Latest News from China - 02/27/2001

[Minghui. Net] [China] Doubts Raised in a "Focus" TV Program about "Self-Immolation" One of my colleagues said that when he watched the "Focus" program on TV the first time, he saw the frames had a label "Camera No. XX" at lower right corner. But later, the label at lower right corner was blurry. He analyzed this fact and determined that the CCTV deliberately blurred these characters to hide something from the public. He thought the government might have already known about this affair and even set up the video cameras in advance. [China] Jiang Zemin Orders Spending 4 billion Yuan RMB on monitoring telephone conversations between Falun Gong practitioners From an insider: Starting from April 25, 1999, Jiang Zemin and his followers used 4 billion Yuan (about $500 million) to tap and monitor telephone conversations among Falun Gong practitioners. All kind Falun Gong practitioners, please be cautious. By a person who is sympathetic to Falun Gong [China] Viewpoints on the "Tiananmen Square Self-immolation Affair" Recently, I met many friends and relatives, and naturally, we talked about Falun Gong. They are just ordinary citizens, but they all expressed their disagreement with Jiang Zemin's suppression, especially after the media wildly propagandized the "Self-Immolation Affair" and threw the responsibility on Falun Gong. They voiced their viewpoints: Before the crack down, why did we never hear anything about Falun Gong practitioners burning themselves? And yet, after such a long period of suppression, suddenly there is a "Tiananmen Square Self-Immolation Affair." There must be something hidden behind the affair. It may be that the government directed this affair and threw the responsibility on Falun Gong, or it may be that the suppression has driven the Falun Gong practitioners beyond their limit and thus they did this. Otherwise, if one were living a happy life, why would he or she choose to burn him or herself? If Falun Gong calls on its members to "burn themselves" in order to "go to heaven," how can it be possible that so many people practice it?' The more the government propagandizes that Falun Gong is bad, the more we want to know about Falun Gong and see it is actually good. They also commented that Jiang Zemin had no capability to do anything good for Chinese people and always hurt the interest of Chinese people. This time he even can't do a bad thing well since he cannot fool even ordinary people like us. [China] Suppression of Falun Gong strengthened Some work units in China have received documents from the upper government stating that Falun Gong is now regarded as an "anti-revolutionary political organization" and instructing the work units to strengthen the criticism and persecution of Falun Gong. In some cities, the neighborhood residential committees hold meetings and call on every resident to report to the police any Falun Gong related activity they see. [Heshan City, Guangdong Province] Authorities arrests Dafa practitioners and their relatives Recently an authority of Heshan City, Guangdong province arrested all practitioners who insisted on practicing Falun Gong. Even the wife and younger brother of the former chief assistant of Falun Gong Assistance Center of Heshan City (both are non-practitioners) were detained and put under surveillance 24 hours a day. Other inside sources say that local authorities of Guangdong province have started to detain all practitioners on their lists of names and put the practitioners into "Transformation Classes." If a practitioner refuses to be transformed after one month, he or she will be sent to a labor camp. If the practitioner is regarded as a core member, he or she will be sentenced to 8 to 10 years in prison. It is just like during the "Cultural Revolution" when anyone who was regarded as an "anti-revolutionary" would be punished without any legal procedure. [A city in Jilin Province] Declare the truth on Chinese New Year's Eve In a city in Jilin Province, some Dafa practitioners who had been driven from home gathered together on the Chinese New Year's Eve. They folded "truth clarifying" materials and sealed them in small red envelops. (Giving a visiting guest a small red envelope with some money or other small gift inside is a Chinese tradition to bring luck to the guest.) They then distributed these special red envelops to people. Later, after they read the article the Teacher wrote to the Hong Kong Falun Dafa Conference in which Teacher urged the practitioners to organize the conferences better; they organized several Fa conferences of difference sizes to wake up those who had not stepped forward. They also organized meetings to watch videos and disks of overseas Fa conferences and Fa promotion