Wednesday 29 August 2012

A Falun Gong Practitioner's Compassion



(Minghui.org) When the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began to persecute Falun Gong, it utilized a large amount of national resources to spread false information about Falun Gong to the world. Many Chinese people residing in Toronto, Canada were among those who believed the CCP's false propaganda. However, through continuous efforts by the local practitioners to clarify the truth about Falun Gong, they have pierced through the lies of the CCP. Consequently, many Chinese people who initially had misunderstandings have changed their views about Falun Gong.


As a local practitioner, Ms. Wu Yanxia has been clarifying the truth in Toronto's Chinatown for the last eleven years. Being a cultivator, Ms. Wu naturally exudes kindness and peacefulness, and has made many friends in the local community. She said, “A kind smile can shorten the distance between two people and eliminate animosity in others. When I help people with baby carriages or the elderly by opening the door for them, I'm able to melt their indifferent attitudes. When I warmly extend my helping hands to those who need help, I can rid them of their numb and puzzled facial expressions.”
法轮功学员吴燕霞在唐人街真相点发资料,讲真相。
Practitioner Ms. Wu Yanxia distributing information materials about Falun Gong
 
During the past eleven years, Ms. Wu noticed a gradual change in the attitude of Chinese people toward Falun Gong. She also saw many kindhearted people supporting Falun Gong. Ms. Wu said, “I sense the transformation by looking at people's facial expressions. Some will smile at me or greet me, others will say a few words of support and encouragement.”

The Owner of a Pharmacy - from Being Hostile to Being Hospitable

The Falun Gong information display board is located next to a pharmacy. When Wu Yanxian first came here, other practitioners said the owner of the pharmacy was very unfriendly to the practitioners. Every day, she would walk by the display in a hurry, with a hostile looks in her eyes. She wanted to talk to the owner, but could not find the opportunity to do so.
Whenever the owner walked by Ms. Wu, she would say to her, “Do you know what is happening in China, the land that we love? Please take a look at the informational material,” or “Do you know why we are standing here? Please read the informational materials and you will understand.”
Two days, one month, and two months went by... Ms. Wu said, “Although we were next to each other, out hearts were very far apart.”


It snowed heavily one cold winter night. The next day when Ms. Wu set up the display board, the snow on the ground was packed very tight by pedestrians who had been stepping on it. Ms. Wu walked to the pharmacy and asked the owner, “May I please borrow your snow shovel? Ours is broken.”


The owner agreed to lend her the snow shovel. Ms. Wu thanked the owner and cleaned up the snow in the display area, including the area in front of the pharmacy. She then bought a bag of salt from the supermarket and spread the salt on the ground to prevent ice from forming.
Ms. Wu cleaned the shovel, and returned it to the owner. The owner smiled for the first time. Ms. Wu recalled, “The owner had such a bright smile. She thanked me and asked me with great concern, 'Your hands are cold and red. Why don't you put on some gloves?'”
“Ever since then, when the owner walked by the display board, she would look at the display and smile at us.” Ms. Wu continued, “One time I ran into her in the subway station. She greeted me as if I was an old friend of hers. When she found out that I had an evening job and clarified the truth by the display board during the day, she told me to take good care of myself.”

Owner of Grocery Store Looked After the Information Display Area


There is a grocery store near the display area. Every time the owner of the grocery store saw the display, he would get very upset and complain. One day Ms. Wu kindly said to him, “Please let us know if you have any thoughts or opinions. Getting upset is bad for your health.” The grocery store owner angrily pointed at a photo and said, “Look at this picture! It's so bloody! Don't you think it is so unsightly and unappealing?”


Ms. Wu replied, “But those are facts...” The owner interrupted her and said, “Alright, alright. I don't want to listen to you anymore.” He then walked away.
On another occasion, the owner pointed angrily at the display and complained, “I don't understand. Why are you showing this negative news to outsiders. How can you be proud of it? Don't you have any shame? We are all Chinese, so why are you doing this?”
Wu Yanxia understood his concern, so she said to him: “You are right. The Chinese people love saving face. We would rather starve ourselves and offer the good food to our guests. No matter how much we are being wronged, we still show our smiles to others. Do you really think we like these photos? Don't you think we'd rather show outsiders things of our country that we could be proud of? Do you know that there are so many people that have been arrested, sentenced, and tortured because they spoke the truth to the government? Do you know that my relative is jailed because he did not want to lie to people? We are being persecuted for trying to be good people, and being jailed for speaking the truth. Do you think that's fair? Would a nation have any hope if the government censors the truth and persecutes the good people?”


Ms. Wu continued, “Then I burst into tears and couldn't talk anymore. The owner was initially very angry, then his face turned red. Later he calmed down and said in a low voice, 'I know. I know what the CCP has done, but I just feel uncomfortable when I see these pictures.' Later when he walked by the display board, he would have a smile on his face.”


One evening, Ms. Wu stayed very late at the display board area. No one came to take over her shift. She did not have a cell phone or the phone number of the coordinator. She saw the owner of the grocery store and told him the situation. The owner asked her if there was any money inside the material box. She said, “No.” Then he said, “I will watch the area for you. Why don't you go make some phone calls?” Ms. Wu looked in her pockets but could not find her wallet. The owner gave her a coin. With that coin, Ms. Wu called her family and asked them to contact the coordinator. The owner did not leave the display area until Ms. Wu finished the phone call.
Ms. Wu said, “Since then, every year when Shen Yun Performing Arts is in Toronto, I would put posters on his store front. He would always reply with a smile, and tell me to post as many as I want.”

A Veteran Cadre Reads the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and Quits the CCP While Visiting His Relatives

In recent years, many people from Mainland China traveled to Canada to visit relatives, while others come for business, or leisure purposes. Ms. Wu said, “They were very surprised to see our display board. They would look at the display and listen to us talk. Last spring, an elderly man who looked like a CCP cadre came here to visit his relatives. After he understood the truth about Falun Gong, he asked for a copy of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party.” I urged him to quit the party, but he refused.”


“I saw him two months later, and he seemed to avoid us intentionally. When I greeted him, he purposefully talked about other things, avoiding the topic of the Nine Commentaries or “quitting the party.' When I asked him if he had finished reading the Nine Commentaries, he said he was a good person, did good deeds, was not greedy, and did not take bribes.”
Ms. Wu was afraid to miss the opportunity and not be able to see him in the future, so she said, “Actually, those who add glory to the CCP are committing a crime!” The man had a blank look then asked seriously, “Why do you say that?” Ms. Wu answered, “Because those who praise the CCP are misleading the people in their views of the party. They are acknowledging what the CCP has done is great, glorious, and correct. Think about it. After the CCP was established, why did it recruit the elites in the field of the academia, arts and literature, and sports? Wasn't it to make the CCP look good? When people with a conscience learn about its true nature and continue to uphold the CCP at all cost, isn't that committing a crime against the Chinese people?”
“He blushed and was speechless. After a lengthy discussion, he agreed to quit the CCP using an alias.”


A Mainland Chinese Businessman Offers Sugar Cane Juice


Last summer, Ms. Wu met a businessman from Shenyang City, in the northeastern part of China. Because Mainland Chinese people do not follow local business laws and regulations and due to the collusion between business and government officials, this businessman had a lot of problems operating his business. He agreed with the principles of Falun Gong, and admired the practitioners' resistance against the persecution.


The first time they met, Ms. Wu quietly listened to his story. He lamented, “I wish the Chinese people could be like Falun Gong practitioners. Chinese people need to be awakened to the truth.” It was a very warm day. Before he left, he bought two glasses of sugar cane juice from the booth next door and offered them to Ms. Wu and another practitioner. It was a sign of respect from the businessman.


