Celebrating the 11th Anniversary of Falun Dafa's Public Introduction
Voices of Justice
Facts of the Persecution
Practitioners' Stories
News and Events Around the World
News from China
SARS and Chinese Society
(Clearwisdom.net May 13 2003) Editor's note: We have received numerous
greetings from Mainland China and many other countries in the world to celebrate
the fourth World Falun Dafa Day and the eleventh anniversary of Master's introduction
of Falun Dafa. Due to our limited resources, here
we only translate a representative selection.
(Clearwisdom.net May 13 2003) Editor's note: We have received numerous
birthday greetings from Mainland China and many other countries in the world to
our most respected and revered Master. Practitioners expressed their boundless
appreciation and thankfulness to benevolent and great Master for his infinite
grace and vast mercy in saving both his disciples and sentient beings.
Practitioners will continue to follow Master's teaching and do even better what
Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples are supposed to do and improve as a whole
to walk well the last leg of journey in the Fa-rectification. Practitioners also
sent greetings for celebration of World Falun Dafa Day. Due to our limited
resources, here we only translate a representative selection.
Dear Master,
On your Birthday please accept my warmest greetings from the bottom of my heart. I deeply cherish your guidance and mercy, without which, I would not have had a chance to obtain the priceless Fa. Even though I was thousands of miles away from you, you somehow reached my world and arranged for me to obtain Dafa! I have no fitting words to thank you! In India, though we are far way and separated geographically from the stage of Fa-rectification, please guide us (Dafa disciples in India) to participate and intensively do the three things well, which will save sentient beings who are waiting to be saved. Please be assured that I will continue to diligently cultivate and be worthy of being called a Dafa disciple.
Warm greetings to our grand venerable Master on His birthday and World Falun Dafa Day too.
Falun Dafa practitioners in Iran
Practitioners from all regions of India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka wish Honorable
Master Li a Happy Birthday! Happy World Falun Dafa Day!
Esteemed Master,
The Romanian practitioners are wishing you the warmest regards and wishes for your 52nd Birthday! Even though Romanian practitioners are mostly new, we have a good understanding of your endless compassion and the enormity of the Fa-rectification. Even though far away we feel very close to you.
Happy Birthday, Master!
Romanian practitioners from Romania and overseas
We thank Master Li for his greatest Benevolence, for giving us this opportunity to cultivate Dafa and assist Master in saving sentient beings. We will do the three things even better.
Happy Birthday Master!
Dafa practitioners in the Philippines
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(Clearwisdom.net May 13 2003) Editor's note: We have received numerous
birthday greetings from Mainland China and many other countries in the world to
our most respected and revered Master. Practitioners expressed their boundless
appreciation and thankfulness to benevolent and great Master for his infinite
grace and vast mercy in saving both his disciples and sentient beings.
Practitioners will continue to follow Master's teaching and do even better what
Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples are supposed to do and improve as a whole
to walk well the last leg of journey in the Fa rectification. Practitioners also
sent greetings for celebration of World Falun Dafa Day. Due to our limited
resources, here we only translate a representative selection.
At the 11th anniversary of Falun Dafa's public introduction, all Dafa practitioners in Taian County, Anshan, Liaoning Province send greetings to our great benevolent Master! Also at Master's birthday, all the practitioners greet Master: Greetings, Master! You've been working hard! We practitioners will move forward at full charge and act as qualified Dafa practitioners. We will work hard and do well!
Words in image: Master, Happy Birthday!
(Clearwisdom.net May 13, 2003)
Dance of Heavenly Beauty
Celebrating Master's Birthday and World Falun Dafa Day
Western Practitioners Sing Chinese Songs
Fan Dance
Sending Forth Righteous Thoughts
Practicing Falun Gong Exercises in the Morning
On May 11, more than 200 Northern California Falun Gong practitioners held large-scale celebration activities in San Francisco. At 8:30 a.m., practitioners had a large group practice and sent forth righteous thoughts, then distributed truth-clarifying literature and displayed photos in Chinatown. Music and dance performances were held in Chinatown in the afternoon. The celebration ended in a hurrah of "The World Needs Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance."
(Clearwisdom.net May 13, 2003)
On the parade route, passersby stopped and people in shops and offices watched. Some took pictures and some applauded.
The procession was long and vast. Ladies with classical dresses marched at the beginning and were followed by a float with fresh flowers. The words "Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance" in Chinese on the head of the float were very eye-catching. Practitioners in golden suits demonstrated Falun Gong exercises on the float. A banner reading "World Falun Dafa Day" followed four lady practitioners holding a Falun emblem. The Northeast China Folk Dance Team and practitioners with Tang dresses danced along the way, followed by practitioners with various banners.
The parade ended after one and half hours with practitioners wishing Master a happy birthday.
(Clearwisdom.net May 13, 2003) On May 10, 2003, Falun Dafa practitioners of
Queensland Australia celebrated World Falun Dafa Day with the public on King George Square in the center of Brisbane. During the opening ceremony, practitioners used
their experiences to validate the benefits and beauty of Falun Dafa and exposed
Jiang's crimes of genocide and persecuting of Falun Gong practitioners in China.
Council member Mr. Quark giving
a speech
Dancing
"Falun Dafa is Good!"
Three council members of the city attended the celebration and gave speeches at the opening ceremony. People were moved by practitioners' speeches, especially that of 14-year-old Carman. Some audience members were moved to tears. She called on the people to stand up and uphold justice, giving encouraging examples from history. She said, "If a world has no truthfulness, it will be full be lies. If a world loses compassion, it will be full of selfishness. If a world is without tolerance, it will be full of hatred and retaliation ... Let us all work together and end the persecution in China with peace. The world needs Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance."
A council member thanked Carman's speech and said, "The persecution of Falun Gong in China represents a danger. Persecuting a group of people who believe in Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance and focus on self-cultivation seem to be shameful from all aspects."
After the ceremony, the practitioners gave wonderful artistic performances, which received high praise from the audience. One Western lady was full of praise: "It was beautiful! Your performances were so beautiful! Will you celebrate World Falun Dafa Day next year? I hope you do every year." Among the audience were some people from Mainland China, who were also moved by the serene and peaceful scene.
(Clearwisdom.net May 13, 2003) In May 2003, around the time of the 11th
anniversary of Falun Dafa's introduction to the public, Dafa practitioners of
Canada's capital, Ottawa, held large-scale activities to celebrate World Falun
Dafa Day.
Parade procession
Parade procession
Exercises demonstration in front of Chinatown
People eager to sign their names to support the Lawsuit
against Jiang
Golden Signature Campaign
Starting from May 4, 2003, Ottawa practitioners began a "Golden Signature Campaign" in front of Capitol Hill. The purpose was to celebrate the 11th anniversary of Falun Dafa's Introduction and appeal to the Chinese government to stop the persecution of Falun Gong. This event clearly exposed to people outside of China the "genocide" crimes dictator Jiang committed and is being tried for in courts around the world. Many kind Canadian people and foreign visitors already knew about the suppression in China. When they saw our signature cloth, they immediately wrote down their names. After they learned the truth about the persecution in China, many Canada school students came in groups to sign their names.
Grand Parade
On May 10, Ottawa practitioners organized day long activities. At about 11:00 a.m., the celebration parade started. Practitioners held banners stating "Falun Dafa is Good," "Falun Dafa Truthfulness Compassion Tolerance Bring Happiness to the World" and walked in accompany with the songs "Pudu" and "Jishi." Practitioners distributed flyers along the way and clarified truth. Many passersby joyfully talked with practitioners. One passerby said, "I know China is persecuting Falun Gong. I know you are peaceful. Good luck!" Many local Chinese people greeted to us and accepted our flyers with a smile.