activities in various foreign countries by the practitioners. It encouraged the local practitioners to participate more in rectifying the Fa and "assisting the Teacher." They will use all available methods to reveal the truth to the public. The practitioners will "assist the Teacher in the human world" in the coming year with their purest hearts. [China] Who do you believe? At a friend's party, I heard a true story. At the friend's hometown, there is an old lady. She used to have a serious disease called rheumatoid arthritis. One side of her body was almost paralyzed and the hand on the other side trembled all the time. After the old lady practiced Falun Gong, the disease disappeared and her family was very happy. Later, the government began to suppress Falun Gong and broadcasted a lot of materials defaming Falun Gong on TV. The old lady believed the TV programs so she quit practicing. Gradually, the symptoms of the disease came back to her. Her son took her to see the doctor again. The old lady sat in front of the doctor and with tears in eyes she told the doctor how her cured disease came back and how her health deteriorated after the government banned Falun Gong. After hearing that, the doctor got angry, "Who do you believe? You can only trust yourself! Keep on practicing [Falun Gong]." After all these troubles, the old lady understood what is really good for her. She began to practice Falun Gong again under all kinds of pressure from others. Now she is healthy again. [Beidaihe city, Hebei Province] Police use thugs to prevent Dafa Practitioners from going to Beijing Recently, some practitioners found that the police substation of Beidaihe Railway Station used extremely immoral means to prevent practitioners from going to Beijing. They put the picture of Teacher on the ground at the entrance of railway station. The passengers had to step on the picture to enter the station. If anyone refused to step on the picture, the police will stop him (her) and interrogate him (her) immediately. The majority of the passengers were upset with what the police did. People who have kind hearts all felt disturbed that the police of their country had done such wicked things to comply with Jiang Zemin's forces. [Beijing City] Beijing Dafa Practitioners Xi Chengming and His Spouse, Ms. Mao Fenglan, and Other Practitioners Have Been Detained Since Chinese New Year's Day On December 13, 2000, of the lunar calendar, Shibalidian village government of Chaoyang district forcibly took away Beijing Dafa practitioners Xi Chengming and his spouse, Ms. Mao Fenglan, and more than a dozen of other practitioners. Using all means, the government officers forced them to write repentance letters and a guarantee that they would not go to Tiananmen to appeal. The government even prepared the guarantee and told the practitioners: you can go back home and enjoy the New Year's Day with your family if you will only gently place your fingerprint on the guarantee. Even so, the practitioners' resolution to cultivate Dafa was unshaken. As of now, the above-mentioned practitioners are still illegally detained. [Mainland China] Fellow Practitioners, Please Stay Alert! Don't Let Plainclothes Police Use You as Bait to Arrest Other Practitioners Not long ago, a fellow practitioner in Mainland China was forced to leave home and wander the streets because she went to Beijing to appeal. She called her husband (also a practitioner) to meet at a certain place, but just as they were going to meet, they found that 6 plainclothes police had secretly followed them and had arrived there also. After discovering this, they left immediately. However, at that moment, the plainclothes police also felt that it was time to wrap things up. One plainclothes policeman went after the female practitioner and the other 5 went after her husband. Unfortunately, the husband was caught, but the female practitioner escaped the plainclothes police's hunt. These instances remind us to pay attention to safety and fully utilize the wisdom Dafa has bestowed on us during this special current historic period. Stay alert! Never adopt a casual attitude towards safety! [Jinchang City, Gansu Province] A Partial List of Dafa Practitioners Sentenced to Forced Labor Reeducation in Jinchang City, Gansu Province Li Guiying, female, 58 years old, was illegally detained for over 2 months for going to Beijing to guard Dafa and for participating in Dafa related activities. She was sentenced to 2 years forced labor reeducation on March 26, 2000. Afterwards, she was released on bail for medical treatment after being forced to pay a few thousand Yuan (1 USD equals about 8.5 Yuan, average monthly salary in urban area in China is about 400 Yuan). On January 2, 2001, she was sent to a labor