After eleven years of clarifying the truth to this small Chinese community, Wu Yanxia noticed the change in attitude in many Chinese people. She said, “Two days ago, I saw a Chinese man who used to live in Chinatown. Later he moved to Markham, Ontario. In the past, he often criticized and argued with us while looking at the display board. In recent years, he stopped coming here because of his illness. He was very excited to see us here and lamented, 'Wow! You are still here? Because of your unwavering spirit, I believe in the near future, the sun will bring freedom and warmth to the land of China!'”

Tuesday 28 August 2012

Lawyers Admonish the Judge in Court: Do Not Support the Communist Regime's Illegal Acts

                       
(Minghui.org) On August 10, 2012, perpetrators from the Zhengzhuangzi Central Court in Kaiping District, Tangshan, Hebei Province put four Falun Gong practitioners on trial, including Li Wendong, Yue Changcun, Zhang Guochen, and Yang Zheng. Lawyers including Xie Yanyi defended them. The following is an account of the trial.
 Interference Prior to the Trial Li Wendong was arrested by the police on the morning of February 25, and his house was ransacked. Li Yuemei, the wife of Li Wendong, was also detained the same day. During the entire time they were arresting practitioners, the police showed no identification. Even though it was known that the couple was persecuted, in the company where they worked, Tangshan Iron and Steel Group Co., Ltd., no one cared.   In order to rescue her husband, Li Yuemei asked for help and hired a lawyer to plead not guilty for Li Wendong. Li Yuemei knows that her husband has committed no crimes. Based on her own legal knowledge, she wrote appeal letters to various government departments, hoping that righteous people would lend a helping hand. Li Yuemei also directly contacted the Kaiping Domestic Security Division and demanded the return of the personal belongings they took away. Their company management warned Li Yuemei to stop what she was doing and to distance herself from or divorce her husband. Yang Ji from the company's Domestic Security Division questioned Li  Yuemei and tried to get information from her, such as how she found the lawyer, if she wrote the letters herself, and other questions. Li Yuemei requested that Li Wendong be told the news that her mother had passed away. However, the perpetrators in her company did not do it. On August 7, 2012, Li Yuemei received notification of the trial date and asked for a day off to go to court with the lawyer and to visit her husband at the detention center. However, the company only allowed her a half-day off. During the trial, they insisted on taking Li Yuemei to the court in the company car.   In early August, Li Wendong's lawyer Xie Yanyi received a phone call from Zhao Lizuo from Kaiping Court requesting that she get a statement from the local bar association and the local police station to prove that the lawyer does not practice Falun Gong. The lawyer sternly rejected the request. On the day of the trial, there were several police officers, both uniformed and plainclothes, outside of the courtroom. The police and police cars not only filled the streets around the court, but were also inside the nearby depot as well as in the residential areas. A camera patrol car kept driving back and forth around the area outside the courtroom, taking video recordings of everyone. The police ordered away all pedestrians in the area.
'所有街道密布警察、便衣和警车'
Streets filled with police, plainclothes officers, and police cars
'专门负责对现场人员录像的警车和警察'
A camera patrol car and police officers video recording people
'庭外密谋的警察和便衣'
Police and plainclothes officers outside the courtroom  All the practitioners present were being monitored. Several practitioners from Majiagou were sent back home, and some of them were still being watched even after they returned home. Some of the police watched them and took notes. Gao Zhaochen's trial was held on the same day, and his family car was forcibly searched. When the family demanded to see a search warrant, the police refused to show them any documents.  The police knew that Li Wendong's mother-in-law had passed away, but did not tell him.  Lawyers Admonish the Judge: Do Not Pay for the Communist Regime's Illegal Acts In court, lawyer Xie Yanyi pointed out that the police arrested Li Wendong first and then searched for evidence afterwards. Due to Li Wen-dong's personal belief, he has been detained for nearly six months. The lawyer asserted that the law must not be twisted around and used as a tool by a handful of officials to achieve their personal goals. The lives of innocent people can not be ruined in exchange for political power or to satisfy personal interests! ...and the judges should think rationally and not support the regime's illegal acts and the monumental debt it is accumulating. The lawyer made it very clear that Li Wendong's modifying his printer and having Falun Gong materials does not constitute a crime!   While lawyer Xie Yanyi was speaking, the judge Zhao Lizuo kept hammering on the gavel to interrupt his questions. After the judge had done this several times, Zhang Guochen's lawyer Wang Quanzhang reminded the judge, “Please don't hammer the gavel at will.” Zhao Lizuo restrained himself a bit after that.

Sunday 26 August 2012

My Experience of Learning and Practicing Falun Dafa in Prison

                      
August 26, 2012 | By practitioner in China
 
(Minghui.org) I was arrested in January 1998 for kidnapping, and imprisoned for 13 years. I was affected by the moral turpitude in society, but I was also trying to get revenge on the victim. I reasoned that there were many bad people doing worse things than this without repercussions. I had also done some good things for people, but now I was suffering nonetheless. It seemed that it wouldn't be worthwhile to be a nice person in this society, because nice people were always taken advantage of and bullied. I was very confused about what I should do.

One of my friends visited me in prison in May 1999, and he gave me two books, Zhuan Falun and Essentials for Further Advancement, and he asked me to read them when I had time. I wasn't very interested when I heard that the books were about qigong, but my friend recommended that I take a look at them anyway. So I took the books to my cell and read them when I had time. After I read them, I found that my confusion was gone. I had received the answers to the questions I had previously. I believed in the saying, “...doing good deeds is met with good rewards, and being evil is met with evil returns.” (Zhuan Falun) I now believed it to be true. I knew I could only gain good results in life if I was a good person. I decided to be a nice person as instructed in the books.

I tried to practice the exercises as well, but I didn't know the exact movements. I learned some things from one person, who said that he had seen people practicing Falun Dafa. So I practiced in the way he taught me. I later discovered that those movements were wrong. Two months later, the persecution of Falun Dafa began. I saw that what was propagated on TV about Falun Dafa was totally different from what I had learned from the books. I believed that the books were correct, so I kept on reading the books and being a good person. After a while, I found that my physical problems, including neurasthenia and insomnia, had disappeared. I became healthier and had more energy. I felt that Falun Dafa was good indeed!

Some people reported to the guards that I was practicing Falun Dafa, and the guards talked with me about this. They told me that if I gave up practicing Falun Dafa, they would find me a good job and release me from prison early. At that time, I thought that if I could not practice Falun Dafa, I would not be able to tell right from wrong, and I would also not be a good person. I would probably do bad things as before and end up back in this place again. Therefore, I told the guards that I would continue practicing. I was then transferred to another jail, the place where the Falun Dafa practitioners were persecuted in our province. This place was also called the “strict management team.”


I was imprisoned separately in a small room. I was ordered to fold a pile of bags, which I refused to do. I was then beaten by several men with clubs. I felt no pain at the time because Master helped me suffer through it. I still refused to fold the bags and they had to give up on me that day. I was held in a room and not allowed to go out. I was given only very little food at each meal. They did whatever they wanted to me. In June 2001, I was told that if I wanted to get out of that place, I had to write a repentance statement, but I refused to do so. They tried to force me to write a repentance statement by threatening to prolong my years in jail and increase my physical suffering.


Facing ten more years of life in jail and physical suffering, caused me indecision. I was fighting with myself in my mind and I didn't know what to do. I had no idea what to do, even after I thought about it for several days. I finally realized that I would not find answers by thinking about the situation in this way. I had to release all thoughts and empty my mind. I asked myself from the bottom of my heart, what did I really want? Continuing to clarify the truth and acknowledge that Falun Dafa was good was what I wanted most. I then decided to persist in clarifying the truth and validating Falun Dafa no matter what I met with, even if it meant sacrificing my life.


