old communications engineer whose sister Limin Huang is a Canadian citizen. Mr. Huang is a practitioner of Falun Gong who was arrested illegally and put into a labour camp for two years without a judicial process. When his prison term ended in December 15, 2002, Mr. Huang was transferred to the Dafeng Fangquian labour camp for brainwashing. Currently his family does not know where he is but they suspect he is still in the labour camp. They do know that he has not been released from incarceration.
This is another horrible case of outrageous violation of innocent people's rights that the government in China is exercising. I am asking, therefore, that you speak forcefully and publicly against China's abuses of their people's basic human rights, in particular, those who are practitioners of Falun Gong. I would also request that you ask the Chinese government to release Mr. Huang to his family. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Yours sincerely,
Keith Martin, M.P.
Esquimald-Juan de Fucal
China: 30 Torture and Severe Abuse-related Deaths of Falun Gong Practitioners Reported in February
During the month of February 2004, details of 30 deaths of Falun Gong practitioners in China were uncovered despite a continued black-out maintained by Chinese authorities on information about Falun Gong-related cases.
Many of the deaths occurred in the past few months, while some were deaths from 2002 and 2001 that have only recently been uncovered.
The 30 cases represent an increase in reports of killings of Falun Gong practitioners in China. During the prior three months from November 2003 to January 2004, a total of 64 deaths were reported. (news)
"Torture and killings of Falun Gong practitioners remain widespread and authorized by a few high-ranking officials," says Falun Dafa Information Center spokesman, Mr. Erping Zhang. "This is why we welcome actions such as the resolution being put forth before the U.N. Human Rights Commission to censure China...the spotlight must be brought down upon the actions of these individuals within the Chinese Government who wantonly continue to order and encourage these atrocities."
Torture-related Killings Reported as Suicides, Illnesses
For the last four years, sources in China have revealed that police are authorized to report torture-related deaths of Falun Gong practitioners as "suicides" or deaths from "natural causes" or "illness."
Families often receive inaccurate reports for cause of death put forth by authorities.
Mr. Peng Guangjun, age 55 and residing in Bejing, was beaten to death by a policeman and died in an "Intensive Training Unit." Peng was undergoing "transformation" for saying aloud "Falun Dafa is good" while in the Tuanhe Labor Camp. Authorities told family members that Mr. Peng died of an illness and were offered funeral expenses if they agreed to not inquire further into the cause of his death.
Prior to cremation, however, one source who examined Mr. Peng's body discovered multiple electric shock marks on the face, fractured bones, bloodstains and black and purple bruising of the head and body.
Ms. Jiang Chunxian age 34 of Dehiu city was reported by prison administrators to have died at Baiqiuen Medical College Hospital of "sudden" heart failure. Family members say, however, that Jiang never had a history of heart disease. Furthermore, upon examining her body at the Heizuizi prison, her family says they discovered evidence of torture - a large pooling of blood at the back of her body and large red areas in the insides of her thighs.
Sources familiar with her case confirmed that Jiang had been force fed, beaten and shocked with electric batons.
Mr. Ma. Xingxing age 40 of Shanghai died at home after undergoing torture at the Qinpu Labor Camp. Sources say Ma was released by authorities when he was close to death, and that he was emaciated, bedridden, unable to eat and was no longer capable of recognizing the faces of his family.
The names of practitioners whose deaths were confirmed in the month of February 2004 are: Xie Wenping, Xu Shuxiang, Jin Guanghua, Na Changjian, Song Gang, Liu Ming, Wang Xidong, Song Shijie, Guo Ruixue, Zang Youqing, Li Xuelian, Peng Guangjun, Zhang Bingxiang, You Zhilan, Zhang Shuzhen, Liu Xing, Liu Xin, Zhang Quande, Feng Shizhao, Sun Faxiang, Liu Zhichen, He Ping, Ma Xinxing, Jian Chunxian, Wang Shubin, Yu Xiuchun, Sun Xiumei, Yang Zhongfang, Wang Wenbo.
The name of one Falun Gong practitioner whose case was reported in February remains unknown.
China: Former National Security Ministry Official Persecuted for Practicing Falun Gong
Mr. Ma Hongjun, a 37 year-old Falun Gong Practitioner and former section chief in the National Security Ministry, is locked up in Beijing's Zhaoyang Detention Center.
Ma Hongjun was arrested by police and persecuted because he practices Falun Gong. He had to undergo to an extended brainwashing program that lasted 3 months and where he was continually tortured. Only when he fell unconscious and was near death did they send him to the hospital.
After two days and nights in the hospital he woke up from unconsciousness. Many of his ribs were broken. Presently he has already been sent many times to the hospital to have his life saved. Currently, Ma Hongjun's body is in critical condition. His whole body has edema and he has already been to the hospital twice for procedures related to his condition.
In the detention center, he often rolls on the ground because of unbearable pain induced by torture. He has been sentenced to eight years in prison, but because his life was in danger, after the detention center police took him out of the hospital to send him to prison, the prison would not accept him.
Mr. Ma Hongjun was a former section chief in the National Security Ministry. It was because he persisted in practicing Falun Gong that he suffered persecution and has now been devastated to the point where his life is in severe danger.
The High Cost of China's Forced Labor
With his teeth cracked and hands bleeding, Wan Guifu struggled to split one more watermelon seed with his teeth. For him working outside in the freezing cold over 10 hours a day came with little choice--it was either work to produce Hand-picked Melon Seeds for the labor camp or be beaten until unconscious. At 57 years old Wan worked until he could no longer accomplish this brutal task, and was beaten to death by his fellow inmates at the Lanzhou No. 1 Detention Center in China.
The seeds Wan was forced to produce, Zhenglin Hand-picked Melon Seeds, are now currently exported throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Southeast Asia and Taiwan. Through the use of this type of slave labor Lanzhou Zhenglin Nongken Foods Ltd. has become the largest producer of roasted nuts in China with sales reaching 460 million Yuan. (US $55 million)
Free and Endless Supply of Workers
China's booming economy continues to increase through its use of slave labor or Forced Labor camps. Forced Labor means "reform through labor." It's a system of prison factories and detention centers set up by former Chinese leader Mao Zedong during the 1950's as a means to re-educate through labor and increase economic gain for the People's Republic of China. As of 1979, there were apparently only several thousand people being forced to work in the Forced Labor system. Today it has become an enormous source of free labor and financial profit for the Chinese government. According to estimates from the Forced Labor Research Foundation, there are 6.8 million people incarcerated in China's 1,100 labor institutions.
For those incarcerated in these facilities, the reality they face is long hours of brutal treatment with little sleep or food to sustain themselves. Reports of 20-hour work days and violent oppression force some detainees to choose suicide instead of being beaten, starved, or worked to death according to a paper by Stephen D. Marshall, "Chinese Forced Labor: a hidden role in 'Developing Tibet." Others mutilate or injure themselves in an effort to avoid the work. Inmates who fall behind or refuse to work are shocked with electric batons, beaten, sexually assaulted, or thrown into solitary confinement. Among those that make up the population in these labor camps are criminals, political prisoners, and practitioners of the spiritual practice Falun Gong, who reportedly now make up to half of those detained in the forced labor system.
Who Uses Slave Labor?
Forced labor has become both a form a torture and a source of great profit for China. With the enormous amount of free labor that comes from forced labor, China has lured many overseas businesses into its profit-through-slave-labor system. With ridiculously cheap wholesale labor costs many cannot resist the bait and unknowingly come to support this illegal practice.
Common everyday products ranging from artificial Christmas trees, Christmas tree lights, bracelets, tools and foodstuffs, et cetera are among some of the products manufactured and exported from these facilities. According to a 1998 House Committee on International Relations report, companies who reportedly have or had products made in China's Forced Labor are Midas, Staples, Chrysler, and Nestle'. A recent report from one detainee in the Changji Labor Camp in Xinjiang states the Tianshan Wooltex Stock Corporation Ltd., a contractor to Changji Labor Camp, makes products for overseas companies such as Banana Republic, Neiman Marcus, Bon Genie, Holt Renfrew, French Connection and others. Orders from Banana Republic number between 200,000 and 280,000 pieces a year.
