Lafayette Journal & Courier (Indiana): Exhibit protests alleged abuses

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TRUTH, COMPASSION AND FORBEARANCE: Dong Dong Chang (foreground) and Changling Cui demonstrate the practice of Falun Gong on Friday at Riehle Plaza in Lafayette. (Photo by Frank Oliver, Journal and Courier)

A world-traveled exhibit exposing alleged human rights violations against practitioners of the Chinese meditation and exercise process Falun Gong opened in downtown Lafayette on Friday.

"Persecution Meets Principle" uncovers torture methods allegedly used against Falun Gong followers who believe in three principles: truth, compassion and forbearance.

The exhibit displays actual torture devices and actors recreating some of the methods allegedly used, such as shoving bamboo chutes under fingernails, burning with coals and beatings with electrified batons by the Chinese government and police.

About 20 men and women from the Midwest and China have organized the exhibit. They say that exposing the situation to Americans will help bring the alleged torture to a stop. Carmel's Lei Ying said recent stops in Bloomington and Indianapolis brought strong reactions.

"The response has been enormous," said Lei under the baking, high-noon sun at Riehle Plaza.

"People are so touched by seeing all of these things. They really express their gratitude for us bringing such kind of truth to them. They really want to know the truth and do something to help."

"Persecution Meets Principle" will be on display from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today around the Riehle Plaza fountain on North Second Street in downtown Lafayette.

Lei said he believes the alleged torture, which they claim has led to almost 1,000 related deaths since Falun Gong was officially outlawed in 1999, has been underground because of the Chinese government.

"Fabricated lies have covered it up due to Internet blockage and the media propaganda in China," Lei said. "Falun Gong practitioners risk everything to send out information to reveal the severe human rights violations."

Falun Gong, which looks like a cross between yoga and tai chi and consists of five exercises, was first outlawed by former president Jiang Zemin. [...]

Exhibit organizer Dana Cheng said the fact that she is a Falun Gong practitioner living in Chicago has gotten to the Chinese government. And it has had negative consequences for her family still in China.

"They put us on a blacklist and harass our family members," Cheng said. "They harassed and pressured my father, monitored his phone conversations and cut off his long distance so I can't call him."

Yeong Ching Foo told a small crowd of viewers about her fiancé, Charles Li, who has been imprisoned for over a year despite the fact that he is an American citizen.

Li went back to his home country to try to help stop the torture but was detained immediately. Foo said he has been beaten, sleep-deprived and force-fed with a tube through his nose and down his throat. She only knew about this from 94 pages of letters he has written her. She said the letters got out only because Li had gone on a hunger strike.

"Many people can't believe their eyes and ears that this is still happening in China," Yeong said.

Yeong said the United States' attempts to bring Li back have been thwarted by the Chinese saying he committed a crime on Chinese soil.

Stories were shared about the killing of an eight-month boy because his mother practiced Falun Gong, the psychiatric results of prisoners who were eventually released, and incidents outside of China to Falun Gong followers, including the drive-by shooting of nine Chinese practitioners who had gone to South Africa for a court case involving two Chinese officials.

Using actors with makeup to show bruises and cuts on their faces and body is out of the ordinary for traveling exhibits. Lei said it is to draw attention to the exhibit and the organizers' cause.

"We believe a picture is worth more than a thousand words," Lei said. "If they see somebody lying there with blood and scars all over their body, people will come over out of curiosity. They'll ask 'What happened? What's going on here?'"

Lafayette's Neil Williams stopped to take a look at "Persecution Meets Principle." He said he had heard of Falun Gong, but was unaware of how harshly the Chinese government treated its followers.

"To see the different methods of torture, I couldn't fathom what they went through," Williams said. "It's a very enlightening experience for me, and it makes me want to learn more."

Source: http://www.lafayettejc.com/news20040703/200407032local_news1088832878.shtml