As soon as I thought about the situation in this way, I felt more at ease and happier. Two weeks later, I was assigned to a group. It was a group in which a dozen criminals lived together. The guard asked a criminal named Song to force me to write the repentant statement, but I refused. Then they found a way. They asked a mentally ill criminal to “take care” of me and make me listen to him, but I would not. Song shut me in a room and slapped me around several times. He blocked the door to the room and didn't allow me to leave. I told him to get out of the way three times and finally he did. I went out to report the abuse to the guards, but the guards hid and would not come out. I later saw guards in another room and I went there to try to talk with them. However, the criminal guarding the door would not let me pass through. Hearing the noise at the door, all the police officers came out and approached me with handcuffs and truncheons. They didn't ask me any questions or say anything to me, and proceeded to beat me. I was hung up from an iron pole by handcuffs and wasn't released until I lost consciousness. I was then sent back to my room.

I was later transferred to another team where I was treated with even more contemptible ways. Two criminals were assigned to be my “personal monitors” and they harassed me. However, they still couldn't make me give up practicing Falun Dafa.

I received Master’s articles from other practitioners who had been illegally sentenced, and I realized that Dafa practitioners should come out and validate Dafa. However, I was in prison, so how could I go out and validate Dafa? I was enlightened by the stories of how fellow practitioners worked at exposing the persecution and validating Dafa. I also found my own ways to do so. The prison usually held a flag raising activity and allowed prisoners to celebrate and pledge together when the holidays came. I decided to use this chance to pledge my thoughts as well. After preparing and practicing several times, I called out, “Falun Dafa is good!” just before other criminals were about to recite a pledge at the “Labor Day” (Chinese holiday) flag raising ceremony. At first I was hesitant, but after I called out, I no longer felt scared. I felt energized with power and refreshed. It was so good! The guards were frightened by my actions. They pulled me away from the ceremony and put me in the confinement room.

In the confinement room, the guards tried to make me stand facing the wall, but I refused to do that, so they beat me with a wide wooden stick with thorns on it. They beat on my legs and back with all their strength. I used the supernatural power given to me by Master to resist the beating and let the pain return to the guards. I felt no pain. The stick broke after several minutes and the evil ones threw it away and left.

At another time, I was practicing the Falun Gong exercises and the guards caught me and sent me to the confinement room. I continued practicing, even with the handcuffs on my hands. I was forced to stand facing the south wall. I remembered what Master had said,
“No matter what the situation, do not cooperate with the evil’s demands, orders, or what it instigates. If everyone does this the environment won’t be this way.”
(“Dafa Disciples’
 
 
Righteous Thoughts are Powerful,” from Essentials for Further Advancement II)
So I refused to stand facing the wall. The police officer beat me with his truncheon, but I was still not conquered. Then he left angrily. Several other men handcuffed me and hung me from the door beam.

They later transferred me to another squadron. I stayed there for 7 to 8 years and contested with the evil the entire time. The guards said that if I was so firm in my practice just through reading the books, what would I do if I had another practitioner to study with? They feared it would be more difficult to "transform" me. They found that they could not make me waver and eventually gave up. Later, another practitioner really did arrive.

The practitioner was in his sixties. When he arrived, he was persecuted and attempts were made to force him to write the three statements (“repentance statement," "guarantee statement" and "dissociation statement"). We talked with each other and decided we would never “transform,” never write the statements, and never do anything not in accordance with Dafa. We sent forth righteous thoughts together to disintegrate the evil. The guards ordered two murderers to “personally monitor” the practitioner and promised to reduce his sentence by four months if he wrote the statements. The two criminals started to persecute the practitioner unscrupulously. They forced him to stand in front of the window in the cold of winter, beat him with clubs, forced him to stand for long periods, etc. I sent forth righteous thoughts and reported the beatings to the prison authorities. They pretended that they didn't know this was happening. So I told them the whole story. They could no longer deny it so they said they would take care of it. The criminals then brought the practitioner to a secret room and I could not hear any noise. Whenever I had a chance to meet with my fellow practitioner, I encouraged him with Master’s Fa.

One afternoon after that, the practitioner fainted because of the abuse he was suffering. He was sent to the hospital and with the protection of Master, he was fine. Afterwards, the guards got rid of those two criminals and stopped the severe persecution of this practitioner. Later, three more fellow practitioners arrived and the environment became easier for us. We communicated, learned together, sent forth righteous thoughts, and resisted the persecution together. We all came to understand how to oppose the evil persecution.

With the progression of Master’s Fa-rectification, I feel that the evil factors are less than they were years ago. We should seize the time to clarify the truth and save people by persuading them to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). We all cooperated and worked together. While some clarified the truth, the others helped to send forth righteous thoughts. The environment became better and better. By the time I left that place, more than half of the prisoners had already quit the CCP. I know there was still much more to do compared with some fellow practitioners who had persuaded almost all people in the prison to quit the CCP.

There are more stories to be told during this long journey. It seemed that I suffered a lot during the 13 years in jail, but I feel very fortunate to know and study Falun Dafa. The greatest lesson that I learned is that if we can do what our Master tells us to, we can find the way to get through. I now know that I can stay with Master’s righteous Fa and be a Fa-rectification period Dafa practitioner. It is my long-time dream and sacred vow. It is also the mercy and kindness of Master. I will cherish the opportunity to take on the responsibility and mission of a Dafa practitioner and help save the people lost in the lies.

Due to my limited knowledge, I welcome suggestions from fellow practitioners.

Saturday 25 August 2012

How Many People Would Have Benefited from Falun Gong Had It Not Been for the Persecution?

                      
August 25, 2012 | By Xiao Yan, a Minghui correspondent from Canada
 
(Minghui.org) On May 8, 2012, Ms. Jin went to the immigration office early in the morning for an interview with an immigration officer about her residence permit in Canada. In their talk she briefly told the officer about the remarkable improvement in her physical condition, comparing it to before she practiced Falun Gong, which her son recommended to her. The officer was quite moved by her story and granted her the residence permit. He was so convinced by her comments that he said he would some day try practicing Falun Gong.
二零一二年五月五日,蒙特利尔法轮功学员庆祝法轮大法弘传于世二十周年,金女士在派发法轮功真相资料。
At a celebration of the 20th anniversary of Falun Gong's public introduction held in Montreal, Canada, Ms. Jin distributed Falun Gong materials


In her 70s, Ms. Jin has to stay in Canada as a refugee because she cannot return to China. She cannot return because she practices Falun Gong, which is being viciously attacked by the Chinese regime. Like many others, she took up the practice to be healed. It did not let her down, and the diseases that were considered incurable by the medical community disappeared without her taking any medicine. She was upset by the fact that Falun Gong, which originated in China, could not be practiced in China, and she had to come to Canada to practice. Falun Gong, which has now been embraced in more than 100 countries around the world, has been widely recognized by the public, garnering more than 2,000 official awards from the governments of different countries. China, on the other hand, is seeking to eradicate it. Deterred by the persecution, she did not dare to try it when she was in China, and she suffered with her bad health for a decade longer. Who is to blame? Ms. Jin's story is definitely not the only one, as many others had similar experiences.


After its introduction to the public in 1992, Falun Gong could be seen in almost every corner of China, including parks, school campuses, and factories. The popularity of the free practice grew rapidly, and over 100 million people became practitioners, many of whom regained their health, including some patients with terminal cancer. The practitioners also enjoyed better relationships with their family members and others, which, in turn, largely stabilized Chinese society. Despite this, in 1999 the Chinese Communist regime, then headed by Jiang Zemin, launched the persecution of Falun Gong, aiming to eradicate the practice from China. The police, secret agents, and judiciary systems are involved in the persecution. Illegal arrests, incarcerations, forced labor, imprisonment, and cruel torture are widely used to break the practitioners' faith in Falun Gong. Many of them even had their organs removed while they were still alive, with their organs used for transplants that profited the government. The Chinese regime's slanderous attacks on Falun Gong deterred many people from even approaching it.