Rally and Speech
At about 2 p.m., practitioners walked in front of the Human Rights Monument near the city hall. Chinese and westerner practitioners gave speeches that introduced the history of Falun Dafa and the anti-suppression activities of the world during the past four years. Westerner practitioners shared cultivation experiences. Falun Gong practitioners reported the lawsuit against Chinese dictator Jiang, calling all kind hearted people to bring about justice and put Jiang on trial.
Songs in front of Capitol Hill
After speeches, the practitioners paraded to Capitol Hill. Along the way, many visitors and drivers waved to practitioners, some people signed their names on golden color signature collecting cloth.
It was the Tulip Festival of Ottawa; there were many visitors in front of Capitol Hill. Some people from Singapore and Mainland China changed their attitude after the practitioner clarified the truth to them.
In the evening, after group exercise practice, practitioners gathered in front of Capitol Hill and sang songs to express their gratitude to Falun Dafa and Master. Practitioners sang "Falun Dafa is Good," "Be Saved," "Come Just for You" and other songs. Later, they went to Chinese Embassy to send forth righteous thoughts.
(Clearwisdom.net May 13, 2003)
The San Antonio government offered support to this activity and the mayor issued a proclamation for May 13 World Falun Dafa Day, which is the 5th time that the city has issued a proclamation to Dafa.
Many passers-by and tourists stopped to see the pictures and posters. They expressed their sympathy and support to Dafa after understanding the persecution in China.
The local NBC and CBS television stations came to cover the event. The practitioners not only told the reporters about the persecution in China, but also the lawsuit against Jiang for genocide.
(Clearwisdom.net May 13, 2003)
On May 11, 2003, about 1,500 Falun Dafa practitioners from all over Taiwan came to Taipei Chungchen Memorial Hall Square Fair so as to celebrate the 11th anniversary of Falun Dafa's introduction to the public and Mother's Day. Young practitioners from Taipei Minghui School also participated in the activity. Twenty practitioners sang a song to the Master and to the audience. The name of the song was "Sing to Master."
[Lyric omitted]
(Clearwisdom.net May 13, 2003) Quebec is a French-speaking city in Canada.
This morning when I came to Nicole's house, she told me this was her birthday,
the World Falun Dafa Day. Walking in downtown, we happily greeted the passersby
and handed out truth-clarifying flyers. Many people were pleased to accept the
flyers and shook hands with us. The people on the road were moved by the
practitioners' pure hearts. Some of them stopped to read our display board and
talked to us.
Letting more people know about Falun Dafa
Practicing the exercises beside city hall
When we were demonstrating the exercises, we heard someone on the horse-drawn cart mentioning "Falun Dafa." Some people talked to the practitioners nearby. After we finished the exercises, we found the cloudy sky had turned clear.
That night, we shared our understandings of Master's teaching at the recent New York Fa Conference. Everyone felt they greatly benefited from this. We are thankful for Master saving us and letting us be practitioners in the Fa-rectification period.
(Clearwisdom.net May 13, 2003)
Mr. Liao Tsuehui, Mayor of Yuchi Township in Nantou
County, gave a speech at the celebration party.
(Clearwisdom.net May 13, 2003) On May 10, 2003 Edmonton Dafa practitioners celebrated the 11th anniversary of Falun Dafa's Introduction in a park beside the bustling farmers' market. Practitioners decorated the park with colorful banners and balloons and the westerner practitioners scattered colorful flowers on the sidewalk. In a short ceremony, the practitioners read poems to express their gratitude to Master. Practitioners read four proclamations of "Falun Dafa Week" from nearby cities and congratulatory letters from two cities. Next, the practitioners sent forth righteous thoughts, clarified the truth and demonstrated the five set of exercises. Many passersby stopped to watch the demonstration. Children happily ran around with flowers and balloons in hand.
On May 11, 2003, practitioners of Edmonton held a small Fa sharing conference. Every attendee felt the conference was sacred, dignified and touched everyone's heart.
(Clearwisdom.net May 13, 2003)
On May 11, 2003, Melbourne Falun Dafa practitioners came to the lawn in front of the State Public Library to celebrate World Falun Dafa Day. The practitioners performed "Tang Dynasty Costume Show," "Heavenly Lady Dance," "Fan Dance," "Red Ribbon Dance," demonstration of five sets of exercises and "Journey of Falun Dafa Picture Show." The celebration attracted many people.
(Clearwisdom.net May 13, 2003)
To celebrate the 11th anniversary of Falun Dafa's Introduction, World Falun Dafa Day and Canada Falun Dafa Festival, Montreal Falun Dafa practitioners organized rich activities at Zhongshan Part in Chinatown from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on May 10, 2003.
The activities started with over 30 practitioners practicing the exercises together. Some of them were wearing beautiful Tang Dynasty Costumes. Next, several practitioners gave speeches to introduce the spreading of Falun Dafa over the past 11 years and exposed the crimes of China's brutal persecution of Falun Gong. They praised many countries and governments that accepted Falun Dafa and proclaimed Dafa. In the end, they called on more people to learn about Falun Gong and cherish "Truthfulness Compassion Tolerance" and select a good future for themselves. The practitioners performed "Tang Dynasty Costume Show," "Come Just for You," and "Heavenly Lady Dance," which won much applause.
City Council member Henri-Francois Gautrin sent a congratulatory letter to practitioners and Master. In the letter, he said, in face of challengers, Falun Dafa practitioners showed their great compassion and endurance.
(Clearwisdom.net May 13, 2003)
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| Large scale group practice | Exercise demonstration | Celebration of 11th Anniversary of Falun Dafa Introduction |
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| Concert Stage | Audience of the Concert |
|
Singing |
Dancing |
On May 11, 2003, Taiwan Dafa practitioners came to a fair at the Taipei Chungchen Memorial Hall Square. They promoted Falun Dafa and celebrated the 11th anniversary of Falun Dafa's Introduction by practicing the exercises, and holding a concert and picture exhibition. Recently, Taiwan was severely impacted by SARS and many large-scale events were cancelled. But people were very enthusiastic in this fair. Many people started to learn the exercises at the site. As for the fair itself, crowds filled the nearly hundred booths and all snacks, drinks, and other products quickly sold out. Truth-clarifying videos were played and behind the practitioner's booth was a Falun Dafa picture exhibition. Both had positive effects. The concert attracted many people too. The wonderful performances displayed the talents of Dafa practitioners.
(Clearwisdom.net May 13, 2003)
Tue May 13, 9:09 AM ET
RIGHT:
A Falun Gong practitioner holds a banner as she joins some 40 other
[practitioners] in a march towards the mainland Chinese government's liaison
office in Hong Kong, Tuesday, May, 13, 2003. Falun Gong followers marked the
11th anniversary of the meditation [group's] founding with peaceful protests
against mainland China's efforts to stamp out the group. (AP Photo/Anat Givon)
HONG KONG (AP)--Falun Gong followers marked the 11th anniversary of the
meditation [group's] founding Tuesday with peaceful protests in Hong Kong
against mainland China's efforts to stamp out the group.
About 200 Falun Gong followers wearing trademark yellow T-shirts gathered in a
downtown park and formed the Chinese characters for the group's slogan, "Truth,
compassion and forbearance," said local Falun Gong spokesman Kan Hung-cheung.
About 40 Falun Gong practitioners protested later outside the mainland Chinese
government's liaison office. They meditated peacefully behind the building, well
away from a spot directly in front where others were previously arrested and
convicted of obstruction.
