(Clearwisdom.net) The alleged self-immolation that took place on Tiananmen Square the afternoon of January 23, 2001, shocked the world. The authorities in China pointed the finger at Falun Gong practitioners, which was seriously doubted by the outside world. Reports on the "self-immolation incident" by China's state-run media were conflicting. There were simply too many flaws and questionable points. It seemed to many that it was contrived. Investigations have confirmed that the so-called self-immolation was in fact a plot by the Chinese Communist Party to vilify Falun Gong, but it has deceived many people. As time passes, more and more evidence have surfaced.
Testimony One:
I am a practitioner from Lushuihe, Baishan City in Jilin Province. On the eve of the 2001 Chinese Lunar New Year, I went to Tiananmen in Beijing. The security was exceedingly tight. I saw many Dafa practitioners who unfurled banners being arrested. Some were arrested even before they had a chance to unfurl their banners and were thrown in a vehicle by armed police.
Sometime after 4 a.m. next day, I went to Tiananmen, but the scene was drastically different from the day before. The entrances on the east side of the square were all blocked by vehicles, leaving only a one-meter wide exit guarded by armed police. When I entered the square, I saw that all the entrances on the west side were blocked by limousines, also leaving only one exit guarded by armed police. That morning, there were only about 20 to 30 people watching the flag being hoisted. The rest were all plainclothes police. Less than two minutes after I unfurled a banner, I was arrested.
Testimony Two:
I am a Dafa practitioner from Lushuihe, Baishan City, Jilin Province. At around 7 a.m. on 2001 Chinese New Year's Day, I went for a stroll in Tiananmen Square. Before 8 a.m., all the people in the square were driven out by police and armed police. After the police cleared the square, all the subterranean passageways were blocked and guarded and no one was allowed to walk through. I arrived at Jinshui Bridge, unfurled a banner and called out "Falun Dafa is good", "Restore my Master's Reputation", and "Restore Dafa's Reputation". Soon after, I was taken to a vehicle by the police. In the vehicle, I saw rows and rows of police lining up and walking back and forth. The atmosphere was exceptionally tense.
Testimony Three:
The son of a business owner from Lushuihe, Baishan City, Jilin Province used the 2001 Chinese Lunar New Year holiday to travel to Beijing. At the Tiananmen gate tower, he suddenly saw some people catch on fire and run around in the square. There were police following them. He saw a policeman fiercely strike a woman on the head with a club. The woman fell to the ground instantly. Another policeman covered her head with a white towel. The woman did not move at all after she fell to the ground. After a while, several police lifted the woman to a vehicle.
When the Tiananmen self-immolation incident was broadcast, he knew right away that it was false. He said: "That woman was beaten to death by the police, not burnt to death. There were quite a number of people who caught fire, how come only one was burnt to death? It was done to deceive people."
June 15, 2006