Fortunately, Ms. Jin was able to leave China and come to Canada, where she met with Falun Gong and was given a new lease on life free from any ailment.


In a celebration of the 20th anniversary of Falun Gong's introduction to the public on May 5, 2012, in Montreal, Ms. Jin, dressed in traditional Korean attire, stood on a platform and said, “I am over 70 years old now. I have practiced Falun Gong for only two years, but I have been completely cured by the practice and I have regained my health. I am full of joy and happy, and I have a good outlook on life.


“When I was in China, my husband told me that I had protrusion of the lumbar intervertebral disc and hyperosteogeny. This overgrowth of bone in my vertebra constricted the nerves, and I was disabled when I walked. All too often my legs hurt and were numb. Sometimes the bones hurt even when I was lying in bed. The worst thing was that the pain often intensified at night and would wake me up. I consulted many doctors. They suggested that I choose either Western or Chinese medicine. In Western medicine I could have surgery to remove the peripheral tissue around the openings in the vertebrae so that the nerves would not be constricted. In Chinese medicine I could only ease the pain, and the best way to do that was acupuncture. I resorted to acupuncture. ”


The acupuncture remedy did made it possible for her to do the paperwork that was needed for her to go to Canada. She said, “My son had sent me the invitation letter to go to Canada a long time before, and he kept pushing me over the telephone to do the paperwork as soon as possible. I did not let him know how bad I was, lest he worry about me. So I just said, 'I can do the paperwork little by little. There is no reason to hurry.' I simply could not hurry because I could barely move.”
Ms. Jin has two children, but neither one lived with her and she was living alone. She said, “After a period of treatment I could walk, so I went to Beijing to do the paperwork that was needed to go abroad. After I had a physical exam, I was granted a visa to go to Canada. ”


Finding it hard to move around, Ms. Jin felt helpless and frustrated. After many considerations, she chose Air Korea for her flight to Canada. She said, “I chose Air Korea because I did not need to collect my luggage when I changed airplanes as it would be delivered directly to my destination. All other airlines require their passengers collect their bags when they change planes, and they have to go through the check-in process for the next flight. So I took an Air Korea flight to Toronto, and my son picked me up.”


Having been ill for so many years, Ms. Jin relied heavily on medicine. She said, “When I first came to Canada I carried with me many different kinds of medicine, especially painkillers. I ate the painkillers when my lower back and legs hurt, but the pain persisted. Seeing this, my son said to me, 'Mother, please listen to me. You can try Falun Gong. Just give it a try to see if it works. Just try it.'”
She continued, “Finding it hard to say no to my son's advice, I decided to give Falun Gong a try. With the guidance of my son, I read the Falun Gong literature and did the Falun Gong exercises for two hours every day. After two months, to my surprise, I found myself much more agile than before. Take going upstairs as an example. Before, I had to drag my feet up step by step. One day not long after I had been practicing Falun Gong I could go up like a healthy person.”


Besides her lower back problem, Ms. Jin also had serious headaches from a car accident. She said, “I also had suffered from headaches. In the 1970s I hit my head in a traffic accident and seriously injured it, for which I was hospitalized for a long time. One year after I returned home from the hospital, I had serious headaches and periods of unconsciousness. I asked the doctors for help, but they could do nothing, saying it was a side effect from my injuries in the traffic accident. They could only advise me to take painkillers when the pain was too much to tolerate. I had no choice but to accept it, thinking that the headaches would be with me until the day I died. When the pain came on, I needed to take a dozen painkillers, as one or two would do nothing to ease the pain. I later had to carry painkillers with me whenever I went out; I ate them like candy.”


The painkillers had side effects. She said, “After several decades of eating painkillers, one day I ended up with gastric perforation and a gastric ulcer. Painkillers can harm the stomach with their corrosive chemical compounds. My stomach was so eroded that it perforated, which further caused gastric hemorrhage. At first I did not realize the problem until one day I fell down and fainted, which was caused by anemia. In the hospital I was diagnosed with insufficient blood supply. I was then examined with a gastroscope, and they found the perforation.”


Ms. Jin's headaches made her bad-tempered. She said, “The headaches made me paranoid and irritable. I have a daughter and a son. My daughter sometimes complained that I wronged them in almost everything. I was so distracted by my headaches, but they did not understand me. I thought I had to go on without their understanding me, and perhaps they would change later.”
The headaches from the traffic accident, the gastric perforation caused by overuse of painkillers, the protrusion of the lumbar inveterbral disc, and hyperosteogeny had Ms. Jin seeking medical treatment for most of her life. She said, “Two months after practicing Falun Gong, my lower back pain and the numbness in my limbs were gone. It was so surprising. Furthermore, my headaches just disappeared. When I had the headaches I had extremely poor memory. My head is now very clear, and I've recovered my memory.”


After two years of practicing Falun Gong, in addition to regaining her health, she also has a positive and pleasant outlook on life, something that she had never experienced before. She said, “How happy I would have been if I were like I am now when I was young. I now live with Falun Gong practitioners, and we do the Falun Gong practice together. I am so happy. I wish I'd been able to practice since I was young. That would have been magnificent.”

Friday 24 August 2012

Mr. Zheng Xiangxing Sentenced to Ten-Year Prison Term (Photos)

                    
(Minghui.org) Mr. Zheng Xiangxing from Tanghai County in Tangshan was arrested on February 25, 2012. He was then sentenced to a ten-year prison term on July 26, 2012. A petition signed by 526 people was sent to the local government demanding his release. When people later heard that Mr. Zheng was in critical condition as a result of torture, over 1,200 people joined in the effort to demand his release.
郑祥星
Mr. Zheng Xiangxing
河北民众摁红手印保释郑祥星
Petition supporting Mr. Zheng Xiangxing's release
Mr. Zheng runs a well respected and popular small appliance store in Tanghai. At approximately 6:00 a.m. on February 25, 2012, Li Fuguo from the Tanghai Domestic Security Division, along with the head of Shinongchang Police Station, led over a dozen officers to Mr. Zheng's home. Two female officers tricked Mr. Zheng into opening his door by pretending that they needed help with their car. They arrested Mr. Zheng and confiscated several small appliances. People around the store at the time were outraged and started shouting at the police.

Mr. Zheng was held in detention for over a month and became emaciated due to the severe persecution to which he was subjected. A total of 526 residents from Shinongchang and Shiyinongchang signed a petition demanding his release and sent it to the local government offices. Over the next several days, Li Fuguo and Liu Jiaman, the assistant director of Tanghai Police Department, threatened local residents and tried to get them to sign guarantee statements promising not to support Falun Gong, but no one would sign.

After people heard that Mr. Zheng was in critical condition as a result of being tortured in the detention center, 1,200 people from eight towns in Tangshan and Qinhuangdao joined in efforts to demand his release. A young lady in her early twenties signed her name on the petition, but they had run out of ink for her fingerprints. She then pricked her finger to make it bleed, then left the fingerprint on the petition form.

Manipulation of the Verdict

During Mr. Zheng's trial on May 29, 2012 an unidentified man sat in the observation area, and repeatedly gestured signals to the judge. If the man moved his finger when the judge was talking, the judge either stopped talking or changed the direction of his speech. When the defending lawyer spoke, this man either kicked the table or made other sudden movements to disturb the proceedings. The court staff even stated that the verdict was not decided by the court, but came from higher authorities.