The group said in a statement that former Chinese President Jiang Zemin
"committed a heinous crime" by ordering a crackdown that Falun Gong alleges has
led to the deaths of almost 700 followers in the mainland.
Falun Gong remains legal in this former British colony that returned to Chinese
rule in 1997 and still enjoys Western-style civil liberties, and the group
frequently demonstrates here.
The group says the date marks the birthday of Falun Gong founder Li Hongzhi and
the day he began the group in 1992. [...]
-Edited by Nick vonKlock
Updated May 13, 2003 5:04 a.m.
(Clearwisdom.net)
April 10, 2003
Dear [name omitted]:
This is in response to your letter of December 8 to Under Secretary of State Paula Dobriansky, concerning the situation of the Falun Gong in China. Regrettably, our receipt of your letter was delayed, most likely' due to the slowdown in the mail service caused by the anthrax threat.
State Department officials in China and Washington follow the persecution of the Falun Gong in China very closely and with great concern. The numerous reports of mistreatment of Falun Gong practitioners, including many deaths, are deeply disturbing. We have raised our concerns over China's treatment of the Falun Gong repeatedly with Chinese authorities both in Washington and in Beijing. Moreover, at the December 2002 session of the U.S.-China Human Rights dialogue held in Beijing, and at the previous session held in Washington in October 2001, Assistant Lorne W. Craner raised the cases of several individuals detained for Falun Gong activities, and called for their release.
We have made clear on numerous occasions our strong opposition to the detention of individuals solely for peaceful association and assembly. The steps the Chinese government has taken to restrict freedom of thought, conscience and belief are troubling. These rights are protected by such international instruments as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
We have documented our concerns over the mistreatment of Falun Gong practitioners in our annual country reports on human rights practices and international religious freedom. (These reports can be found on the State Department website: www.state.gov.)
We will continue to raise the issue of human rights and religious freedom with the Chinese Government through diplomatic channels, in addition to making our position clear in public statements.
We hope this information is useful to you. If we may be of future assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
John V. Hanford
Ambassador at Large for Office of International Religious Freedom
(Clearwisdom.net) Pam Iorio, Mayor of the City of Tampa, Florida, proclaims May 10, 2003 as Falun Dafa Day in the City of Tampa, Florida, and urges all citizens to join him in commending those involved in this event for their dedication to our communities and fellow man.
(Clearwisdom.net)
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
The House of Representatives
Be it hereby known to all that:
The Massachusetts House of Representatives offers its sincerest congratulations to:
Mr. Li Hongzhi and Falun Dafa
in recognition of
Falun Dafa Week, May 13th -- 20th, 2003.
The entire membership extends its very best wishes and expresses the hope for future good fortune and continued success in all endeavors.
Given the 10th day of May, 2003, at the State House, Boston. Massachusetts by
Thomas M. Finneran, Speaker of the House
Mark Carron, State Representativ.
(Clearwisdom.net)
Nancy L. Diamond, the Mayor of the City of Oshawa and the city council extend grateful appreciation and in recognition and testimony proclaim May 13, 2003 as Falun Dafa Day in the city of Oshawa, Canada.
(Clearwisdom.net)
Linda Milam, Mayor of the City of Idaho Falls, Idaho, proclaims May 13, 2003 as Falun Dafa Day.
(Clearwisdom.net)
I'm a female Dafa practitioner from Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province. On July 20, 1999, I went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong, and I was arrested and detained in Baoding City for one day without being given anything to eat or drink. The policemen released the police dogs several times to intimidate us.
On July 22, 1999, I went to Beijing to appeal again and was arrested on August 1. I was detained in the Shijiazhuang City Liaison Office in Beijing for one day and then taken back by my work unit. After that, my work unit used every possible way to harass me, and refused to allow me to go to Beijing, to practice Falun Gong or to concentrate on my work. The authorities also applied pressure on my husband.
During the night of September 8, 1999, someone made a threatening call to my parents-in-law. They were terrified and called everywhere to try to contact me. At that time I was working the evening shift, and my family was so worried that they stayed up the whole night.
On the morning of October 10, 1999, I was practicing the Falun Gong exercises with another fellow practitioner by the gate of a park. The plainclothes police arrested us. They searched us and confiscated the Dafa book and cassette tape player. We were illegally detained for 7 days. During the period of detention, I went on a hunger strike to protest, and we were forced to do heavy labor.
On October 19, 1999, I went to Beijing to appeal and was arrested on October 26. I was moved from place to place for over a month. After that, the security department of my work unit often came to harass me, causing great inconvenience to my family. They also came to my home with the police to abduct me, scaring my parents and children. We could no longer live a peaceful life. The management at my work unit also pressured my husband and caused great mental stress to him, forcing him to eventually file for divorce. Our family was thus broken up, and it hurt my child greatly.
In February 2000, I joined a group practice, and I was subsequently arrested and detained in the First Detention Center of Shijiazhuang City for one month. The prison guard forcibly took away our Dafa books. We went on hunger strikes to protest. After the one-month term expired, the police asked my work unit to detain me in the guesthouses of my work unit. I requested to be released immediately. The next day, my family came to ask for me and I was taken home. Just as I got home, over a dozen policemen came and abducted me to the police station. I was detained there illegally for a week, staying in a small, damp and dirty room with male inmates.
In March 2000, I was sentenced to three years of forced labor and sent to the 4th unit of the Shijiazhuang Labor Camp. In that camp, other practitioners and I were forced to stand still against the wall, not allowed to speak or practice the exercises. We were handcuffed, tied up, shocked with electric batons, beaten and kicked, and locked up in solitary confinement. If we went on hunger strike, we would be brutally forcedly fed.
In March 2001, more than twenty practitioners and I were transferred to another labor camp in Hebei Province. In this labor camp, the Falun Gong practitioners were handcuffed to the ground for over 60 hours. We were forced to bend down and be handcuffed to the rings attached to the floor, unable to move at all. While being handcuffed in this position, more than a dozen police came to assault us. Some used electric batons to shock us, and some just beat and kicked us. My face was nearly unrecognizable from the beatings.
I was detained in that labor camp for over 5 months. They subjected me to long-term sleep deprivation. We went on hunger strikes to protest, and the guards force-fed us with excrement. I was forced-fed twice with excrement, and afterwards, I had a fever of over 40 degrees Celsius (about 104 degrees Fahrenheit) and serious diarrhea. Under the severe physical and mental torture, I suffered a mental breakdown. The labor camp, afraid of taking responsibility, asked my family to take me back home in August 2001. When my family came to get me, they could hardly recognize me. My family had to send me to the mental hospital for treatment, but it did not have any effect. So they took me home again. With the help of fellow practitioners, I started to read Zhuan Falun with them and gradually recovered.
Jiang's regime used such inhumane methods to torture me into a mental collapse. It was Dafa that helped me back to health. The unjust persecution is vicious, but nobody can shake Falun Dafa practitioners' beliefs.
(Clearwisdom.net) I am nearly 60 years old, and my eldest daughter is especially good to me. However, because she chose to practice Falun Gong, she was sentenced to a forced-labor camp. I can't understand why at all.
My daughter is 32 years old. She is a diligent worker, and has received awards for her work many times. After the persecution of Falun Gong started, she didn't give up her cultivation. On October 18, 1999, as soon as she arrived in Beijing, she was arrested immediately, simply because she said that she practiced Falun Gong. She was subsequently detained for 15 days at a detention center and charged with "disturbing social order." However, she ended up being detained for three months instead, and from there, she was transferred to a forced labor camp. When I studied the relevant legal materials, I noted that people who are charged with "disturbing social order" could be detained for a maximum of 15 days, with a maximum fine of 200 Yuan. However, we had to pay nearly 4,000 Yuan, and I understand why this happened: the law apparently does not apply when it comes to Falun Gong practitioners.