The products made in these facilities are produced by people who are forced to work in unsafe and unhealthy conditions. Detainees in Forced Labor have said that because of malnutrition, sleep deprivation and stress they often contract lice, scabies, hepatitis, tuberculosis, and other ailments. Sick detainees are still forced to work. Many are not allowed to take showers for long periods of time, allowing all manner of bodily substances to come into contact with the items they manufacture. These products are then shipped all over the world.
Stopping Forced Labor Products
Laws on the books that outlaw slave labor products have not been able to stop the tide of illegally and inhumanely manufactured merchandise from being shipped and traded worldwide. For example, since 1983 it has been illegal to import goods into the United States made through using slave labor. According to the Forced Labor Research Foundation China's government publicly guaranteed to stop the export of slave labor products in October 1991.
In 1992, China and the United States signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in an effort to enable the US access to information it needed to control its import ban on prison labor products. According to this MOU the Chinese government had committed itself to investigating all claims of slave labor.
The agreement proved to be worth little in real results, given the profits China stood to lose from its free source of labor the Forced Labor system provides. Brushing aside requests from the US for answers on the issue, China provides "sanitized" camps for inspectors. Other tactics used to ensure production continues include false holding companies, changing addresses, and mixing labor camp output and non-prison businesses together.
"Thus, the commercial exploitation of slaves in China's labor camps is effectively an open secret in the world of commerce," says Harry Wu, founder of the Forced Labor Research Foundation.
This "open secret" Wu speaks of has become more and more difficult to conceal. Survivors of the Forced Labor system continue to publicly speak out about the forced labor and torture they have experienced. In addition, organizations such as the Forced Labor Research Foundation and the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong continue to investigate the Chinese government's use of slave labor as a source for economic growth and to expose the products manufactured in Forced Labor.
Although China continues to currently benefit from its "prison economy," it may ultimately be the world's consumers who control the fate of the Forced Labor. As the world comes to realize the blood, sweat and tears going into the products they buy it might not be so easy to purchase them no matter how low the price.
Jiang's Group Extends the Persecution to Nepal: A Falun Gong Practitioner from Taiwan is Followed and Threatened
A Taiwanese Falun Gong practitioner surnamed Hong went to Nepal twice to introduce Falun Gong to the Nepalese, once in July 2003 and again in January 2004. She also exposed the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. Yet Ms. Hong was followed and threatened by personnel from the Chinese embassy in Nepal. This is proof that Jiang's group is attempting to extend the persecution of Falun Gong to Nepal, a country with a rich cultural and religious tradition.
This Falun Gong practitioner recollected the situations she experienced in Nepal. "In July 2003 I went to Nepal to visit a friend. He wanted to learn Falun Gong, so I gave him a copy of the English version of Zhuan Falun and taught him the exercises. I also hung up posters about Falun Gong, to tell the public the truth of Falun Gong. I volunteered to teach the Falun Gong exercises at the biggest bookstore in the capital city, Katmandu. Many western tourists came to learn Falun Gong. I also spoke to Chinese tourists regarding the persecution of Falun Gong in China. In January 2004 I went to Nepal again to share experiences with practitioners there. Officials from the Chinese Embassy in Nepal interfered with me and obstructed my movements."
The practitioner continued, "The personnel from the Chinese embassy in Nepal bribed the Nepalese citizens to pretend to show an interest in learning Falun Gong and to visit a practitioner there in order to get materials such as Falun Gong books and exercise instruction tapes. Thereafter, the practitioner in Nepal continuously received threatening phone calls, one of them telling him that if he continued to practice or teach Falun Gong, they would give his personal information to the Chinese embassy. They also otherwise intimidated this person and wanted him to provide information about Falun Gong, adding that they might also do some bad things to hurt him. These people further tried to extort 2,000 U.S. dollars from him as blackmail for their conditional request to stop them from reporting his information to the Chinese embassy. For safety concerns, that practitioner in Nepal has since moved from his residence. He is still continously receiving threatening phone calls to this day."
Ms. Hong indicated that the Chinese embassy also sent people to the hotel where she was staying, to inquire about her personal information. They also discredited and defamed Falun Gong to the hotel staff and used a combination of persuasion and threats to dissuade them from learning Falun Gong. She said, "Before the Chinese embassy's interference, the boss and the hotel staff practiced the Falun Gong exercises together with me every evening, and they had been practicing very well. But on this most recent visit, the boss did not dare to discuss Falun Gong much; it looked like the boss had received a lot of pressure."
"A similar situation also occurred with the bookstore where I had previously volunteered to give classes to teach the exercises," she continued. "I knew the bookstore salesclerks very well before, and some of them even showed interest in learning the exercises. But when I got there this time, some salesclerks looked at me with a strange expression and appeared to be fearful. They were not willing to discuss Falun Gong much." It has also been reported that some people went to the bookstore and bought up all the Falun Gong books in the bookstore so people who wanted to learn Falun Gong would be unable to find any Falun Gong books.
The Chinese embassies and consulates have obstructed Falun Gong practitioners from teaching the practice and prevented them from participating in community activities around the world. This is one of the well-known approaches that Jiang's group uses to extend the persecution of Falun Gong overseas.
Radio Free Asia Reports on UNHRC Meeting: Falun Gong Practitioners Call for an End to the Persecution and to Bring Jiang and His Followers to Justice
The annual United Nations Human Rights Commission meeting has opened in Geneva. Nearly a thousand Falun Gong practitioners from all over the world, together with human rights groups from various countries, assembled at the United Nations building to call for a dialogue concerning the issue of human rights in China and for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese Government. Below is a summary based upon a recording by Tian-yi, a special correspondent of Radio Free Asia accredited in Germany.
The 60th annual UNHRC meeting opened on Monday, March 15. Since last Friday, nearly a thousand Falun Gong practitioners have arrived in Geneva from all over the world to call for a dialogue concerning human rights in China. Reporters at the United Nations building interviewed Ms Zheng Zhihong, a scholar in the field of law who traveled from Berlin.
Zheng: Right now, several hundred Falun Gong practitioners from all over the world are holding a press conference at the plaza in front of the United Nations building. Victims from Australia and Ireland talked about the torture and mental persecution they suffered while in China. Representatives from some human rights organizations are giving speeches now.
Ms. Zheng Zhihong introduced their appeal of this year: The persecution of Falun Gong has lasted for nearly 5 years. Each year, Falun Gong practitioners have come to the United Nations to call upon the international community to pay attention to the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong in China. Our theme this year is also very clear. We hope that the United Nations will urge the Chinese government to immediately stop its persecution against Falun Gong. At the same time, we request them to bring Jiang Zemin, Luo Gan, Liu Jing and Zhou Yongkang, who are directly responsible for the persecution, to justice.
As for the events they will conduct before or after the meeting began, Ms. Zheng said: Just now, we held a grand parade in the downtown area. Today, we will continue our appeal at the plaza and in the evening, we will hold a candlelight vigil. The climate was great yesterday. We were by the lakeside in the downtown area. Many people came to walk by the lakeside. Of course, many human rights organizations also invited Falun Gong practitioners to join their press conferences and seminars in the U.N. building.
With the green hills and clear waters of Geneva as a backdrop, traditional Chinese costumes embellished with the bright yellow often sported by Falun Gong practitioners, and the music of the orchestra suggesting springtime, it seems likely that these activities will continue until the United Nations Human Rights Commission meeting comes to an end on April 25.
The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Falun Gong -- Practice emphasizes improvement of mind, body
By Beth Pratt
LUBBOCK, Texas -- An astounding number of people around the world are persecuted and tortured solely because of the religion or life philosophy they espouse.
The Chinese government is among the worst offenders as it seeks to keep tight control over its citizens. In recent years, a rapidly growing movement called Falun Gong (also called Falun Dafa) has been a target of repression by the Chinese government, which banned it in July 1999
Adherents of Falun Gong define it as a traditional self-cultivation practice to improve mind and body.
Rooted in ancient Chinese culture, Falun Gong is one of a variety of mind-body-spirit systems [in the Buddha School]. However, followers stress that it is not part of Buddhist or Taoist religions.
Falun Gong was introduced to the public in 1992 by Li Hongzhi, founder.