On the day that Mr. Zheng was arrested, Li Fuguo also mentioned that he'd received orders from higher authorities to arrest him. On June 13, after Mr. Zheng's wife Ms. Sun Suyun had exposed the persecution to the international media, she was arrested by order of the Hebei Province 610 Office in Tangshan. Sun Jingsen from the Tanghai Domestic Security Division then made the arrest. Mr. Wu Qingmin and his wife Ms. Zheng Lanrong were also arrested in connection with the petition forms being delivered to the local government offices. Those who made the arrests told them that they were following orders from the Tanghai 610 Office.

Mr. Zheng is currently being held at Tanghai County Detention Center, where he held a hunger strike to protest the persecution.

Those responsible for the persecution:
Ding Jianyi, head of Tanghai Detention Center: +86-13582500896 (Cell), +86-315-8717698
Yang Limin, head of Tanghai County Court: +86-315-8723599 (Office), +86-315-2048528 (Home), +86-13582912811 (Cell)
Bai Yuli, head of Tanghai County Police Department: +86-13832985038 (Cell), +86-315-8711758
Li Fuguo, team leader of Tanghai County Domestic Security Division: +86-13832886232 (Cell)
Qiu Zheng, head of Tanghai County 610 Office: +86-315-8700710, +86-315-8982829, +86-13903159399 (Cell), +86-18831500088 (Cell)

Wednesday 22 August 2012

Overseas Practitioners Should Give Chinese Tourists Software for Overcoming the Great Firewall

                
(Minghui.org) A lot of people from mainland China are traveling overseas, and many of them have gone back home with truth-clarifying materials, books, newspapers, periodicals, or video discs. But there were also a lot of people that were so intimidated by their tour guides that they didn't dare bring anything back with them. In addition, those newspapers or periodicals, etc. may be only good for a given period of time and their contents are rather limited.


Therefore, I recommend all overseas truth-clarifying spots have discs made for overcoming the Great Firewall. Practitioners can distribute a full-featured version of software for overcoming the Great Firewall as published on the Minghui website, together with simple instructions for usage placed inside an exquisite small cover. As it is small and convenient to carry, and without sensitive content on the cover, it can be widely distributed and can be effective for a long time. It is an efficient way to clarify the truth and will be popular.

Software Description:

The disc contains the world-renowned Freegate series and UltraReach (Wujieliulan) soft-ware for breaking through the Great Firewall in China

◎ They can be downloaded free
◎ They are exceedingly encrypted to ensure privacy and security
◎ The software includes a key for automatic upgrades

To download Freegate:
http://www.dit-inc.us/freegate

To download Wujieliulan:
http://forums.internetfreedom.org/index.php?topic=17144.0

Help for usage:
Place the CD in the computer CD-ROM drive. It will automatically show the interface and is easy to follow. If the computer does not play automatically, double-click the FanQiang.exe file provided in the CD package.
Software for overcoming the Great Firewall can be copied to any computer hard drive. Double-click the .exe file and follow the instructions provided.

Tuesday 21 August 2012

Washington, DC: Press Conference Calls for Investigation of Organ Harvesting

                    
 
(Minghui.org) On August 17, the Washington DC Falun Dafa Association held a press conference at the National Press Club. The association made an urgent appeal to the international community, governments of all countries and media outlets, calling for investigation of the Chinese Communist regime’s atrocities of harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners.
华盛顿DC法轮大法学会在美国国家记者俱乐部召开新闻记者会,呼吁调查中共活摘法轮功学员器官并贩卖尸体的罪恶
Falun Dafa Association held a press conference at the National Press Club to call for investigation of organ harvesting atrocities
In the past week, Chinese and English media outlets uncovered stories behind the case against Bo Xilai and his wife Gu Kailai for the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood. According to the


Epoch Times, the key issue of the case has been covered up. That is, that Bo and Gu were heavily involved in harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners, selling organs and corpses of those practitioners for profit. Reports say that the real reason for Heywood's murder was because of his knowledge of these crimes. Out of fear of being murdered for the same reason, Wang Lijun, former Chongqing Deputy Mayor, sought asylum at the US Consulate in Chengdu and provided a large amount of evidence of organ harvesting and other crimes to the US government.
At the press conference, Terri Wu, spokeswoman for the Washington DC Falun Dafa Association, urged the international community, governments of all nations, and media outlets to investigate the atrocities of harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners, and called on the Chinese Communist regime to open all labor camps, prisons and related detention facilities for international investigation.


From 2000 to 2003, tens of thousands Falun Gong practitioners went to Beijing to appeal for the practice and were thus detained. In October 2001, based on the sale of steamed buns by street vendors, Beijing Public Security Bureau estimated that there were 1 million Falun Gong practitioners who went to Beijing for appeal. Because the regime adapted a policy of going after people and units associated with arrested Falun Gong practitioners, they often chose to not to give out their names so that they would not be sent back to their hometown and thus cause others harm. Consequently, there were many Falun Gong practitioners that the Beijing government had no place to send. While many local governments took a passive position in adapting the persecution policy, to seek promotion, Bo


Xilai, then Dalian mayor, aggressively carried out the persecution. After he was promoted to Governor of Liaoning Province, many practitioners detained in Beijing were sent to Liaoning.
Ms. Wu said: “While Beijing Public Security could not send those practitioners to their hometowns and detention facilities in many provinces were packed, the Chinese Communist regime transferred those practitioners to newly formed concentration camps and underground prisons. Consequently, these practitioners who were mostly from Northeast and North China disappeared… Under the policy that 'deaths of Falun Gong practitioners will be recorded as suicide or natural causes,' practitioners became the targets for organ harvesting because of the huge profit involved.”


Witness: Forced Blood Testing, Fellow Inmates Disappeared
'法轮功学员马春梅讲述了自己在中国被迫害的经历'
Practitioner Ma Chunmei recounted her experience in China

Practitioner Ma Chunmei came from Northeast China. She was arrested four times and twice detained at the notorious Heizuizi Women's Labor Camp in Changchun City, experiencing all kinds of physical and mental torture. Ma said that she was tied to small wooden bed for three days straight, with each of her limbs tied to four poles of the bed. She could not move and was not given even one drop of water. It was so painful that she felt that she was dying. In addition, she also went through many other forms of torture, including electric shock torture.


While the labor camp used all kinds of torture methods against the practitioners including Ma, and many practitioners died from torture, it seemed unusual that many practitioners were forced to take blood tests. According to Ma, she was forced to take a blood test and yet she never got the test results. To her knowledge, every Falun Gong practitioner in the camp was forced to take this test. While she did not know what the test was for at the time, she now realizes that such a test was to build a database for organ transfer.



She said: “My fellow practitioners Feng Yanxi and Zhao Lianhua were dying after a short time in the camp. We did not know how the camp tortured them, as we could not see any cuts or injuries on their bodies. After they lost consciousness, they were taken out and never returned. Their whereabouts remain unknown as of today. I am afraid that they died and it is very possible that they were killed for their organs.”
Doctors Condemn Organ Harvesting
'“反强摘器官医生协会”代表方晶女士展示刚出版的新书《国有器官》'
Dr. Crystal Fang, a representative of Doctors Against Organ Harvesting (DAFOH), introduced the book State Organs at the press conference


Dr. Crystal Fang from Doctors Against Organ Harvesting (DAfOH) introduced a new book State Organs at the press conference. The book was edited by the founder of DAFOH, Dr. Torsten Trey, and renowned human rights lawyer David Matas. After Davis Matas and David Kilgour’s book Bloody Harvest, the Killing of Falun Gong for their Organs, this is the second publication about the organ harvesting atrocities in China.