When visiting our daughter, my wife saw that she was covered in bruises and walked with a limp. We knew that our daughter had suffered a lot. According to the forced labor camp staff, one time she was extremely tired. She had fallen asleep a brick floor, and nobody could wake her up. She had large blisters all over her body. The doctors had scraped them with surgical knives, and there was blood all over the floor. She had these dried scabs and large blisters for 17 months. In this environment, our daughter continued to clarify the truth to the doctors and the head of the forced-labor camp.
In May 2001, our daughter was released. During her detention period, her factory had stopped paying her. In September 2001, her company laid her off, with a pension of only a little bit over 200 Yuan per month, or less than half of an average salary. Six months later, because she refused to write a formal letter to admit her "mistake," her factory formally fired her, removing her source of income completely. She has no option to appeal the decision. We are an old couple, and have been financially dependant on our daughter. How is our family supposed to lead our lives?
There is one question I haven't been able to find an answer to. If someone agrees to stop practicing Falun Gong, then he can have freedom, can go back to work, simply because he said "Yes" to their demands to stop practicing. If he does not say this, he is put into a forced-labor camp and loses his job. Giving in and saying this one word determines how somebody is treated by the authorities. I really can't understand how this can be justified.
Originally posted on May 1, 2005
(Clearwisdom.net) Around 10:00 a.m. on April 23, 2003, a policeman who claimed to be from Zhanqian Police Station in Lianshan District of Huludao City impatiently knocked on the door of the residence of a female Dafa practitioner. He yelled for her to open the door and threatened to break down the door and barge in if she did not open it. He continuously banged on the door and shouted for half an hour. This practitioner took a look downstairs and saw the policeman using his mobile phone to call for backup. In this urgent situation, in order to avoid being persecuted again by the evil persons, she had no choice but to escape by going out the window on the fifth story in which she was staying, along the iron window bars that were meant to guard against burglary. That afternoon around 1 p.m. someone saw plain-clothes policemen looting the property. They moved her belongings from her residence to a police car from the Bohai Street Police Station.
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| 600 Yuan in the pocket of a jacket was stolen | A locked drower was pried open. Cash of 11,000 Yuan, certificate of deposit, a residential registration card, a certificate of physisian etc. were stolen | 3" VCD's were stolen |
On the day after this incident, her family members found that their house had been ransacked. The valuables in the house were looted and the house was left empty by the Political Security Section of Lianshan District Police Department and the Bohai Street Police Station. The Dafa books were taken. The stolen valuables included: a desktop computer, laser printer, stereo player, videotape player, and a digital VCD player. Valuables that were locked in the drawers were also looted: Cash of eleven thousand Yuan, two bank deposit books containing forty-four thousand Yuan (one book had twenty thousand Yuan while the other had twenty-four thousand Yuan), and the insurance deposit certificate of thirteen thousand Yuan belonging to her eldest daughter. In total, they looted sixty-eight thousand Yuan. Adding the cost of the equipment the loss was over seventy thousand Yuan. The forty-four thousand Yuan was from the sale of their house and was meant for their daughter's education, and eight thousand Yuan of the cash was money that her sister had given them to help them with their living expenses. (Because they persisted in cultivating Dafa, both husband and wife were fired by their work units) The corrupt police also stole their identity cards, the husband's doctor credentials and his medical license. The police even took the six hundred Yuan that was in the pocket of a shirt that was hung on a clothes rack. It is not known if other properties were stolen.
This Dafa practitioner and her husband have now been forced to become homeless and move from place to place to avoid being persecuted. They have a home that they cannot return to and children that they are unable to take care of. A happy family has thus been broken up by the lawless police.
Political and Security Section of Lianshan District Police Department: 86-429-2125621
Lianshan District Police Department: 86-429-2160026
Bohai Police Station in Lianshan District: 86-429-2161041
Zhanqian Police Station: 86-429-2122901
May 1, 2003
(Clearwisdom.net)
Below are the personal experiences of two practitioners I witnessed being persecuted in the Hebei No.1 Labor Camp, also known as Kaiping District Labor Camp of Tangshan City.
A female practitioner in Hebei Province was illegally kidnapped in June 2002. To protest the unreasonable persecution, she went on a hunger strike. Then she was force-fed and a group of vicious police and criminal inmates stepped on her hair, dragged her ears and pressed her weak and thin body firmly against the ground. Because she refused to cooperate in the force-feeding, she was slapped in face, kicked and beaten; she was oftentimes not allowed to sleep for days and nights on end. After she had been on hunger strike for over 90 days, simply because she shouted "Falun Dafa is good," she was taken out by a group of police and criminal inmates and roped to a big tree from 10 p.m. to midnight during an early winter's night. At this time police chief Jia Hongmei called in 6 policemen to beat her mouth so harshly that she almost lost her life. When she had been on hunger strike for over 100 days, seeing her health starting to fail, the police sent her to a hospital. After she recovered a little bit, they then subjected her to a second round of brainwashing and forced her to read books and watch movies that slandered Falun Gong. The police also ordered the criminal inmates to torture her, failing which their sentences would be extended.
However, if the inmates could torture her harshly, they would be released ahead of time. Some criminal inmates totally lost their conscience and pinched her face with their nails, which deeply cut into her face and turned it black and blue with bloodstains. In order to torture her to get rewards, a criminal inmate named Tu Ruying, a northeasterner, roped her onto a bed, slapped her mouth; continuously crunched her ankle with a comb; hit her ankle bones with a glass bottle; bound her mouth with a dirty and stinky cloth bag which was twisted up with her hair. Both her legs were folded back and tied together with her arms tightly. She was forced to sit on the cement ground for several hours at a time. When we departed, she had been on hunger strike for more than four months. Her current situation is unknown.
Hui Zhiyi, female, a 60-year-old college graduate, lives in Qinhuangdao City of Hebei Province, and was kidnapped in July 2002. To protest the persecution, she went on a hunger strike. The police asked her, "Why have you gone on a hunger strike?" She said: "I didn't break the law, so I shouldn't be locked in here. I will eat only if you let me go home. I was kidnapped because of my belief in Truth-Compassion-Tolerance. The rogue (former leader Jiang Zemin) in power is breaking the law in enforcing this action and is depriving people of their human rights and freedom of belief. This is my silent protest. In China, we are cruelly force fed and forcefully sent to hospitals. Think about it: who's persecuting the innocent and kind people in China; who's breaking apart thousands of happy and harmonious families?! Who's using the investment from foreign businessmen to build numerous jails, detention centers and brainwashing centers to persecute the good people believing in Truth-Compassion-Tolerance?!" After hearing those words, the police were speechless.
Female brigade chief Zhou ordered all those who gave in under pressure to conduct "transformation work" on Hui Zhiyi, forcing her to remain standing over night and didn't allow her to sleep. This mental and physical torture on a 60-year-old lady who was still on a hunger strike lasted for over one month. As a result, she lost 50 pounds. When I left, she had been on a hunger strike for over 110 days. Her present situation is unknown.
The world needs sincerity, peace and goodness; life needs Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance. I hope that the international community can stand on a fair ground and bring justice to and put the Jiang regime on trial.