reeducation camp once again. Lu Fenglan, female, 49 years old, was the former chief assistant of a Dafa Assistance Center. She was illegally detained and money was extorted many times because she went to Beijing to guard Dafa and to participate in Dafa related activities. She was sentenced to one and a half years of forced labor reeducation. Her husband Ma Yuefeng was illegally detained many times for going to Beijing to appeal for Dafa. Recently, Ma was fired and kept under scrutiny by his factory. The factory also stopped paying his salary. Li Dexiang, female, 37 years old, was illegally sentenced to one and a half years of forced labor reeducation on March 26, 2000. Guo Qunying, female, 49 years old, received the same sentence as above. Chen Ligao, male, 46 years old, employee of the Eighth Metallurgy Company (he has been dismissed from the company), received the same sentence as above. Hao Jun, male, about 40 years old, deputy director general of a division of Land Revenue Office, was secretly sentenced to forced labor reeducation by the security bureau for printing Dafa materials. He Binying, female, 40 years old, was illegally detained and money was extorted for going to Beijing to appeal many times and distributing Dafa materials. She was illegally sentenced to 2 years of forced labor reeducation on November 29, 2000. Zhu Lanxiu, female, 47 years old, about the same situation as above. Zhao Yueqin, female, 49 years old, was sentenced to one and half years forced labor reeducation. Wang Ailing, female, 30 years old, college level education, and her elder sister, Wang Shuhua, were illegally sentenced to forced labor reeducation together. Their father Wang Chengtang, 69 years old, the former secretary of the village's [party's name omitted] Party committee, was also illegally arrested and detained at a drug abstinence center. The above mentioned, Zhao Fenglian, and another female practitioner with the last name Bai, were also sentenced to forced labor reeducation. Wang Shukai, male, 29 years old, was illegally sentenced to forced labor reeducation for going to Beijing to guard Dafa and participating in Dafa related activities. The details are unknown. Besides, Dafa practitioners Hou Youxiang, Yang Chengmei, Sun Ailing, Lei Zhanxiang and others, were illegally sentenced to forced labor reeducation for 1 to 2 years. [Fangshan District, Beijing City] The Superintendent of Yanshan Liyuan Police Substation Wang Lianzhong and His Followers Persecute Dafa Practitioners The superintendent of Yanshan Liyuan Police Substation, Wang Lianzhong, incited his followers to torture Dafa practitioners who refused to give out their names and addresses. The means they used included burning practitioners' hands with cigarette butts, wrapping bare electric wires onto the wrists of practitioners and connecting the wires to 220V power source, and shocking sensitive areas of practitioners' bodies with electric batons. They burned several cigarette butts onto the right hand of a 58-year-old female practitioner, and the skin of her left hand was severely burned. Wang Lianzhong also incited his followers to tie up a 42-year-old female practitioner from Nanjing outdoors for a whole night in the cold winter of late December. Wang let his followers demean female practitioners with indecent language. These women are about the same age as his mother. Wang's police identification number is 050887. Another 62-year-old senior female practitioner was brutally beaten; there were many bruises and cuts on her head. [Beijing City] A Corrupted Officer Receives Retribution after Persecuting Dafa Practitioners A chief leader of a Design Institute in Beijing decided to take the lead in persecuting Dafa practitioners in hope of getting promoted. He dismissed 6 Dafa practitioners from the institute around New Year's Day. These Dafa practitioners thus lost their jobs and were left without income. They and their families had a very difficult time subsisting and suffered both physically and mentally. However, less than one month later, this chief leader was dismissed from the government Party and all his duties because of embezzlement. The two incidents mentioned above shook the whole institute. The chief's dismissal seems to be unrelated to the persecution of Dafa practitioners; however, persecuting Dafa practitioners and helping a tyrant to do vicious deeds may well earn retribution. This attests to the universal law of "goodness necessitates a sharing of itself" and "sow the wind and reap the whirlwind." [China] A University Student Considers Practicing Falun Gong After Having Attended a Brain-Washing Class Against It Recently some universities in a city offered a new course "Against superstition and certain cults" everyday to brainwash