Spread by word of mouth, the once private practice of Falun Gong has grown by leaps and bounds, especially in China, where its success has alarmed the government and resulted in pressures on individuals to renounce the practice.
Those who have refused to renounce have been persecuted with ransom, forced divorce, social isolation and hard labor as well as various types of imprisonment and torture.
"The Falun Gong Report 2002" provides photos and descriptions of members of the group who have been subjected to various levels of torture, many resulting in death.
"In a 1997 survey, Falun Gong had 70 million, more than (the Communist) Party members," said John Sheen, a Lubbock practitioner of Falun Gong.
Sheen and his wife, Junping Chen, and Barbara Ni are members of the Lubbock Falun Gong exercise and meditation class, which was begun by Cynthia Liu in 2000. She has moved, but the meetings continue. The small core group of four or five welcomes visitors each week. They meet from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturdays in the community room at Mahon Library.
There is no requirement that they meet, but coming together for the exercise and meditation is helpful. When visitors come, more of the time is devoted to teaching the five exercises.
The purpose of the meditation is to empty the mind of all things, Sheen said.
'The American public is so supportive," Ni said. "I am very moved by the sense of human rights here in the United States."
She emphasized her gratitude to Mahon Library for allowing the group to meet there each week.
Falun Gong is not considered a religion, because there is no worship of anyone involved, Ni said.
Ann Hodges started attending the class around Thanksgiving.
"It's a very easy exercise to pick up and follow up with the basics in one afternoon," Hodges said. "I can take it with me, as little or as much as I want."
Ping said, "The exercise itself can be five, 10, 30 minutes or longer. You can do a set anytime. It improves the physical, adjusts the body to ideal condition, and gets the bad energy out, the good energy in."
The exercise may be done at work or at home.
Although the gentle, stretching movements of the exercise are beneficial to health, the greatest benefit comes from the meditation and development of the principles of Falun Gong, which are truthfulness, compassion and forbearance, Ni said.
Those interested in learning more about the philosophy upon which Falun Gong is based are referred to the organization's Web site at www.falundafa.org. Materials may be downloaded at no cost.
The practitioner of Falun Dafa is expected to study the teachings of its founder and perform the five gentle exercises. Benefits range from improved health and energy to mental clarity, stress relief and peace of mind.
Persecution in China has resulted in the spread of Falun Gong to about 60 countries, as practitioners leave in order to survive. Their great concern is for those left behind.
According to Falun Gong reports, more than 1,600 have been tortured to death, more than 100,000 detained and more than 25,000 sent to labor camps. More than 1,000 have been forced into mental hospitals.
Falun Gong members have participated in demonstrations to raise world awareness about the human rights violations in China, including the arrest at the airport a little more than a year ago of Charles Lee, an American citizen who practices Falun Gong. He remains imprisoned in China.
RFA: Falun Gong Practitioners Appeal in Front of United Nation Headquarters in New York to Call Attention to China's Human Rights Violations
According to Radio Free Asia, Falun Gong practitioners from Washington, D.C. and New York appealed at the United Nation headquarters plaza on March 24, 2004. They rallied to call attention to China's human rights record, particularly the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.
A U.S. government spokesman announced on Monday that the U.S. would sponsor a resolution to condemn China's human rights record. Shortly after this, an official from China's Department of Foreign Affairs announced the suspension of China's human rights dialogue with the U.S.
Some Falun Gong practitioners said they had been coming to Geneva since 1999 (when Jiang Zemin began the persecution of Falun Gong) for the annual meeting of the UN Human Rights Commission,. This was their fourth Geneva trip, as the suppression of Falun Gong has not improved. On the contrary, it has been getting worse, and more than 900 people have died as a result of torture.
Other practitioners came to the UN headquarters in New York to echo the appeal in Geneva. Beijing Industry University lecturer Ms. Ye Mingyan had just returned from Geneva from her 5th Geneva trip. In 1998 she went to Geneva and heard Falun Gong founder Mr. Li Hongzhi's lecture in the Palais des Nations. She was one of more than 40 Falun Gong practitioners attending from Mainland China. Ms. Ye said that since the onset of the persecution of Falun Dafa in 1999, few practitioners from Mainland China have been able to participate in activities such as the appeal in Geneva.
Asked for her motivation to travel to Geneva multiple times to appeal, she said, "A number of those 40 practitioners have been forced to become homeless to avoid persecution; some have been tortured to death and others were forced to give up their belief. A few have gone to the opposite side and have helped the evildoers do bad things. I felt very sad when I heard that."
Ms. Ye continued, "In the beginning, everybody knew that Falun Gong is good. Falun Gong was spreading very rapidly. Had Falun Gong not been persecuted, these Falun Gong practitioners would all be healthy, both physically and mentally. They helped society to improve its morality, and they would never have done things that betrayed their own conscience against Falun Gong, because they had truly gained benefits from practicing Falun Gong."
The petitioners read the appeal letter, which was addressed to The Honorable Mr. Kofi Annan, Secretary General of United Nation. They requested that the international community investigate the persecution in China and put Jiang Zemin on trial.
Japan: Sankei Shimbun News Reveals that China Used All Possible Means to Stop Falun Gong's Registration as a Legal Organization
Sankei Shimbun, one of the four major news media in Japan, published an article written by the Tokyo governor on March 8. The article revealed that Falun Gong in Japan submitted an application to the Tokyo State Government to register as a non-profit organization. At the time, the Chinese Consulate in Japan used all possible means to stop the registration.
The article mentioned that, "Historically, it is obvious that a communist party dictatorship, which is based on military force, won't last long. The hysterical suppression of Falun Gong by the Beijing government is one example of this. In fact, when the non-profit organization registration procedure was initially carried out, Falun Gong members living in Tokyo had applied to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government for registration as a legal non-profit organization. However, the Chinese Consulate in Japan, publicly and privately, tried to persuade the Liberal Democratic Party members of the Tokyo state assembly to hold back the registration."
Tokyo's governor said in the article, "For a self-cultivation organization, it should have been very easy to get approval for the registration, regardless of differing opinions." "I was somewhat surprised at China's overreaction on this issue."
Later on, Falun Gong in Japan successfully registered in another organizational category.
Falun Gong Practitioners' Personal Experience
Falun Gong Brought Me Back to Life
I am now 78 years old and have been practicing Falun Gong for eight years.
Before I began practicing, I had never led a happy life. My parents passed away when I was 13 years old. Disasters and health problems surrounded me. My health problems were well known by the doctors in my village clinic, the township health center, and the city hospital, since I visited them every year. The key problem was that I was allergic to medicine. None of the doctors dared give me any injections or prescriptions. I believed in hospital treatment then. Because I was poor, whenever I fell ill, I would try hard to go without treatment until I was unable to stand it. Tracheitis and pulmonary emphysema accompanied me for most of my life. Later, I developed rheumatoid arthritis. When I was 71, I nearly died. Lying in bed, I could not even move my hands and legs. I had to be fed by others, and could not go to the restroom. My thinking was also muddled. My elder son returned home to see me. My other children called him "brother." I also called him "brother." When my children called my husband "dad," I also followed and called him "dad," so everyone thought that I did not have much time left to live.
Right at that time, on March 8, 1996, my children started practicing Falun Gong. Soon after, they also gave me a set of Teacher's Fa lecture tapes to listen to. They played the tape to me. While listening, I gradually understood. All the disasters and health problems during my life were just because of my karma from before. I learned that Teacher will lead us home, eliminate our karma and purify our bodies for us. After two months, my brain finally cleared up, and I could sit up and eat meals on my own. I also learned the five sets of exercises. My only problem is that I still have difficulty walking. Gradually, I learned to read. When I was learning, I would ask anyboby I met how to pronounce the characters I didn't know. After more than one year, I, a 70-year-old who had been illiterate before, could read Falun Gong books.
During the eight years since I started practicing Falun Gong, I've never needed to take any medication. Words cannot express my gratitude to Master Li.
The People Awaken to the Truth in China
A Policeman Takes His Family to my Home for knowing the Truth
My husband was imprisoned by the police for clarifying the truth about Falun Gong.