(Clearwisdom.net)
Kaifeng City Labor Camp in Henan Province is the one of the worst offenders for brutally persecuting Falun Dafa practitioners. The person in charge of this persecution is Cheng Junbo, Vice Party Secretary of the camp. Cheng tries hard to use the persecution of practitioners as an opportunity to get a promotion. Last year, while using a company vehicle for personal purposes, he almost lost his life in a car accident. Despite this, he still didn't change his behavior and even plotted ways to further persecute practitioners while he was staying in the hospital.
Cheng Junbo slandered and scolded Falun Gong and Falun Gong's practitioners by threatening both practitioners and their relatives. For example, in order to take credit for persecuting Falun Gong, he demanded that the practitioners' families give him flags of honor, trophies, or baskets of flowers. Actually, the practitioners' relatives hate him a lot, but for the sake of their loved one they felt they had no other choice but to unwillingly give into his demands. At one of the meetings between Cheng Junbo and practitioner's families, one of the practitioner's relatives was so upset that he fainted at the event of giving Cheng an honor flag. Cheng ordered the guards to force practitioners who were forced to give up their belief in Dafa under pressure to write down on their "reference material" how he and other supervisors were working "very hard" and with "great compassion" in transforming practitioners (meaning to force them to renounce Dafa). In the brainwashing class, Cheng lied to everyone, fabricated all kinds of false stories, while pretending to be a very kind person. He even sent a normal healthy practitioner to a psychiatric mental hospital for treatment. At the labor camp's meeting, he publicly emphasizes and encourages all of the detainees in the labor camp to beat up and scold practitioners. At one large-scale meeting, he gave all of the guards a piece of dirty, soiled cloth to gag practitioners' mouths if they try to speak out. He linked the results of the persecution through brainwashing with the rewards given to guards and forced them to treat the practitioners with brutality. Cheng rewarded those guards who actively participated in persecuting practitioners, and threatened those guards who were unwilling to participate in the persecution with demotion, penalty, loss of personal career opportunity, etc. Under pressure from Cheng's threats, some of the guards have increased the persecution of practitioners. Some of their evil acts are listed below:
The Fifth Division:
The fifth division is located at Wei's Chemical Factory. In order to forcefully brainwash practitioners, they used the bait of "early release from your jail term" to coerce prisoners to handcuff practitioners, kick them, and brutally beat them with a rod. As a result, one practitioner had broken bones, one practitioner had a swollen face, and another practitioner had his teeth broken. Some practitioners were handcuffed by both hands and burned with a lighter, while other practitioners were handcuffed and exposed to intense and long-term sunlight.
The Fourth Division:
The fourth division is located at Kaifeng City's Phosphorus' Chemical Factory and it is the main place where practitioners are subjected to so-called "transformation." Cheng Junbo also used this place to persecute practitioners. Practitioners were forced to pack phosphorous under intense labor every day. Meanwhile all of the guards took turns interrogating practitioners and deprived the practitioners of sleep during the night. During the summer, the practitioners' hands and legs were bloody, mangled, and became infected. Practitioners were usually handcuffed while they had their faces slapped or spat on, and were also brutally beaten with rods. The person who is responsible for this persecution is Liang Hongtao.
The Third Division:
At this place, practitioners who were exceptionally determined were sent to other labor camps. Here the practitioners were not allowed to sleep all night. As an attempt to destroy practitioners' determination, the practitioners were brutally beaten up with sticks, meanwhile, in order to prevent their screams from being heard, the guards used blankets to gag practitioners' mouths, as they would smash the toes of the practitioners with sticks. They forced practitioners into unbearable postures, forcefully opened practitioners' mouth and spit phlegm down their throats. They also put a water bottle into practitioners' anus' and pumped water into it. The person who is responsible for this persecution is Gu Jianjun.
The First Division:
Jail leader Zhang Hu beat and kicked practitioners personally and also used both hands to pierce practitioners' ears. He personally handcuffed a practitioner to a so-called "control chair" (apparatus that makes people unable to walk if people sit on it for couple of hours). He offered the inmates a reduced sentence in exchange for their participation and attracted more than ten inmates to persecute practitioners. Under his forceful control and order, more than ten labor camp criminals took turns beating up practitioners and even spat phlegm in practitioners' faces. In the winter, they took off practitioners' clothes and poured cold water on them while using an electric fan to chill them further.
(Clearwisdom.net May 4, 2003)
Due to Falun Dafa practitioners clarifying the truth, sending forth righteous thoughts, studying the Fa, and self-cultivating, most of the evil beings in other dimensions have been eliminated. With so few left, the evil can no longer persecute practitioners on a large scale. At the Tuanhe Labor Camp in Beijing people are very busy trying to prevent and treat SARS. The police have completely changed their altitude towards Falun Dafa practitioners, and no longer mention "transforming" us. The evil in the labor camp is getting weaker and weaker. Falun Dafa practitioners are using the facts about the SARS epidemic to expose the evil and clarify the truth.
This Labor Camp has followed Jiang and his regime closely in the persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners since the persecution began in July 1999. These changes are the result of practitioners inside China and overseas continually exposing the evil, clarifying the truth, and changing the overall climate. We have learned that materials, such as The Historical Trial, The Founding Statement of the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong, and phone calls are flowing non-stop to officials, and to the police, especially to those who have tortured Dafa disciples. Many Dafa disciples send forth righteous thoughts directed towards the labor camp. Practitioners detained in the camp are more clear-headed and mature, and steadfastly maintain righteous thoughts and righteous actions. The cooperation among Dafa disciples inside China and overseas has severely shaken the evil, eliminated the evil, and has helped more and more Chinese, including the police in the labor camp, learn the facts about Falun Dafa, and free themselves from Jiang's manipulations. People are no longer willing to cooperate with the evil. Just like Master said in New Year's Greetings from Master,
"The endless journey has come to a close
And the pervasive haze is gradually dispersing
While righteous thoughts display the might of Gods
Returning to Heaven is no longer just yearned for"
April 29, 2003
(Clearwisdom.net)
In October 1998, I was fortunate to receive a copy of Zhuan Falun from a friend. After reading the book, I came to understand the principles of cultivation and how to become a better person. Since then I have committed myself to following the Fa principles taught by our Master and strived to become a truly better person. Within half a year, all my physical problems disappeared. My daughter was not a practitioner, but she truly believed the principles of becoming a better person described by our Master. In the past, she usually needed to visit doctors several times a year to treat her rhinitis. Ever since I started cultivation, she hasn't taken any medicine. My whole family benefits from my cultivation. Where else could we find such a good practice?
After the persecution started, out of my trust in the government, I went to the local government appeals office to help them understand the benefits of cultivation. We only had two requests: We need a peaceful cultivation environment; and we want to see all practitioners who had been detained released. However, both requests fell on deaf ears. Soon after, a local police officer came to me and said, "You'd better cooperate with us." I said, "You only listen to the lies from the high-ranking people, but don't want to listen to the truth. Our Master wants nothing from us, just our desire to be good and kind. It is through pre-destined arrangement that we meet today. You should tell your boss the truth. We are cultivating to be good people. We don't lie. No matter what you want to investigate, we are not afraid. Time will tell everything." He left speechless.
Later, they asked me to come to the police station. I told them, "I can only tell the truth. I can not lie." They asked me to write a "repentance letter,"* I told myself that the only thing I "repent of" is that I did not become a practitioner earlier! All the effects are beneficial to me. I realized that our Master has to overcome so much hardship to save us, "with the master and the Fa here what is there to fear?" (Lecture in Sydney) In the end, I didn't write any repentance letter. They didn't bring it up any more.