the students against their will. But the effect seems to be the opposite of the class's intention. Recently, one of my friends told me a story about his classmate. One of his classmates returned to his dormitory after school and his roommates asked him: "How is your class against superstition going?" The classmate answered seriously: "After having attended the classes against it, I understand Falun Gong thoroughly and I am considering practicing it." [Beijing] Policemen in Liaison Offices in Beijing Returned to Their Local Stations in Other Areas Recently, policemen in liaison offices in Beijing from some other areas returned to their local districts. If Dafa practitioners are arrested in Beijing, they will be detained in detention centers in Beijing and will not be escorted back to their hometowns. [Beijing] A Tourist Forced to Curse Falun Gong There are many policemen guarding the entrance of the underground tunnels to Tiananmen Square. They question everyone entering without exception. A policeman stopped one tourist as soon as he reached the entrance of the tunnel and asked him loudly: "Where are you from? Why do you come to Beijing? Are you a Falun Gong practitioner? You must answer whether you are a Falun Gong practitioner or not." "I am not a Falun Gong practitioner." Answered the tourist. "How can you prove that you are not a Falun Gong practitioner?" The policeman continued. "I said I am not. How can I prove it?" The tourist asked in confusion. "It is not enough by to say you are not Falun Gong practitioners. You must curse Falun Gong to show it!" shouted the policeman. The tourist could not do anything else but did as he was told absentmindedly. But afterward, he said with a sigh: "Oh! What is the current moral standard in China?" [North China] People with Righteous Minds Resist the Movement of Collecting Signatures against Falun Gong Recently, an area in North China carried out a movement of collecting signatures to "oppose superstition...." Some people who did not know the truth participated out of ignorance. However, many people with righteous mind refused to sign. Though they might lose their jobs, they still refused to sign. For example, one person said, "I don't know what Falun Gong is, but I cannot draw a conclusion casually. I will not sign." But he did not get any trouble for his refusal. A Dafa practitioner worked in a company where he is responsible for many important assignments needing completion. He is the key member of the company and is getting along well with his colleagues. Recently, the movement to collect signatures also reached this small company. The company's director asked this practitioner to sign and threatened him: "If you do not sign, I can fire you immediately according to the order of higher level officials." However, the practitioner refused with a firm mind and said he wouldn't sign even if he were to lose his job. He immediately started to pack his stuff to go home, but his colleagues stopped him. Everyone questioned this director, "Are you as mad as Jiang Zemin? The practitioner does not want to sign. How can you just fire him because of this. You fire him! What a bully you are! If you fire him, how can our company make it?..." The colleagues' words awakened the director, "Right, we all know that Falun Gong practitioners are good people. The policy is that if anyone refuses to sign, one must be dismissed. What is the central government going to do? If these skilled people are fired, how can our economy develop? How can our society move forward? Speaking frankly, it would be great if all of you were as careful and responsible as the Falun Gong practitioners in our company. I think that Jiang Zemin prevents us common people from having a good life! Let's not follow him. You don't have to sign. You can stay and continue your work. ...." As a result, this Dafa practitioner does not have any trouble now. [Changde City, Hunan Province] A Partial List of Dafa Practitioners Sentenced to Jail Recently Chen Kaili, female, 47 years old, from Changde City, Hunan Province, was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment in February 2001. Zhang Jiang, male, 34 years old, from Dadaohu Farm, Yiyangnan County, Hunan Province, was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment in February 2001. Zhang Zhiping, male, 39 years old, from Beizhouzi Farm, Yiyangnan County, Hunan Province, was sentenced to one-year labor camp in December 2000. [Heyuan City, Guangdong Province] A Partial List of Dafa Practitioners Sentenced to Forced Labor Camp during Chinese Spring Festival Deng Xinhua (female), 21 years old Liu Sufuang (female), 43 years old Li Qingmei Huang Xiulian Huang Hainan Huang Cailan (from Lianping County, Heyuan City, Guangdong Province)