After several days, the police took me to the detention center and asked me, "Do you want your husband to be sentenced or released?"
I said, "Certainly I want him to be released. He did not violate any laws. Why would you sentence him?"
The police replied, "Then you need to inform on another Dafa practitioner and when we arrest that person, we will release your husband."
I saw that one of the police officers there had a little Buddha statuette hanging on his neck. I thought this person might be a believer in religion. I asked him, "Why do you wear an image of the Buddha around your neck?" He didn't know what to say.
I said, "You do not even have a superficial understanding of Buddhism. Falun Dafa is a righteous law and a way to achieve enlightenment."
As soon as he heard that, he said immediately, "Don't talk about Falun Gong. I have to support my wife and child." (He said this because he feared having his pay docked by his superiors for listening to teachings of a banned spirituality.)
I calmly looked into his eyes and sent forth righteous thoughts and recited silently, "Falun Dafa is good. Zhen-Shan-Ren is good." At the same time, I asked Teacher to give me wisdom to be able to clarify the truth to him and save him. The policeman asked, "Why are you looking at me?" I told him, "You have been deceived by Jiang's media."
I explained about the staged self-immolation in Tiananmen Square and about the labor camps persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. I told him how more than 900 Falun Gong practitioners have been persecuted to death. I also mentioned the rapid growth of Falun Gong in China and that more than 60 countries overseas support Falun Gong.
Finally, I pointed out the fundamental reason for the persecution of Falun Gong: Jiang's jealousy and his personal agenda. I listed the many health benefits received from practicing Falun Gong in our local area, and especially emphasized that Falun Gong practitioners would never participate in politics or oppose the government. "We clarify the truth not out of hate, but to eradicate the lies that are deceiving people."
While I clarified the truth in depth, the policeman's facial expression changed from anger, hostility and fear and became quite relaxed. Finally, he smiled with understanding. He said, "We've often wondered why so many educated people practice, and why other countries do not oppose it. I also want to practice Falun Gong!"
After we said good-bye, on my way home, he called me on my mobile phone. He said, "You can show me the practice one day."
I said, "You try to find a way to release my husband first."
After my husband was released, that policeman brought quite a few of his family members to my home and they listened to me telling them the facts about Falun Gong.
A Voluntary Distributor of Falun Gong Truth-Clarifying Materials
An elderly retired worker who erected a small, roadside plastic canopy to provide haircuts for passers-by. He greatly values the booklets, pamphlets and flyers distributed by Falun Gong practitioners. Whenever he is free, he goes around to collect all those booklets, pamphlets and flyers that were thrown away, then cleans and keeps them. Not only does he read the flyers, he also distributes them to others and normally briefs his clients about how the Falun Gong practitioners are being persecuted.
Those who know him often ask him for news. He says: "Recently, Jiang Zemin was served with lawsuits by Falun Gong practitioners in several countries, and he will be prosecuted one day!" He holds a large quantity of Falun Dafa truth clarifying materials and is often referred to as a voluntary distributor of Falun Gong materials.
(Clearwisdom.net) During the course of cultivating in the Fa-rectification period, there have been several times when I have felt worried, frustrated and anxious. There have been many tribulations that tore at my heart and tested my faith. I have failed quite a few tests because of the lack of righteous thoughts. While working on Fa-rectification projects, I have oftentimes felt pain because of looking at things with an unclear mind and human attachments.
Yet, sometimes when I have studied the Fa a lot, am clearheaded and am able to look at things from the perspective of a larger scope instead of my tiny human attachments, I feel the immense joy and peace of validating the Fa. I feel that I am doing and carrying out the sacred mission that I have waited countless time periods for.
While assisting Teacher in validating the Fa, because we slack off on Fa-study, we often look at things with strong human notions and attachments. For instance, we prefer to take part in big projects, which we believe will save more beings, rather than small ones. We feel anxious when things are not going according to plan. We feel worried when the result of a particular project is not up to our expectations. When the world's people do not understand us, we even start to wonder, "Are we really doing something purposeful?"
But, instead of looking at things narrowly with our human thoughts, when we really do take a look at it from a much larger perspective, all these things vanish into nothing. What are Dafa disciples doing during the Fa-rectification period?
We are assisting Teacher to rectify the Fa. We are carrying out a sacred mission that directly determines the futures of so many sentient beings and future cosmoses.
Looking at it from that perspective, aren't we blessed? During this period of the Fa-rectification, all of us who have had the predestined fortune to obtain the Fa and assist Teacher have been given the best of everything.
Indeed, Teacher had us do these things not for Teacher or Dafa, but truly for us to succeed in cultivation.
I first heard Master talk about this portion of the Fa in "Fa-Lecture During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference":
"I can tell you, all those things that you do are actually done for yourselves--not a single thing is done for me. At the same time, I can tell you that since the day you started cultivation, and all the way up to today, none of what I've told you or what I've asked you to do was for others. Your cultivation can benefit humankind and society, in cultivation Dafa disciples can become more mature toward one another, and while being persecuted Dafa disciples can reduce the pressure and the losses from the evil persecution. But all of these are by-products. The real purpose of all those things you do is for you to succeed."
I was stunned. I had always thought that I was doing things for Dafa and for Master.
Yet, since then, I have slowly come to realize how much doing the three things --studying the Fa, clarifying the facts and sending righteous thoughts -- are really benefiting my true self! When I do the three things well, I truly feel a sort of inner cleansing.
For instance, one time, I was involved in activities to hand out flyers and collect petitions from people as support for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong. It was a typical experience -- there were people who had never heard about Falun Gong before, there were those who signed whole-heartedly, those who did not care at all, and those who misunderstood Falun Gong.
But when the day had ended, and as we packed up our items, I felt a powerful inner cleansing. Because I had studied the Fa a lot earlier in the day, I felt more sensitive and that I could understand what had really been going on. I felt immense cosmic bodies inside my main body being rectified, purified and saved. I felt as if countless sentient beings were expressing their gratitude to me from inside my body!
Sometimes, I have even used this excuse -- "We will not get much support, or nothing much will happen by handing out flyers or doing this event" -- to not take part in Dafa activities. I always try to take part in activities that I feel will have more impact, which more people will support, etc. But that one day's event truly showed me how beyond surface appearances, many things were happening to ourselves, as well.
My understanding is that when we truly do the three things to the best of our abilities, we are consummating countless cosmic bodies and rectifying the Fa. It may appear as though there has not been much effect on the human surface, but the effect is huge in other dimensions. Also, even if we do not get much support on the surface while validating Dafa, we should remember that it is secondary. Of course, more support for Dafa is very good, but it is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that as we validate Dafa and do the three things well, we are purifying ourselves, saving sentient beings in our cosmic bodies and consummating everything that we should.
These understandings of mine are still incomplete. I only wish to express my viewpoints about how fortunate we are to be given a chance to rectify the Fa in the human world.
(Clearwisdom.net) In the article "Melt Into the Fa," Master wrote, "A person is like a container, and he is whatever he contains. All of what a person sees with the eyes and hears with the ears are: violence, lust, power struggles in literary works, struggles for profit in the practical world, money worship, other manifestations of demon-nature, and so on." (from Essentials for Further Advancement)
In Mainland China, in order to reach the goal of completely eliminating Falun Gong, besides brutal physical tortures, the old forces also use the most vicious brainwashing methods to try and poison us. During our detention period, they forcefully infuse Dafa slandering things into our minds from morning to night. They force us to read books, watch videos and listen to audio recordings that slander Dafa. Furthermore, several people surround us trying to brainwash us around the clock, trying to infuse those rotten materials into our brains to replace Dafa. Under this most vicious mental torture, Dafa practitioners must use righteous thoughts to guide themselves in order to not be interfered with by them.
However, in such an evil environment, because of those Dafa practitioners' not being able to study the Fa, and not being able to send forth righteous thoughts, their own dimensional fields were stuffed with many evil beings and evil factors. After they got out of those vicious places, if they could not realize the damage or seriousness of the brainwashing, and could not act quickly to clean up the mess, then they would find themselves in long periods of tribulations. Their thoughts would drift while studying the Fa, they could not concentrate while sending forth righteous thoughts and they could not stay tranquil while doing the exercises. Some seriously affected ones were in a state of sleepiness from the weakness of their master consciousnesses. Their righteous thoughts were weak, they felt tired, or could not become diligent. Furthermore, they would not get up early to do the exercises; when the alarm clock sounded, they turned it off unconsciously. Those more seriously affected could not get up even when other practitioners called them. Thus they could not practice as usual.