In March 2000, a second local police officer came to my home and asked me whether I was still practicing Falun Gong. I said, "I never stopped for a day." He repeated the lies from the TV that slandered our Master. I asked him, "What's so hard about telling lies on TV? Since I started to practice Falun Gong, I haven't taken any medicine. Even my daughter who didn't practice hasn't taken any medicine." He left without a word. Later, he was transferred to a different job.
My company management asked me to apply for a medical insurance card. I told them, "Dafa practitioners will never be sick. Just remember, Falun Dafa is good. Please use the benefits on others. I will use all I have to validate Dafa and to prove that our Master is being slandered. What you see on TV are all lies. The evil group is deceiving the people."
In October 2000, I went to Beijing to appeal for Master and Dafa. After we arrived at Tiananmen Square, a fellow practitioner and I were arrested. I told the police, "We came to Tiananmen Square to clarify the truth to the general public and redress the injustice for Dafa. What you are doing makes you guilty." Later they sent us to the provincial representative office in Beijing. On our way to the office, I clarified the truth to the driver. The driver said, "They are persecuting our people publicly." On October 8, my employer sent a car to Beijing to pick me up. On our way back, my escorts struggled to keep awake. I recited passages of the Fa silently and felt full of energy.
At the police station in my hometown, a head police officer began to interrogate me. At first, he was very nasty and angry. But I paid no attention to him at all. I was memorizing Master's words, "Just by having your heart unaffected you will be able to handle all situations." ("Eliminate your last attachment(s)") After a while, he softened his tone. When he had finished speaking, I said, "Now it is my turn. Why do I practice Falun Gong? Because Falun Gong teaches people to be good. It raises people's moral standard." My words were so truthful that he was speechless and had to leave. Later, a female police officer came to ask me whether I would continue to practice. I said, "Absolutely!" At 2 a.m. they sent me to the detention center. They detained me 15 days and charged 2,000 Yuan.* Then they let me go home.
Back at my work place, the management assigned two people to watch me. I told them about Dafa's benefit of improving people's health and moral standard. I said, "If the evil didn't persecute us, I would not have gone to Beijing to appeal. It is every citizen's basic right to appeal to the government. What's wrong with that?" They kept asking me to write a statement to promise not to appeal in Beijing again. I said, "I can't do this. Dafa practitioners are truthful in words and action. If I wrote it, I would not be a truthful person anymore." Finally, they asked me to choose between my job and Dafa. I said, "I choose Dafa."
My employer suspended my pension check and exerted pressure to my family. My family members could not withstand this and started to oppose my Falun Gong practice, but my heart was very calm and I was not moved. Therefore, I passed this test of my family's objections. My neighbors also knew that I was still practicing Falun Gong since July 20, 1999. Deceived by the rumours, some people did not understand; some made irresponsible and sarcastic comments; some even pointed fingers at me. I was not bothered by these misunderstandings and continued to openly clarify the truth with a smiling face. I told my neighborhood association people, "My Master teaches me Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance, and that I should be a good person. Jiang says that Dafa is evil. Someone tells him to come see me, so I can personally ask him what is righteous!" From then on, the people in the neighborhood association dared not to trouble me anymore.
After I came back from the detention center, I was called into the local police station. a third local police officer tried to force me to give up Falun Gong. I felt a pain in my heart and told her, "Who told you to pressure people to change their faith? If Falun Gong were not good, do I need you to worry about me? I would not have practiced, no matter who asked me. It is no use for you to pressure me. My heart tells me to be a good person. How could you change my heart? " She realized that her effort was in vain and let me go home. Soon after that, she was transferred out.
The fourth local police officer came to force me. I told her, "Your words don't count." She left with little to say.
Before the Chinese New Year of 2001, a police officer called and asked me whether I still practice Falun Gong. I said, "How could I not to do such a good practice?" Shortly after, three plice officers came to my house. I was very calm when I told them, "You should persuade people by logic, not force them by power. I went to Beijing to appeal, but was detained and tortured. Isn't this forcing people? Jiang kept saying that he is doing good deeds for people. You are all educated people. Think about it, what good deeds has Jiang done? Remember, good deeds will get rewarded and bad will meet with retribution. It's up to you now."They became quite pathetic and said, "It's near the Chinese New Year. Does your family need help?" I said, "Let's not talk about the hard time at my house. But you must know that Falun Gong is being persecuted." Before they left, the police said, "It's OK for you to practice at home; don't go out and tell others." I said, "Why not! Practice Falun Gong and become a better person. I will tell everyone I see." They became completely speechless and left, shaking their heads. That was the last time the police visited me.
Master said, "If something is yours, nobody will take it away."("Jealousy" Zhuan Falun the Seventh Talk ). Even after they stopped my pension checks, I have never stopped clarifying the truth to the management and my former collegues. I hoped that everyone would treasure the universal Fa which is given to us only after thousands of generations, and appreciate their own precious lives. Not long after, they resumed compensating me for my pension, along with the unpaid checks. I knew that this was all because of Master's protection. Everyday people cannnot control Dafa practitioners.
Over the past three years I have been clarifying the truth to people because of Dafa's mighty power. Master said in "To All Students at the Nordic Fa Conference": "As long as something is good for Dafa, you should take the initiative to do it, take the initiative to work on it. Every person you come into contact with in society is someone to clarify the truth to, and what's manifest in clarifying the truth is Dafa disciples' mercy and their salvation of the world's people. I hope that every Dafa disciple will fully take the initiative and fully play his role as a Dafa disciple."
Compared to Master's request, what I have done is not enough. Only if I "Lose no time and save them, hurry up and tell them" ("Hurry Up And Tell Them"), then can I not disappoint Master. To conclude, let me share with all practitioners our Master's poem
"A Righteous God"
With righteous thoughts and righteous actions
He is diligent without letting up
Eliminating demons that damage the Fa
He is good to all beings.
* Repentance letter: in which practitioners are forced to admit remorse for practicing Falun Gong, promise to give up Falun Gong, and never again associate with other practitioners or go to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong
** Yuan: 500 Yuan is the average monthly income for an urban worker in China
(Clearwisdom.net May 11, 2003)
A discussion forum aiming at exposing China's persecution of the freedom of belief organized by the "World Truth Forum" was held at the Ashfield Town Hall in Sydney, Australia on May 5. About 50 people attended the forum and participated in lively discussion.
The discussion forum was hosted by Mr. Stephen Sim, host of one of the largest radio stations (2NSB, FM 99.3) in the Sydney area.
Dr. Marie Clugston, a representative of Amnesty International, expressed
concern about Mainland China's human rights violations in the persecution of
Falun Gong, Christianity, and Tibetans. She pointed out that the situation has
not improved in the past year. She hoped that the Australian government would
take a more serious attitude in dealing with China regarding human rights
issues.
Some Falun Gong practitioners introduced their activities in rescuing
practitioners' family members who are being persecuted in China. The elder
brother of Mr. Richard Chan, who was detained in China for practicing Falun
Gong, was given an early release when the international media and community
pressured China after being informed of the situation.
A speaker at the forum, Mr. David Duffy, said that China's current human right record is the worst in the world. He expressed his respect for Falun Gong practitioners' actions and predicted that people in the future would be thankful for what Falun Gong practitioners did for them today. During the discussion, a video program about the facts of Falun Gong, which compared the persecution of different beliefs in history and today, was played for those present. The audience was moved by the touching video.
The host of the forum, Mr. Stephen Sim, said that he remembered a monument with the words, "As you leave, never again" in a Nazi concentration camp, that was made with the names of Jews killed in concentration camps. But the sad fact is that such tragedies are still happening in today's world, especially in China under the Jiang regime. He said that out of lust for power and jealousy, the former China president Jiang launched this persecution of Falun Gong, causing so many people to be displaced from their homes and families. He expressed his belief that if the Chinese people exposed the facts of the Jiang regime's persecution of the freedom of belief, it will allow the international courts to bring Jiang to justice and end the persecution.