This book collected several manuscripts of renowned doctors in the organ transplant field. These papers analyzed the Chinese Communist regime’s atrocities of harvesting organs from prisoners of conscience, especially Falun Gong practitioners, and appealed for action from the international community.


For example, after learning about the organ harvesting atrocities in China, Israel doctor Jacob Lavee urged his country to pass a new organ transplant law to prevent Israeli citizens from going China for organ transplantation. Writer Ethan Gutmann did his own investigation using a methodology different from Matas and Kilgour. He estimated that 65,000 practitioners have likely been killed for their organs. His estimation was close to the findings of Bloody Harvest.


Ms. Fang quoted George Weigel, a distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, who called it “government-run Chinese medicine, which has become a lethal enterprise.”
She said: “Medicine should be a profession of trust by people and built upon a solid moral standard. This is especially important for the profession of organ transplantation. Doctors are supposed to save people. How can they take part in organ harvesting?”

Organ Harvesting Noted in Human Rights Report by the Department of State


On May 24, 2012, the US Department of State issued the 2011 human rights report, which noted that media outlets and human rights groups had reported cases of harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners in China.


On July 25, the day after the Sino-American Human Rights Dialogue, Michael Posner, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, was asked if the materials from Wang Lijun included information about organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners. Posner did not give a straight answer. But he said that reports from the US Embassy to China and State Department had enough information.


It is also worth noting that since June 2011, the US Department of State added a new question in its non-immigrant visa application form DS-160: “Have you ever been directly involved in the coercive transplantation of human organs or bodily tissue?”
'新闻发布会主持人黄博士呼吁国际社会采取行动,遏止中共活摘器官的反人类罪行。'
Conference host Dr. Huang calls for action from the international community to end the atrocities
Dr. Huang, host of the press conference, commented: “After the World War II, people found out that the Nazi regime killed over 6 million Jews. People from all nations then pledged: 'Never Again!' Can we let history be repeated? Please go to China to investigate! We want to see immediate action to stop this crime against humanity!”

Monday 20 August 2012

Lawyer Defends Ms. Wei Hongya in Court, Calls Shen Yun Performing Arts “The Pride of Chinese Culture”

                    
August 20, 2012 | By a Minghui correspondent from Jiangsu province
(Minghui.org) The Tinghu District Court in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, tried Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Wei Hongya on August 8, 2012. Ms. Wei pleaded not guilty. Her lawyer stated that Ms. Wei's actions of practicing Falun Gong and disseminating Shen Yun and the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party DVDs are not crimes. Furthermore, the lawyer praised the Shen Yun Performing Arts show as being "The pride of Chinese culture."  Ms. Wei was arrested in early May 2012, and was sent to trial by the police, the Procuratorate, and the court three months later.  During Ms. Wei's not-guilty plea, her lawyer pointed out that according to China's constitution, Ms. Wei's actions of believing, practicing, and promoting Falun Gong, and clarifying the truth about it to the public, were well within her legal rights of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religious belief. The lawyer stated that no one is entitled to strip those rights away from her. Ms.


Wei's lawyer pointed out that Falun Gong practitioners not only did not interfere with the implementation of the law, but they are actually maintaining the dignity of the Constitution and the law, and their behavior was beneficial to society. Ms. Wei's actions of recommending Falun Gong to others and promoting its benefits, are permitted by law, and the principles of Falun Gong – Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance – are universal values which are recognized by all humankind.  In regards to distributing Shen Yun Performing Arts show DVDs and New Tang Dynasty TV program DVDs, Ms. Wei's lawyer stated that the Shen Yun show presents the characteristics of traditional Chinese values and high artistic standards.


During its world tour, Shen Yun has been welcomed and very well received by audiences in many different countries. The lawyer sees the Shen Yun show as the pride of Chinese culture and a spiritual asset to humanity.  On distributing the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, Ms. Wei's lawyer reputed that Ms. Wei was merely criticizing the current political affairs and the ruling party. Article 41 in the Constitution states: “Citizens of the People's Republic of China have the right to criticize and make suggestions to any state agencies and government workers.” What Ms. Wei did would be understood as ordinary, lawful actions in democratic countries in Europe and America. Why are the same actions considered crimes in China, while the Chinese government claims it is ruling society in a democratic way?


 In conclusion, Ms. Wei's lawyer stated, “We see hope for China from Falun Gong practitioners. We cannot stand by as justice, morality, and conscience are trampled. We cannot just look at good people being wronged and brutally persecuted and do nothing, as it is our responsibility to help them. We should not be numb, weak, and cold-blooded and ignore our responsibility toward them. If innocent, good people are sent to trial and prison, then our country's judicial system will lose its honor, and our county will not have long-term stability.

Some years later, our future generations would have difficulty comprehending this absurd historical period. Thus, the characteristics of selfishness, craziness, and the seeking of instant benefit during our era will be highlighted. Besides underestimating the intellectual abilities of our prosecutors, judges, and officials of all levels and sectors, our conscience, responsibility, and courage are also being humiliated.”

Saturday 18 August 2012

FDIC: Update: Taiwanese Businessman Returns Home after China Abduction

NEW YORK--A Taiwanese businessman who practices Falun Gong and was abducted by Chinese security forces in June returned home safely this week after over 50 days in detention. Mr. Chung Ting-Pang's release was an encouraging victory for human rights advocates. His family along with Taiwanese media, legislators, and citizens had rallied for weeks calling for his return. Amnesty International had issued an urgent action on his behalf.
 
 
Chung told a press conference in Taipei on August 13 that he was put under extreme psychological pressure. He renounced a statement he was forced to sign in custody and asserted that equipment he had provided Chinese Falun Gong practitioners from 2003 to 2006 was to help them broadcast uncensored information to fellow citizens. “The so-called repentance and confession statements … that I’ve written or said in China were not done out of my own free will,” he said. "[In sending the equipment,] I had done something in order to let the people in China not misunderstand and hate Falungong... People in the mainland have the right to know the truth."  He also thanked the Taiwanese people and government for securing his release “I do feel grateful for the government," he reportedly told journalists. "I do hope, however, that there can be some mechanism that really protects Taiwanese people's rights.”

State-run Chinese media also reported Chung's release, but tried to justify his detention by asserting he had been treated according to law. "It's a preposterous claim," says Falun Gong spokesman Erping Zhang. "The whole procedure was illegal from the start - a man was abducted from the airport, held practically incommunicado for almost two months, and denied legal representation. How can that be legal? The Communist Party is trying to backpedal and save face before the international community. They didn't expect such a strong reaction, especially from Taiwan." For additional details on Chung's abduction and release see:


* Falun Dafa Information Center, "Taiwanese Falun Gong Practitioner Abducted in China"
* The Epoch Times, "Chinese regime repatriates arrested Taiwanese amid propaganda claims"
* Agence France Presses, "Taiwanese man says 'forced to show remorse' in China"
* China Post, "Released Falun Gong practitioner 'will never ever go back to mainland China"* The Epoch Times, "Taiwanese man detained in China"

Friday 17 August 2012

Over 300 Additional Villagers Stamp Their Fingerprints in Support of Falun Gong Practitioner Mr. Li Lankui

(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Li Lankui from Zhengding County, Hebei Province was arrested by 610 Office agents on June 7, 2012 and detained at Zhengding County Detention Center, before being sent to the Shijiazhuang City Brainwashing Center for further persecution. This ruthless act of the Communist regime caused a major uproar among the citizens in Zhengding County. Over 700 people voluntarily stamped their fingerprints on a petition in support of rescuing Mr. Li. This news has been reported multiple times by several different media outlets, including New Tang Dynasty Television. After these events, the central government of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and the provincial CCP committee quickly dispatched personnel to be stationed in the village to harass and intimidate the people who had openly expressed support for Mr. Li.At present, over 300 villagers in the surrounding area of Zhengding County have also stamped their fingerprints in support of Mr. Li, in addition to the 700-plus people who previously showed their support. They demanded that the government immediately release the innocent Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Li Lankui, withdraw the policemen stationed in the village and restore peaceful and safe living conditions for the people.