Regarding the issue of not being able to do the exercises, Master said in Zhuan Falun, "For one thing, the movements are for reinforcing abilities. And what's 'reinforcing' about? It's about using your mighty potency to fortify your abilities, and it makes them stronger and stronger." I understand that if we do not do the exercises, our "abilities" will not get fortified, which will affect the results of sending forth righteous thoughts. If we cannot concentrate our minds, we will not be able to ensure the quality of sending forth righteous thoughts, and thus cannot utilize the power of the righteous thoughts. "When your mind isn't at peace, studying the Fa is not effective." ("A Heavy Blow," Essentials for Further Advancement) If our mind is not on the Fa, our study will have no effect. How can we do well the three things Master has asked us to do under this kind of situation? If our cultivation state is not stable, the evil will take advantage of this to impose more persecution, and their ultimate goal is to destroy us.
Looking at all kinds of situations of their fellow practitioners, other practitioners often could not understand, or even felt confused, especially concerning those who righteously came out of the labor camps. They thought these practitioners were able to break through because of their strong righteous thoughts and good cultivation states. However, everyone ignored the consequence of their long period of brainwashing by the evil. Some practitioners thought their problems were because of their attachments, omissions, or they did not intend to overcome the problems, etc. Did they deserve being arrested even if they had attachments? Did they deserve being persecuted even if they had omissions? Are there any practitioners who do not have any attachment or omission? Isn't this acknowledging the old forces' arrangements? Master asked us to reject everything from all aspects, and not to accept the persecution by the evils. We should not accept this as well.
How can we do away with all of this and walk out of the tribulation then?
Master said in, "Eliminate Demonic Nature (With Master's Comments)" "The understanding is very good. With regard to the manifestation of thought karma, the damage that the evil forces have created for us, and our clarifying the truth to people, we are actively eliminating the demons instead of condoning or passively enduring; but our thoughts and actions must be benevolent." I came to understand that we must take the initiative to clean up any impure materials in our own dimensional field, and not deal with them passively. We should prolong the five minutes of cleaning up our own space before sending forth righteous thoughts. Practitioners who have been detained or brainwashed before should more specifically and more effectively clean up those evil factors that were forcefully infused. The length of time can be decided according to one's personal situation. During the elimination process, a reverse result could come out, or even worse situation could take place. However, we should not feel disappointed and should not give up. We must have the courage to completely eliminate it. We must realize at this moment that its madness is its desperation before death, trying to confuse us and make us question the effectiveness of our righteous thoughts. Master said in Zhuan Falun, "But most people can use their strong minds (their strong master consciousnesses) to get rid of it, to fight it. That shows that this guy can be saved, and that he can tell good from bad, and it means that his comprehension is good. My Law Bodies will help him remove most of that thought-karma. This situation is pretty common. When it comes up, it all depends on whether the person can overcome these bad thoughts. When you can stay steadfast we can eliminate karma." If we can withstand its interference and persist to the end, we will be able to eliminate it and our thought karma will be reduced. Everything will turn to our side and we can quickly pass through this tribulation.
(Clearwisdom.net) In 2000, the police abducted me and took me to a forced labor camp. I experienced two years of persecution there.
One night just after New Year's Day in 2001, I was lying in bed. Suddenly I heard a fellow practitioner saying, "Listen, the Pudu music!" I immediately got up and opened the window. The familiar music reverberated throughout the room and shook everyone. Tears of joy covered our faces. I said silently to myself, "My fellow practitioners out there, thank you for your efforts!"
The guards found out the music was playing. They shouted madly and closed all of the windows, but the music was still playing, resounding above the labor camp and frightening the evil. It inspired us greatly to hear the music in such an evil environment.
Afterward I found out that there were many banners around the labor camp and a tape player on a timer was hung on an electric post that evening. The police tried to take away the tape player but failed because it was dark. They had to wait until dawn to take the player down. With encouragement from fellow practitioners, some practitioners who had been forced to yield started to announce that the "transformation" was void and they would firmly practice Dafa.
Just before the Chinese New Year of 2001, the labor camp gathered many pictures slandering Falun Dafa and hung them along the hallway going to the cells. The practitioners in each room decided to act and to do it together during the night. After 9:00 p.m., all the rooms were locked. The police used the thickest steel cable to seal the windows too. In the beginning, we kept thinking about how to get the door. Then we realized that these thoughts were not right and that we should strengthen our righteous thoughts through our divine natures. At that moment, nobody could sleep and we were all preparing for what we had decided we must do. Around mid-night, I heard the sounds of my fellow practitioners opening the doors of all the rooms and practitioners coming out barefoot. Nobody said a word. We tore down all the pictures on the walls in just a few seconds. Then we all went back to the rooms and lay down on the beds. When the guards came out, they did not see anyone. The police were so mad that they shouted loudly. But they were shaking because the locks on all the doors were gone. We looked at each other under the cover of the bed sheets with great joy in our hearts.
Since then, we started to destroy all kinds of evil books and magazines that slander Falun Dafa. There were over 100 copies of such books in our rooms. When we went to the restroom in the night, each practitioner took two copies and tore them up then threw them into the garbage or sewer. We destroyed all those books in just a couple of days. The police felt puzzled and did not know what was going on. They did not dare to ask and it was over just like that.
(Clearwisdom.net)
A Farmer in Xiejia Village, Yushu City Proclaims: "Falun Dafa Saved Our Whole Family!"
Ni Xiaohui is a 27-year-old villager in Yushu City, Jilin Province. His parents are farmers and he is their youngest child. While doing odd jobs out of town, Ni Xiaohui was infected with a sexually transmitted disease. When the disease inflamed, he would find blood in his urine. His family spent 50,000 yuan (1) in search of a cure, but nothing helped. One day Ni Xiaohui learned Falun Gong and within the year, he completely recovered. He continues to practice the exercises and studies the Falun Gong teachings each day.
His parents tell their son's story to others, saying, "Falun Gong is so wonderful. Falun Dafa saved our son's life and brought hope to our lives. Our son is able to work again! We are so thankful to Dafa, and to Master Li."
Insulting Dafa Brings Loss of Life, While Accepting the Truth of Dafa Brings Recovery from Cancer
Written by a practitioner in Nanyang City, Henan Province
Near the end of 2002, I was sitting with the younger brother-in-law of my cousin at her son's wedding ceremony. When I was clarifying the truth to my cousin's brother-in-law, he didn't want to listen and aggressively insulted Master Li and Falun Gong, quoting the lies shown on TV. Later I told him about the heavenly principle that "Good will be rewarded with good and evil will be met with evil." However, he still didn't want to listen or believe in what I said.
One year later I again visited my cousin, and she told me that her brother-in-law died around the Chinese New Year. He was only in his forties. She said that one day he was bothered by a sudden pain in his chest and went to the hospital for a check up. He learned that he had lung cancer. He had paid 170,000 yuan for an operation to try to save his life at a Beijing hospital, but I know clearly in my heart that his death is retribution for his insulting Falun Dafa.
One of my classmates was in his fifties. He underwent an operation to halt the spread of cancer four years ago. I visited him and clarified the truth to him. He was able to understand everything that I said; so later I brought Falun Gong materials for him to read. He even read the book Zhuan Falun. Now he has completely recovered and returned to work. This is the good return he received for treating Falun Dafa with respect.
My Non-Practitioner Husband Enlightens to the Importance of Respecting Falun Dafa after Suffering Retribution
Written by practitioner in Zhucheng, Shandong
Seemingly by accident, in May 1996 I discovered the book Zhuan Falun on my colleague's desk. From that point on, I followed the path of cultivation, and it was filled with wonderful occurrences. I later brought more Dafa materials home and hung Teacher's photo on the wall.