He also said that Australians appreciate what Chinese immigrants have contributed to this country. He wanted the Chinese people to remember their initial purpose of coming to Australia and the tribulations they experienced, and be more aware of what was happening in Australia and in China.
At the end of the forum, Mr. Stephen Sim presented a gift to a Falun Gong practitioner whom he had known for a long time. It was a Hada (a piece of silk used as a greeting gift in the Tibetan and Mongol culture) given to him by a Tibetan author in exile. He said, "This piece of gratitude and honor belongs to you."
(Clearwisdom.net) On May 5, 2003, at Ms. Yolanda Gouldsimith's invitation, Falun Gong practitioners of Orange County introduced Falun Dafa to her students.
Ms. Gouldsimith teaches a class to reduce stress and alleviate the fear of exams. Last semester, she encouraged her students to learn Falun Gong at the local practice site. Recently, she contacted the Falun Gong practitioners and invited them to introduce Falun Gong in her class.
During the class, practitioner Mr. Yang talked about his own experiences of how practicing Falun Gong changed his mind and body for the better. He said that Falun Gong allowed him to be able to interact with his colleagues calmly even under a lot of pressure. He also talked about the persecution of Falun Gong in China. Later, the students watched a video program that showed the wide spread of Falun Gong over the last 11 years, allowing the students to have a better understanding of Falun Gong and the practitioners. Finally, the students of various age groups and ethnicities divided into four groups to learn the exercises.
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(Clearwisdom.net)
Featured Article
A Student from an Elementary School in Mainland China Writes to Friends: "Remembering 'Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance' will bring happiness to you." I read a letter that shocked me and made me sad. You will feel the same after reading it. If one day you, as the kindest person, was said to be a bad person, and everybody is misled by the lies and hates you for no reason as the one who hurts you has the power and authority to stop people from listening to you tell the truth, what would you do? This actually happened to a boy even younger than you and I. How pathetic and irritating this is. I want to tell the story to you and to more people. If you want to help this little friend, please pass this story to friends around you. I am sending you a saying: "Remembering 'Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance' will bring happiness to you."
Practitioners Exchange Insights
In a Few Words: Understanding of "Being Afraid." Being afraid is what people understand as being timid, which is a manifestation of cowardice. To go further, it is a manifestation of selfishness. Human beings, for their own benefit and concern for their own safety, cannot even tell the truth nor stick to what is righteous. In cultivation "being afraid" is a strong attachment that stops you from improving or upgrading. From another perspective, the more you are afraid of the evil the more it controls you. Isn't your attachment of being scared in accordance with the arrangement of the old forces? Being afraid is the attachment of ordinary people. It should be eliminated in cultivation.
Truth and People's Heart
New Falun Gong Practitioners Felt Compassionate Caring from Master
1) A farmer in the countryside always has righteous thoughts about Falun Gong. A Falun Gong practitioner gave him a Falun Gong book. One day he told the practitioner: "One family always bullies me and I always want to teach them a lesson. Last night I wanted to get up at night and light their woodpile on fire for revenge. When I got up I felt pains all over my body. I could not move at all. But when I got up this morning I did not feel any pain. Don't you think it is strange?" The practitioner told him that Master is watching over him, stopped him from doing bad things and making karma. He listened and had tears in his eyes: "No one has cared for me all these years, and now someone cares for me."
2) One family member of a Falun Gong practitioner planned to formally start cultivation. The family had dinner together. All non-practitioners had wine in their cups. As she had not formally started the practice, they poured a cup for her too. When they were just about to drink, her cup fell on the floor and broke. Although her husband is not a practitioner he said at once: "Master does not want you to drink. Do not drink any more."
Facts of the Persecution
Appeal to rescue 34-year old Falun Gong practitioner Li Guanghai of Huludao City, Liaoning Province. In November the Huludao City "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) and the Political and Legal Administration Committee illegally sentenced him to 3-years of forced labor education. Li Guanghai was brutally tortured many times by the police in the labor education center. On January 6, 2003, the police forced Li Guanghai, who is firm in his cultivation, to be brainwashed and they tortured him severely. Accordingly when Li Guanghai was sent to the hospital for treatment he was in critical condition. His arm turned black. He could not eat. There were many injuries to his heart. But 10 days later, Li Guanghai was sent to the labor education center again.
News and Activities around the World
A Letter to the Officials of the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles: This letter is about the materials and VCDs that slander Falun Gong, which are left at the Visa Office of the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles. To those who understand the truth these VCDs are only damaging the image of China and the Chinese media. To those who do not know the truth it creates hatred and misunderstandings based on lies. Mr. Li Hongzhi said: "a being's choice is up to him"("Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A."). We hope from the bottom of our hearts that you choose honesty and kindness.
News from China
Farmers from Kangping County in the northern part of Liaoning Province are all concerned with the lack of rain and the drought. They could not plant their fields. But the areas around Kangping more or less all have rain. People of the older generation said that the drought in Kangping is because the county leaders broke heavenly principles. The officials in Kangping County illegally carried out a brutal persecution against Falun Gong practitioners. In the past several years hundreds of Falun Gong practitioners in Kangping have been illegally detained and sent for labor education.
Reference Materials
Recently the China Legal Observation, an independent non-government organization composed of a group of legal professionals who are dedicated to promoting the legal administration system of China, wrote to the two congresses (Party's Congress and the People's Congress) appealing to the People's Congress to establish a case for investigating former President Jiang Zemin's illegal actions and abuse of power, and to establish laws specifying the limit of power, procedure of execution of authority, and an organization to monitor the president. This is the second letter of appeal from the China Legal Observation during the two congresses.
(Clearwisdom.net)
Three Brief Stories:
1. A misguided person reported the location of the site where we produce truth clarifying materials, to the Director of the Security Office. The Director told a practitioner at his workplace, "If they are truly Falun Gong practitioners, I absolutely will not hurt them and I won't report it to my boss either. I know Falun Gong practitioners are good people. If you know them, quickly tell them to move. I won't search the house until tomorrow."
2. A practitioner was getting a ride in a truck with strangers. He began speaking about Falun Gong to the driver and the two passengers. All three supported Falun Dafa. The driver said, "Falun Gong is wonderful, but where can I learn it? I've been searching for it for months. If only a practitioner could give me some flyers or CDs I would help distribute them." The practitioner let him know that he was a practitioner. The driver happily agreed to meet this practitioner at a specified location to obtain Falun Dafa books and truth-clarifying materials.
3. A woman living in the countryside was speaking to her unemployed daughter while pointing at a flyer clarifying the truth about Falun Dafa. She said, "Look at this flyer, don't you need money to produce it? Quickly find a job and earn some money so we can chip in. We need to fulfill our duty for Dafa."
(Clearwisdom.net) One day in 2001, my work unit supervisor in Yantan City asked me, "Do you practice Falun Gong?" I said, "Yes." He asked, "Could you talk about your experience being deceived and misled by Falun Gong? The TV station needs to make a program. If you cooperate with them, we could get free commercial time on TV."
I told him, "I was never deceived or misled. I greatly benefited from Falun Gong. Not only are all my illnesses gone, but I also got rid of my bad habits." Before I finished, my supervisor said, "We don't need you to go to the TV station tomorrow."