Below is their appeal letter:
We are villagers in the surrounding area of Zhengding County, Hebei Province. We heard that the Zhengding County 610 Office and police of West Pingle Police Station wantonly arrested innocent Mr. Li Lankui from East Anfeng Village during the visit of a foreign guest, and that upon encountering the villagers' resistance and petition with a jointly-signed letter, the higher authorities, rather than evaluating what is right and wrong, increased the harassment and intimidation of the innocent people who dared to speak out and stamp their fingerprints to support justice. We are very upset upon hearing this. The government should be serving the people. Now it's arresting a widely recognized good person (Mr. Li) without any reason and harassing and threatening the people who dare to speak out. The people's goal is very clear. Their sole intention is to allow Mr. Li to live a peaceful life as the police mistakenly arrested this innocent person without reason. Without distinguishing good from bad, the higher authorities started to harass and intimidate them. The CCP agents dispatched by the central government, are still making threats of terror at East Anfeng Village, and causing difficult situations for the villagers.
Based on these facts, out of our conscience and morality, we put together our fingerprints to support the over 700 just people who previously stamped their fingerprints. We demand the government to immediately release the innocent Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Li Lankui, withdraw the policemen stationed in the village, and restore peaceful and safe living conditions for the people.
As the 700 people who previously supported Mr. Li have been under threats, we have no choice but to deliver this appeal letter to the international society, urging the just people all over the world to pay attention and support us.
Telephone numbers (China's country code is 86 and the area code is 311):
Zhengding County Government
Address: 1 Changshan West Road,
phone: 88022013
Zhengding County Government Office: 88022087
Foreign Affairs Office: 88022823
Airstrike Defense Office: 88022020
Secretarial Section: 88021741
Comprehensive Section: 88025061
Financial Office: 88022010
Legal Affairs Office: 88021476
Street Name Office: 88021476
Administrative Section: 88022012, 88022013, 88024134
Zhengding County West Pingle Police Station
Address: Zhengding County, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province
phone: 88269354
Zhengding County Police Department
phone:88022062
Correspondent phone: 88021717

Radio Free Asia: Chinese Official’s Involvement in Commercializing Human Cadavers



(Minghui.org) A message regarding the mysterious sources of the human specimens made by the Von Hagens Dalian Plastination, Ltd. was recently forwarded widely among Chinese netizens. Bo Xilai, a once prominent Chinese politician and former Chongqing City Commissioner, was accused of approving the company while he was the mayor of Dalian, from 1993 to 2000. The public wants to know the sources of the human cadavers and at the same time is condemning the profiteering from the specimens.
According to Radio Free Asia (RFA), while the trial of Bo Xilai and his wife Gu Kailai is still in progress, Bo’s activities while he was the mayor of Dalian were exposed. On Sunday August 12, 2012 a message about the Von Hagens Dalian Plastination company was being exchanged among Internet users in China. The German company specializes in making human specimens. In the factory, the cadavers are plasticized and their skin removed. The specimens were given facial expression and specific postures. It was said that a finished specimen costs up to one million U.S. dollars. The world tour of the company’s products, called Body Worlds, has received much criticism wherever the exhibition has gone.
It is known that Von Hagens is a German-owned company, and the owner is an heir of a German Nazi. In 1999, Bo, then mayor of Dalian, approved the registration of the company himself. The company has manufactured tens of thousands of plastinated human specimens in numerous postures. One of the cadavers stands holding its own skin. Another is a woman lying down with her belly cut open and a fetus in the uterus is clearly displayed. All of the bodies came from China. Many wondered where they came from. According to a January 2004 edition of Germany’s influential magazine, Der Spiegel, the company had purchased the bodies of executed Chinese prisoners, and that the corpses had bullet holes in their heads. Some netizens suspected that the bodies came from crematoriums, missing persons, and prisons. Bo’s role was to provide smooth transition of the cadavers between these places and the Von Hagens company.
A Chinese doctor who wished to remain anonymous told RFA on Monday, August 13 that executed prisoners definitely could not meet the enormous demands for all the medical colleges in China. “Then perhaps the students can use the patients who died in big hospitals. As for the bodies of the old, poor, or homeless people who died after they were dragged from the streets or the trains to the hospitals, I would not know what happened to them,” said the doctor.
Writer Chen Lan said in her blog, “Body donation is a tightly controlled process in and outside of China. The donor must volunteer for the process. The frequency of body donation in China is extremely low due to cultural reasons, and hence even the medical colleges are extremely short of cadavers. Without agreement from the donor or the immediate family, it is illegal even for the cadavers to be used for medical purposes, let alone being used for commercial exhibitions. The deceased must be respected as well.”
Before Falun Gong media reported that Bo was involved in the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China and actively participated in removing their organs for profit, many suspected that some of these human remains came from Falun Gong practitioners.
Wang, a Chinese government employee who’s been investigating the illegal sale of organs from living Falun Gong practitioners, spoke to RFA on Monday. Wang admitted that such accusations may very well be correct. “We know not only that bodies are used illegally, but there are also stolen organs for sale. Some government reports lead us to believe that such things definitely exist,” said Wang.
Some people condemned the Von Hagens world tours exhibiting specimens that the company made from unsolicited bodies. They said that it was immoral to pose them in strange gestures. A netizen commented, “Such action is a severe insult to the remains, and is the action of demons!”

Thursday 16 August 2012

Ms. Hao Jianling Transferred to Langfang Brainwashing Center Upon Completing Forced Labor Term

August 16, 2012 | By a Minghui correspondent from Hebei Province, China
(Minghui.org) Directed by the 610 Office and the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, police in China recently transferred many Falun Gong practitioners who were about to finish their forced labor or prison terms to brainwashing centers for further persecution. Ms. Hao Jianling from Qinhuangdao City is one of these practitioners.

Upon completion of her forced labor term, she was not released but immediately transferred to the Langfang Brainwashing Center from the Hebei Province Women’s Forced Labor Camp. Officials from the Qinhuangdao Development Zone Political and Legal Affairs Committee and the Yibuzhai Village Committee arranged the transfer.

Ms. Hao, 55, is from Yibuzhai Village, Shenhe Township, Funing County, Qinhuangdao City, Hebei Province. She was incarderated and subjected to forced labor in the Hebei Province Women’s Forced Labor Camp for nearly 2 years, and was supposed to be released on July 16, 2012. Her daughter, Ms. Gao Baozhen, got a call from the Qinhuangdao Development Zone Police Department on July 15 to pick her up the next day.

The Hebei Province Women’s Forced Labor Camp is located in Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province. Ms. Gao arrived at the forced labor camp at 9 a.m. on July 16. One hour prior to her arrival, Wang Suxian, head of the Yibuzhai Village Committee, and three officers from the Qinhuangdao Development Zone Police Department had transferred Ms. Hao to the brainwashing center. Not aware of the transfer, Ms. Gao asked for her mother’s release. However, police officers at the labor camp informed her that they first needed to go back to Qinhuangdao City to finish some paperwork for this case.

They then took Ms. Gao with them to Qinhuangdao City.  When they were passing through Beijing, Party head of the Qinhuangdao Development Zone Political and Legal Affairs Committee, surnamed He, told them that they could not go to Qinhuangdao City because senior officials were holding a conference in the area. Ms. Gao then began to suspect that something was amiss. Afterward, she learned that Ms. Hao had been transferred to the Langfang Brainwashing Center for further persecution.