One night, my husband returned home after moderate drinking, and seeing Teacher's photo on the wall he removed it, saying the photo should not been hung. I told him right away, "You will get bad returns for not respecting Teacher" (I had just started practicing Falun Dafa and did not use compassion, nor cultivate my speech in this situation). Three days later, the thumb of his right hand suddenly became red, swollen, itchy and painful. He went to the hospital, but they could not explain it either. My husband then realized his fault and knelt in front of Teacher's photo, saying, "I did something disrespectful to Teacher, please forgive me." He said that he would believe in Falun Dafa. The next day his injured thumb began to recover. Within 3-4 days it was completely recovered. Now, even though my husband isn't seriously cultivating (he still drinks alcohol), he is still clarifying the truth and saving people in a positive manner.
(1) Chinese currency; 500 yuan is equal to the average monthly salary of an urban worker in China.
Thursday April 22, 1:46 PM
China has stepped control of the Internet in its largest city Shanghai with the installation of video surveillance equipment and software in public places.
The directive from the Shanghai Culture, Radio, Film and TV Administration was designed to prevent the surfing of banned websites and to stop people under 16 from entering Internet bars, the Shanghai Daily said.
Authorities have already installed video cameras in every Internet cafe in the city so officials can keep track of youngsters' movements, the newspaper said.
The yet-to-be installed software will force users to input personal identification data to log on, while a supervisory centre will monitor surfing and check whether a cafe was illegally operating at night, it said.
Foreigners will have to input their passport number.
"The software, which cost seven million yuan (850,000 dollars) to develop, can help supervise more than 110,000 computers at the city's 1,325 Internet bars and spot illegal activities immediately," the paper quoted project director Yu Wenchang as saying.
The measures are part of a six-month campaign by municipal authorities, which began this month, to crackdown on Internet bars.
Fifty-seven net bars have been punished or shut down in the city so far.
There are roughly 70 million Internet users in China, putting the world's most populous nation second behind the United States in terms of people online.
The Internet explosion is both a blessing and a curse for the Chinese authorities, who want people to be more tech-savvy without absorbing too many foreign ideas or spreading anti-government messages.
Internet users are frequently jailed for posting articles critical of the government.
Source: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/040422/1/3joas.html
(Clearwisdom.net)
1. [Laixi City, Shandong Province] Over Ten Dafa Practitioners from Zhonggezhuang Village Are Taken Away by Police
On February 11, 2004, some practitioners from Zhonggezhuang Village and several practitioners from other villages gathered together at practitioner Wang Hongxi's home to share experiences. Policemen from the Malianzhuang Police Station surrounded the home. Wang Hongxi and another practitioner managed to escape, but the other 12 practitioners were arrested.
After Wang Qingtang became the village's Party Secretary, he has been doing things against Dafa and had people report Dafa practitioners to the police. Wang Qingtang and Li Honggao ordered the arrests. They stood by the door after breaking into the practitioner's home to stop people from escaping and cut off the telephone line. The next day, they ransacked the practitioners' homes one by one. They sawed open the door of practitioner Wang Qingan's home and took away all of the Dafa books and materials. They also took away a lot of books in other practitioners' homes. Teacher's picture, exercise demo tapes and discs in practitioner Ms. Zhao Guihua's house were all confiscated. Even now, elderly practitioners Ms. Wang Shuqing and Zhao Guihua still can't go back home.
2. [Pengzhou City, Sichuan Province] Dafa Practitioner Chen Liqing Secretly Taken Away for Many Days; His Whereabouts Remain Unknown
3. [Chibi City, Hubei Province] Multiple Dafa Practitioners Arrested While Distributing Dafa Truth-Clarifying Materials
In mid-March 2004, Dafa practitioner Fu Ximin from Chibi City's Paper Factory was arrested and put in a detention center by the police while distributing truth-clarifying materials.
At 5:00 p.m. on March 22, the police from Chibi Town arrested Dafa practitioners Xiong Baisong and Chen Caiwang while they were distributing truth-clarifying materials, and later put them into a detention center. The two practitioners had been earlier arrested in the Provincial Brainwashing Class, and Chen Wangcai was once detained for three years.
4. [Tongling City, Anhui Province] Dafa Practitioner Ms. Xia Yongfang is Arrested for Clarifying the Truth to Passengers in the Bus
Dafa practitioner Ms. Xia Yongfang from Tongling City, along with a practitioner by the last name of Zhang, clarified the truth of Dafa to the passengers in a bus on their way to Lixin City. They were later reported to the police. They are now being held at the Tongling City No.1 Detention Center.
5. [Dehui City, Jilin Province] Dafa Practitioner Deng Baojin is Arrested and Beaten Up
On March 20, 2004, when Dafa practitioner Ms. Deng Baojin was cleaning the closets at her home, suddenly some plainclothes personnel broke in and claimed that they were from the police department. They forced Deng Baojin to go upstairs and open the door, and they turned the house upside down. Later, they put her in a detention center. They also wanted to take Deng's son-in-law away, but fortunately did not succeed.
It was reported that two to three days prior to the arrest, a white van often cruised around Deng's home. It didn't have a registered plate, and the driver was a plainclothes policeman. After Deng Baojin was arrested, the police tortured her to try to get a confession from her. Policemen physically abused her to the point where her face was unrecognizable.
6. [Chongqing] Arrests of Four Practitioners from Xijiang County's Songzao Coal Mine
March 22, 2004, was the date of the county fair in Anwen Town, Xijiang County, Chongqing City. At around 11:00 a.m., Dafa practitioners Mr. Li Zhengyin, 63, Ms. Liu Guoying, 59, Ms. Yang Guozheng, 56, and Ms. Xu Hui, 35, were clarifying the truth of Falun Gong to the local people in the fair. They sharing their personal experiences of benefiting physically and mentally from the Falun Gong practice. While they were doing so, some policemen from the Anwen Police Station suddenly arrested them without showing a warrant. At around 8:00 p.m., the four practitioners' homes were ransacked.
7. [Langfang City, Hebei Province] Practitioner Ren Ping Sentenced to Three Years of Forced Labor
Dafa practitioner Ren Ping was arrested at home and taken to Tangshan City's Detention Center and sentenced to three years of forced labor. The details are unclear.
Tangshan City's Kaiping Forced Labor Camp in Hebei Province (also called Hebei Province No.1 Forced Labor Camp): 86-315-3363751, 86-315-3363752
Director Xu Deshan: 86-315-2020980 (home)
Deputy Director: Ran Daguo: 86-315-2011861 (home)
8. [Dalian City, Liaoning Province] Arrest of Practitioner Ms. Xin Yuying While Distributing Truth Clarification Materials
Practitioner Ms. Xin Yuying is from Shahekou District of Dalian City. Someone reported her while she was distributing truth clarification materials in Xishan Village on March 25, 2004. Policemen from Xishan Village's Police Precinct arrested her. She is presently being detained at Dalian City's Yaojia Detention Center.
Xishan Village's Police Precinct: 86-411-84632936
Address: Xishan Street #1, Xishan Village, Shahekou District, Dalian City, zip: 116021
9. [Nanzhao County, Henan Province] Arrest of Dafa Practitioner Ms. Cao Yi
On around March 10, 2004, Dafa practitioner Ms. Cao Yi from Nanzhao County of Henan Province was illegally arrested from her home and then detained at the county's detention center for ten days. After her release, she was again sent to a detention center. The details are under investigation.
10. [Anshan City, Liaoning Province] Arrest of Dafa Practitioners Jiang Juming, Zhang Sumei and Zhang Sufang
On March 17, 2004, when Dafa practitioner Ms. Jiang Juming, 48 years old, was having lunch at home, policemen broke into her house and sent her to the Mingyueshan Detention Center.
Policemen from the Tiedong Police Department and the Duilu Police Station arrested Dafa practitioners Ms. Zhang Sumei and Ms. Zhang Sufang.
11. [Guilin City, Guangxi Province] Dafa Practitioner Li Yanzi Is Arrested For Clarifying the Truth About Falun Gong
Dafa practitioner Ms. Li Yanzi was followed and reported to the police. On March 16, 2004, policemen of the Diecai District Police Department of Guilin City's Police Department arrested her. Currently she is being detained at the Guilin City No.2 Detention Center.