I went to the TV station the next day anyway, since I wanted to find out what they were saying about Dafa. This time I really witnessed the evils' performance. The TV station found six or seven people who were willing to cooperate with the TV station to air such a program in exchange for free commercial TV time. These people asked, "We never practiced Falun Gong, what should we say?" TV station staff told them, "Don't worry. We will teach you what to say." When they saw me standing there they escorted me out.
This incident illustrates how all the excuses the Jiang regime uses to persecute Falun Gong are lies. "The society's propaganda machines are all directed by it through its power, and they've spread a lot of huge and outrageous lies among the Chinese people and the rest of the world's people." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.")
(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.
Tuesday, May 13, 2003, Page 8
'Political accountability cannot be thoroughly implemented under China's
party-government system because the party is not responsible to any other
organization. Nor can it be supervised by anyone.'
The SARS outbreak has significantly affected China's politics. The international
media has mostly focused on the SARS epidemic's impact on the Chinese political
situation. But what really deserves our attention is how flawed China's
political system has proven to be in the wake of the epidemic.
First, the civilian administration in Beijing can hardly control the military.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has always stressed the idea of the party
leading the military. All troops are controlled by the party's Central Military
Commission, chaired by former president Jiang Zemin, rather than by the
government system through the State Council.
However, SARS prevention is the responsibility of both President Hu Jintao --
who serves concurrently as the party's secretary-general and the commission's
vice chairman -- and Premier Wen Jiabao. As a result, the Hu-Wen system is
unable to control the epidemic at military hospitals. This was also a major
cause of Beijing's SARS outbreak.
Similar problems will constantly occur, and more than one government will
continue to exist in China if it does not have a single leadership that controls
both the party and the military in the future.
Second, the central government's control of the local governments is weak.
Although Beijing has requested that local governments report epidemic
information, the central government does not know whether the reported number of
SARS cases is accurate. Hence, it has to send out teams, or even rely on World
Health Organization (WHO) experts to find out the truth for it.
The central government also has to constantly threaten to dismiss those
irresponsible officials and has no idea whether it will receive complete
information on the epidemic nationwide.
Third, the party's control over the media is tight. The spread of the disease is
generally believed to be related to the regime's cover-up of the epidemic at
first. In fact, all the media are led by the party's propaganda department.
The regime is absolutely capable of completely blocking certain news if it
desires to do so. On the other hand, for more sensitive news that is not
officially banned by the department, the media usually report it to a certain
degree in an effort to boost sales. Reports on the SARS epidemic were blocked
until early last month.
The media's simultaneous reactions served as proof of the department's ban on
SARS reports earlier. If the party still does not give greater freedom to the
media in the future, and the media still cannot give full play to their function
as an early-warning system, then similar disasters may break out again.
Fourth, both information feedback from rural areas and public resource
management mechanisms are poor and ineffective. The disease has not yet spread
into the rural areas, where medical resources are lacking. But numerous workers
are now running away from big cities to their hometowns on China's crowded
transportation system.
The public health system has lagged far behind in the rural areas because of
long-term ignorance and unbalanced development. Both the epidemic information
and public medical resources are insufficient. Once massive outbreaks of the
illness take place there, all cities are likely to close down. This will further
worsen the gap between China's urban and rural areas.
Fifth, the legitimacy of the regime is weak. Why did China cover up the epidemic
at the beginning? The bureaucrats were afraid to cause public panic and social
uproar. This clearly showed the fragility of the country's overall political
order. On the other hand, many economically developed areas tried their best to
maintain a clean image, so as to avoid possible capital outflows and economic
strikes.
This clearly showed that China's overall political legitimacy excessively relies
on the single factor of the economy, which is another weakness of the Chinese
political order today.
Sixth, government officials at all levels have a bureaucratic attitude and do
not value the public's lives and property. For example, a Chinese official once
said that it's not considered a significant matter unless hundreds of thousands
of people are killed.
Maybe the Chinese government would not be so nervous if not for the large number
of foreigners also affected by the disease. Numerous people have been killed in
coal mine collapses in recent years. Although these incidents were reported by
the media, they did not cause any political crisis because all the victims were
lower-class Chinese.
Finally, the most fundamental problem: party-government relations and "political
accountability," which were reflected in the following cases. Take Guangdong
Province for example. In March and early last month, divergent voices on SARS
propaganda were frequently heard from the provincial government and the
provincial propaganda department, which is in fact controlled by the party's
propaganda department. The former tended to be more open, and the latter more
conservative.
Such divergence created a political accountability problem: the provincial
government had to bear the political responsibility of concealing news but had
no real control over the local media. This highlighted the difficulty of how
"political accountability" should be promoted in the existing party-government
system.
If the government at each level is responsible to the National People's Congress
of its level and also to the State Council, then how can the party be
supervised?
Since the party's organization and management principle is "democratic
centralism," which demands that local party organs obey the central ones and
that lower authorities obey higher ones, should the party's propaganda
department be responsible for local propaganda agencies' actions? To which is
the propaganda department responsible? To the Central Committee?
The problem is, those who lead the party's propaganda work and the government's
administration are all members of the Political Bureau under the Central
Committee. But the bureau adopts a collective leadership. How can responsibility
be clarified?
Political accountability cannot be thoroughly implemented under China's
party-government system because the party is not responsible to any other
organization. Nor can it be supervised by anyone.
According to the PRC's Constitution, especially stressed by Hu when he first
took the helm, the party has to act in accordance with the Constitution. But the
Constitution failed to stipulate any supervision mechanism for the party.
In the era of globalization, the essence of China's new political and economic
order is fluid in nature. In light of the SARS impact today, the political
system built on the basis of a closed society in the past is seriously flawed.
For China's healthy development in the future, it's time for the new Chinese
leadership to add political system reform to its agenda.
Hsu Szu-chien is an assistant research fellow in the Institute of International
Relations at National Chengchi University.
TRANSLATED BY EDDY CHANG
Tuesday, May 13, 2003
Posted: 0657 GMT ( 2:57 PM HKT)
|
About 90 million Chinese mobile phone users regularly send text messages. |
BEIJING, China (Reuters) -- China is cracking down on rumors about SARS being spread through mobile phone messages with a tracking system used to guard against perceived threats to the government, industry sources say.
The system was reportedly set up ahead of a pivotal leadership transition in the Communist Party last November.
Authorities can read the message in as little as 15 minutes after isolating the sender, one source familiar with the system told Reuters.
"The government told carriers to have it all in place in time to patrol illegal information before the 16th Party Congress," he said.
"They caught a few Falun Gong practitioners then," he said, referring to followers of a banned spiritual movement [...]. "Now, they are using it to find rumor mongers."
Police have detained at least 12 people for spreading rumors about Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which has killed 252 people in China and infected more than 5,000, almost two thirds of the world total.
Beijing has borne the brunt so far and the detentions are a fresh sign police are cracking down on rumormongering to keep a lid on the panic over SARS that has sparked scattered riots.
Rumours spread by the mobile short messaging system (SMS) have ranged from Beijing officials being poised to impose martial law to crop dusters spraying the city with disinfectant by night. Another advised people to drink and smoke to ward off SARS.
Mobile phone operators, vendors and Beijing's Internet Supervision Bureau all declined to comment on the tracking system.
But an executive at a Shanghai-based firm which has written tracking software for the government said: "China wants to monitor SMS the way it watches the Internet."
Telecoms equipment vendors have sold tracking systems to carriers, sources said.
About 60 million Chinese surf the Internet and some 90 million send regular text messages.
The administration already censors the Internet, television, radio, publications and sometimes screens telephone calls for content deemed objectionable.
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/east/05/13/sars.sms.reut/index.html