Relevant phone numbers:
No.1 section of Guilin City Police Department: 86-773-2823218
Diecai District Police Department: 86-773-2801941
12. [Huaihua City, Hunan Province] Zhongfang County "610 Office" Slanders Dafa
With instructions from the Huaihua City "610 Office"(1), the Zhongfang County "610 Office" did its best to organize a so-called "propaganda group" to attack and slander Falun Gong at the county's agriculture markets and schools. It was reported by Huaihua Daily on March 23 that on March 14, Zhongfang County government organized the teachers of the county's No.2 Secondary School, all school principals in Tiepo Township and the deputy heads in charge of the legal system to join an activity held at the county No. 2 Secondary School. As of March 18, the "Propaganda Group" has held thirteen seminars in the county.
In addition, it was reported on Huahua Daily on February 29, at the beginning of the new semester, Hongjiang City Education Bureau required all primary and secondary schools of the city to focus on "five courses," one of which is the so-called "education course" to slander Dafa.
(1) The "610 Office" is an agency specifically established to persecute Falun Gong, with absolute power over each level of administration in the Party and all other political and judiciary systems.
(Clearwisdom.net)
1. [Shenyang City, Liaoning Province] Practitioner Huang Guifen is Still Suffering the Persecution at the Masanjia Forced Labor Camp
News from March 12, 2004: Dafa practitioner Ms. Huang Guifen from Fuxin City, Liaoning Province is 55 years old. For at least one year, she has been suffering from excruciating torture at the Masanjia Forced Labor Camp, and is having problems walking. Nonetheless Huang Guifen remains determined in her belief in Dafa. The Masanjia Forced Labor Camp authorities secretly transferred her from the No.2 Team of the No.1 Brigade to a dark room in the No.1 Team of the same brigade. There is no bed in the room, and she has to sleep on the ground. She is constantly monitored and receives her food through a small window.
2. [Huludao City, Liaoning Province] Many Practitioners Recently Arrested
At 4:30 p.m. on March 15, 2004, some policemen, with the excuse of renting a room, duped Dafa practitioner Cheng Guoxue to open the door for them. Seven or eight policemen broke into the house, and surrounded Chen Guoxue and his family members. They ransacked the house, confiscated four cell phones, three gold rings, two gold necklaces, a TV set, and all the desks/tables. They even poked the ceiling open, searched all the quilts and then pulled them to the ground and stomped on them, and threw eggs everywhere. They arrested Chen Guoxue and his two sons. They are holding them at Jinzhou City's National Security Team and forbade them to meet their family members when they sent their clothes.
3. [Beining City, Liaoning Province] Many Practitioners and Family Members Arrested
On April 1, 2004, over a dozen policemen from Jinzhou City Police Department, Linghai City Police Department, Beining City Police Department, and Goubangzi Town Police Department surrounded Dafa practitioner Ms. Meng Guiqiu's home in Goubangzi Town, Beining City. They arrested Meng Guiqiu and her non-practitioner husband for no reason, and later on put them in Beining City Detention Center. Police also arrested practitioners Ma Xishan and Li Qingda.
Relevant telephone numbers (Country code 86, area code 416, don't dial area code before a cell phone number):
Chang Kai, secretary of Beining City Political & Judiciary Committee: 6625998
(Home)
Qi Tiecheng from the "610 Office": 6635958 (Home) and 6628630 (Office)
Directors of Beining City Police Department:
Wang Junren: 6600110 (Office)
Li Chunzhi: 6624653 (Home)
Lu Zhenfu: 6627959 (Home)
Liu Chunxiang: 6631186 (Home)
Li Guoqiang from National Security Team: 6600019 (Home) and 13904961158 (Cell)
Yin Yiquan, deputy director of Beining City Detention Center: 6628705 (Home)
Goubangzi Town Police Department: 6652581
4. [Shenyang City, Liaoning Province] "610 Office" Police Surround Practitioner Muo Lina at her Residence
At around 7:00 a.m. on April 5, 2004, the "610 Office(1)" police led by Li Xia (who was a practitioner, but had been brainwashed) surrounded practitioner Ms. Mo Lina's house in Shenyang City. Both sides are at an impasse.
5. [Shenyang City, Liaoning Province] Illegal Detention of Falun Gong Practitioner Wen Wei in the Huazi Prison
Mr. Wen Wei, born in 1968, was working in the Women's Ziqiang School of Shenyang City Police Department as a police officer. He started to practice Falun Gong in 1996. Because he said "Falun Dafa is great," his work unit fired him in October 1999. In July 2001, he was arrested while distributing truth-clarification materials in Dadong District, and was sentenced to three years of imprisonment. At present he is being detained at the Huazi Prison.
6. [Shenyang City, Liaoning Province] Recent Information on Some of the Practitioners Detained and Persecuted in the Zhangshi Forced Labor Camp
Practitioner Dong Yiran was sentenced to two and a half years of forced labor. In the Spring Festival of 2004, he was sent to the brainwashing class in the Zhangshi Forced Labor Camp.
Since February 11, 2004, practitioner Mr. Liu Xianyong has been on a hunger strike to protest the persecution. He is presently being detained in the No. 3 Division of the Zhangshi Forced Labor Camp.
Practitioners Zhang Jia'an and Chen Song are currently being detained in the No. 2 Division of the Zhangshi Forced Labor Camp.
Practitioner Mr. Yan Hongwei was sentenced to three years of forced labor. His detention term expired on February 25, 2004. However, due to his determined belief, his detention term was extended by three months. Now he is on a hunger strike to resist the persecution.
Practitioner Huang Xin is now detained in the No. 6 Team of the No. 9 Division in the Masanjia Female Prison.
7. [Wuhan City, Hubei Province] Policemen from the Yangluo Street Police Precinct Detain Practitioner Ms. Wang Youmei at the Liuji Brainwashing Class
At 2:40 p.m. on March 11, 2004, several thugs including Pan Bichu, Li Cuihua (female) from Xinzhou District Yangluo Street Community Office, and Ye Xianjun from the Yangluo Street Police Precinct arrested practitioner Ms. Wang Youmei while she was working and then sent her to the Liuji Brainwashing Class.
Related telephone numbers:
Yangluo Street Community Office: 86-27-86961136
Yangluo Street Police Precinct Office: 86-27-86961771, Chief Office: 86-27-86967901
8. [Wuhan City, Hubei Province] The "610 Office" Forces Schools to Post Propaganda Pictures That Slander Dafa
Before the Spring Festival, authorities in Wuhan City distributed many pieces of propaganda which slandered Dafa and Master. All towns, villages, residential committees and schools in Xinzhou District distributed the materials including a picture book and a book for inside distribution full of fabricated and distorted facts that slander Falun Gong.
In February 2004, with the instruction of the "610 Office," the education system forced all primary, secondary and high schools to exhibit these materials for seven days. Some schools even sent special personnel to explain them and to thereby brainwash the students. The "610 Office" officials even had some personnel inspect the progress of the brainwashing. However, some village schools know Dafa is good so they didn't cooperate with the activity.
Some practitioners went to schools and tore up the propaganda on the spot, which effectively shocked the evil. Afterwards, Cheng Kangyan, the associate major of Wuhan City ordered officials in the Xinzhou District to put six Dafa practitioners into the Liuji Brainwashing Class. Cheng Kangyan claimed to hold three terms of brainwashing classes and would force practitioners to give up their belief.
9. [Wuhan City, Hubei Province] Arrests of Dafa Practitioner Zou Shuangfen and Her Husband Because of Distributing Truth-clarifying Materials
In March 2004, Ms. Zou Shuangfen and her husband, who are Dafa practitioners from Dongxihu District, Wuhan City, were arrested because of distributing truth-clarifying materials.
10. [Jilin City, Jilin Province] Dafa Practitioner Wang Guihua Is Sentenced to Ten Years of Imprisonment and is Currently Appealing
Dafa practitioner Ms. Wang Guihua from Jilin City has been detained for nearly seven months. During her detention, she was sentenced to ten years of imprisonment and was detained at Jilin City's No.1 Detention Center. Wang Guihua has the right to appeal. Currently she is appealing at Jilin City Intermediate Court and the No.2 Criminal Department is in charge of the case.
(Country code: 86, Area code: 432)
Jilin City Intermediate People's Court
Address: No.5 East Songjiang Road, Jilin City, Jilin Province, Postcode: 132002
Telephone switchboard: 2489089
Fax: 2489074
The No.2 Criminal Department of the court
Li Changji, the Director, 2489016 ext 8835
Guo Yanfeng, the Deputy Director, 2489016 ext 8833
Guan Xuying, the Deputy Director, 2489016 ext 8831
Note:
1. The "610 Office" is an agency specifically established to persecute Falun Gong, with absolute power over each level of administration in the Party and all other political and judiciary systems.
(Clearwisdom.net)
Editors' Note: In both Western and Chinese culture, the principle of karmic retribution, that is, being held ultimately accountable for one's own actions, is widely accepted. The fundamental teaching of Falun Gong is the characteristic of the universe, "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance." The universe will reward actions that are in harmony with this principle, while actions such as beating, torturing and murdering people will incur karmic retribution. Stated another way, good deeds will be rewarded with good, while evildoings will meet due retribution. Articles such as this one are meant as a compassionate reminder of this principle to those who would commit wrongdoing. While many of those who persecute Falun Gong are merely "following orders," the universal law requires that they, too, be held responsible for their actions, and that only by reversing their course of wrongdoing may they escape retribution.
Policeman Zhai Guosheng lives in Baishan Village, Jianping County, Liaoning Province. He works in the Jianping County Taipingzhuang Police Station. After July 20, 1999, he participated many times in beating practitioners and slandering Dafa.
In January 2000, after drinking with prostitutes, while riding his motorcycle Zhai Guosheng had an accident with another motorcycle, which resulted in a head injury. He was hospitalized for his injuries. He is currently blind in one eye and still cannot speak coherently. The other rider involved in the accident was uninjured.
Phone number of Taipingzhuang Police Station, Jianping County, Chaoyang City, Liaoning Province: 86-421-7381007
Kong Xingchen, former Political Legal Secretary of Taipingzhuang Village, Jianping County, Zhaoyang City, Liaoning Province, participated in persecuting Dafa practitioners many times. One time, after he slapped a practitioner's face, his hand experienced a sharp pain, and he could not do simple things like using chopsticks with that hand for more than a month.
Wang Shuhui, male, 68 years old, lived in Haojia Village, Taipingzhuang Village, Jianping County, Zhaoyang City, Liaoning Province. He monitored practitioners' activities and reported them to village and county authorities. He suddenly became ill in June 2002 and was diagnosed with cancer. He died shortly thereafter.
Tang Zhenlin lived in Liangxinbao Town, Junshan Area, Yueyang City, Hunan Province. He was the director of the Sifenchang Fabric Factory. In 2000, he and Liao Luosheng, who worked in the safety department in the factory, went to Beijing to take back those practitioners appealing in Beijing. On the way back, the factory manager called and instructed Liao to buy sleeper car seats for the elderly female practitioners to sleep on in consideration of their age. Liao and Tang did not follow instructions; instead, they swindled money from the seven practitioners, totaling 1,425 yuan. The practitioners were Wang Zhenyuan, Dai Chunmei, Li Xueqing, Luo Yaping, Fan Youshu, Qiu Yuanshan and Chu Jinhui. After returning to the factory, Liao and Tang sent these practitioners to the detention center and brainwashing center. Tang tried to forced practitioners to write "guarantee statements."(2)
In June 2001, Tang fell out of a vehicle during a trip to the Junshan District and died at the scene. Liao reported Dafa practitioners to a new manager, which caused these practitioners to lose their jobs. He is now out of job himself and was involved in a motorcycle accident in 2002.
Liu Chunxiang, male, in his 40s, is the head of the Public Safety Branch, Fire Resistant Material Factory, Tangshan Metal Associated Company. He is infamous for persecuting Dafa practitioners. He brutally persecuted the practitioners and sent those practitioners who were factory workers to prisons, forced labor camps, and brainwashing centers.
He was diagnosed with late stage liver cancer in March 2004.
(1) Yuan: 500 yuan is the average monthly income for an urban worker in China.
(2) Guarantee Statement: 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.
(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."
Here are some examples of the Solemn Declarations:
Please click here for more Solemn Declarations.
(Clearwisdom.net)
Persecution Facts
Persecution cases in the Xinlin Guolemeng area, Inner Mongolia: Dafa practitioner Shi Jun from Zhengxiangbai Qi was abducted and persecuted for one month in 2000 and was fined 5,000 Yuan. In 2001 he was again abducted and persecuted for more than 40 days and was later sent to the Hohhot Prison.
Practitioner Zhang Jinxia from Zhengxiangbai Qi was sent to Hohhot Female Prison, Inner Mongolia.
Practitioner Zhao Xiuhua from Zhengxiangbai Qi was detained for one month in 2000 and fined 3,000 Yuan. In 2001, she was sent to a brainwashing class and later sent to a labor camp in Inner Mongolia.
Ms. Chen Yu is in her 30s and works at Hengshui City's Boiler Company in Hebei Province. Ms. Liu Hongluan is 39 years old and is a teacher at the No. 2 Middle School in Hengshui City. These two practitioners were abducted on January 2, 2004 by perpetrators from Hengshui City "610 Office" and Police Department. Also abducted were practitioner Mr. Sun Liangsheng who is in his 40s and is also a teacher at the No. 2 Middle School; Kang Yanxiang, the husband of practitioner Liu Hongluan and a member of the Hengshui City Science Academy; Ni Xuebing, the husband of practitioner Chen Yu and a taxi driver.
On March 10, 2004, practitioner Zhao Hongying was arrested at home. Practitioner Xia Shige was reported when distributing Dafa truth clarification materials on the evening of March 13, 2004, and is currently being held at Jizhou City's Detention Center. On the evening of January 2, 2004, police officers from Hengshui City broke into the home of Dafa practitioner Liu Qianli and tried to abduct him but failed, so they arrested Dafa practitioner Shi Wentong instead. In the past three months, police officers and National Security Bureau officials constantly harassed Liu Qianli at his home.
On February 27, 2001, Dafa practitioner Sun Fengxin in Kangping County, Liaoning Province was sent to the Longshan Labor Camp in Shenyang City where she was detained for three years. She suffered various tortures. The perpetrators forced her to squat for a long time, sometimes with her arms up and her buttocks up, sometimes half squatting like a frog, and also they forced her to stand facing the wall; they didn't allow her to sleep and took turns brainwashing her. They additionally beat and kicked her and forced her to work 12 to 16 hours daily.
Dafa practitioner Sun Yuzhen in Dengshahe Town, Dalian City, Liaoning Province went to Beijing numerous times to appeal for Falun Dafa and was detained. On April 24, 2002, police officers from Dengshahe Town's Police Station broke into her home and took her to the police station. In the afternoon they took her to the Jinzhou District Detention Center. Sun Yuzhen held a hunger strike and was force-fed. She held a 44-day hunger strike and was eventually released unconditionally.
Dafa practitioner Mr. Zhou Jingcheng is 44 years old and had lived in Ningxiang, Changsha City, Hunan Province. In July 1999, Zhou Jincheng was arrested by agents from Ningxiang National Security Bureau, held for more than ten days and additionally extorted 5,000 Yuan. In December 1999, Zhou Jingcheng went to Beijing to appeal and was sent to the Ningxiang Detention Center. Mr. Zhou was extorted 15,000 Yuan and held for one month. In 2000, police officers went to his home three times to harass him and again illegally detained him. In December 2000 they sentenced him to two years of forced labor. He was sent to the Xinkaipu Labor Camp in Changsha City and was released on May 28, 2002. In June 2002, Zhou Jingcheng was again detained and was sentenced to two years of forced labor on October 28. During this time, his family was extorted 5,000 Yuan.
News from Overseas
On April 3, 2004, Mississippi State University held an international celebration. Local Falun Gong practitioners seized the opportunity to tell people about Falun Dafa and the persecution in China. Almost everyone who approached the exhibit happily accepted the paper lotuses and flyers about Falun Gong. Some people also asked questions about the persecution.