The Langfang Brainwashing Center is commonly known as the “Langfang City Legal Education Center.” This brainwashing center was specifically set up to persecute Falun Gong practitioners. It is led and operated by the Langfang City 610 Office. Officials from the Langfang 610 Office, including Han Zhiguang, Zhao Lihua, Li Hansong and Chen Bin, have brutally persecuted practitioners through severe torture.

They have also force-fed practitioners and put unknown drugs in their food. Parties involved in the persecution:  Langfang Brainwashing Center: +86-316-2168690, +86-316-2025872
Wang Suxian, head of the Yibuzhai Village Committee: +86-13833528696
Sun Guoli, Party head of the Yibuzhai Village Committee: +86-13780475431

Wednesday 15 August 2012

Hong Kong: CCP Stooges Disrupt Falun Gong Information Sites, Local Government Officials Express Support for Falun Gong (Photos)

                     
August 15, 2012 | By a practitioner in Hong Kong
(Minghui.org) Since June 10, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been using the “Hong Kong Youth Care Association” to harass Falun Gong information sites in Hong Kong. In August, the situation got worse. The association members hang banners slandering Falun Gong, obscuring Falun Gong banners and interfering with mainland tourists' learning the facts. They've even colluded with some police officers, pressuring them not to respond appropriately to the harassment but to instead arrest Falun Gong practitioners.

1. Background of the Hong Kong Youth Care Association

Hong Kong Youth Care Association is also known as Hong Kong Youth Care Association Ltd. It was registered in Hong Kong on June 8, 2012. Actually, it functions under the direction of the CCP 610 Office and the CCP “anti-cult association.” The association, also called “care association,” was established as a civil organization to persecute Falun Gong and other beliefs, but it is actually a branch of the CCP government. It has offices in each province and city, forming a network that covers all of China. The Hong Kong Youth Care Association is the newest member of this network. The day after was it was established, the Hong Kong Care Association followed orders from the CCP Political and Legal Committee and 610 Office to display banners and poster boards slandering Falun Gong in Hong Kong. This is violates the laws in Hong Kong. The association recruits members of criminal organizations and coerces Hong Kong police officers to commit wrongdoing.  Based on the laws in Hong Kong, individuals and non-profit organizations use public spaces on a “first come first serve” basis. Other organizations need to apply for permission to use a given public space. The Hong Kong Care Association, which did not file an application, disrupted practitioners’ information sites that have been maintained for ten years. Although what they are doing is illegal, due to the Association’s connection with the CCP and and the connivance of the Hong Kong government, the police did not step in in time.

2. The interference escalates due to police connivance

In collaboration with the Hong Kong police, the Youth Care Association disrupted the Lok Ma Chau information site on July 4, slandering the founder of Falun Gong and falsely accusing practitioners of assault. A week later, Association members harassed the information sites at Ka Wai Chuen Hung Hom, Tung Chung, and Wong Tai Sin.  On July 4 Association members showed up at the Falun Gong information site in Lok Ma Chau to hang banners slandering Falun Dafa and its founder. When the practitioners present tried to stop them, the main person-in-charge of the Association laid down on ground and shouted that the practitioners had beaten him. Although Hong Kong police officers witnessed the goings-on, they did nothing. The person-in-charge stood up and threatened the officers, saying, “I’ll file a lawsuit if you don’t arrest him.”

The police then handcuffed the practitioner even though they saw that no one was beaten. The practitioner fainted and was taken to Lok Ma Chau Police Station. When other practitioners went to the police station to request his release, the police were rude. One officer said the Association members would quit disturbing them if the practitioners wrapped up their activities.

At around 9:00 a.m. on July 9, three members of the Care Association dressed in green uniforms went to the Ka Wai Chuen Hung Hom information site and hung about a dozen banners on both sides of the road, occupying the space where Falun Gong banners usually were. The practitioners had to hang their banners in other locations.

Practitioner Ms. Tao said, “Many mainland tour groups go shopping on Yumin Street in this area. We have been here to explain the facts to mainland tourists for more than ten years. It was the first time we ever encountered such interference. Because we practitioners are always pleasant, the staff of the nearby shops, caretakers, and neighbors are very supportive. They disliked how the Care Association members behaved, complained to police that their business was being interrupted, and asked the police to drive them away.”
大陆游客仔细看法轮功真相展板内容
Mainland tourists study the Falun Gong posters carefully  At 7 p.m. on August 3, Association members went to Tung Chung Metro Station and hung banners slandering Falun Gong at the Falun Gong information site. The practitioners saw and stopped them. The next morning, the Association dispatched many more members, who pushed their way in and hung lots of banners slandering Falun Gong and covered the Falun Gong banners.

According to a practitioner who was there, they called the police and complained. But the officer ignored them and said the police had no authority to tell the Association members not hang their banners. A police officer even claimed, "If they cover your banners, you can just cover theirs.” A practitioner pointed out that this would just stir up conflict and asked the police to stop the wrongdoers  On Saturday, August 4, dozens of members of the Association disturbed the Wong Tai Sin information site by hanging a lot of banners slandering Falun Gong and placing high volume speakers close to the practitioners. The practitioners were unmoved and continued to explain the facts to the visitors and hand out leaflets.
穿绿衣者系亲共团伙成员,举高音量喇叭干扰法轮功学员
The person in the green shirt is a member of the Hong Kong Care Association and is harassing Falun Gong practitioners with a high volume speaker
 Ms. Cheng Lan-sing of the Wong Tai Sin information site said they have been explaining the facts for more than ten years at that location. Local people and tourists know them well. At 6:30 a.m. on July 9, they went to Wong Tai Sin to tell visitors about Falun Gong and noticed that a lot of banners slandering Falun Gong were hung on the fence at the entrance of the parking lot. Ms. Cheng asked who was responsible. The other side said they did not know. Ms. Cheng said that Falun Gong truth-clarification activities had been going for long time and asked the other side to give them some space, but the other side began to curse at her.  Seeing that the other side was unreasonable, Ms. Cheng called the police. The officer who took the call did not want to do anything, but Ms. Cheng insisted that the police mediate the dispute. At last a police officer arrived but said he just wanted to see what was going on. He called the parking lot manager to the site and asked both sides not to hang banners, distribute leaflets, or set up anything else. Lam Kwok, the vice chairman of the Care Association who had directed the recent incidents, claimed that, as long as the Falun Gong practitioners did not put up banners, they would not either.

Ms. Cheng condemned these people's effort to interrupt Falun Gong's truth-clarification activities. She said, "They want to stir up trouble to undermine the information sites and prevent Falun Gong practitioners from publicizing the facts of the persecution."  Several practitioners told the reporter that they explained the facts to some of the members of the Association who held up posters. When a practitioner said that CCP was evil, the members nodded; when the practitioner said that Falun Gong is being persecuted, they nodded again. When the Association overseer told them to shout slogans, those who had talked with the practitioners did not shout. However, when practitioners tried to talk to more members, the overseer interrupted.

Ms. Cheng said that, no matter what happens, she and other practitioners with the information site will not be affected but continue to do what should be done. She said, "Falun Gong teaches people to be kind. But Falun Gong practitioners in China are still subject to persecution or forced organ harvesting. Because the CCP suppresses information, many people do not know the truth. So we want more people to know the facts about Falun Gong and the persecution and appeal to their conscience.”

 Shopkeepers file complaint against the wrongdoers

Besides hanging slanderous banners, Association members also played their recorders very loud. They even intentionally stood in front of practitioners holding banners to prevent tourists from reading the facts. Their disturbing behavior aroused the indignation of the locals. Many filed complaints with the police about the noisy interference. The members stopped playing their recorders after the police intervened.

Mr. Guo, a local resident, said that practitioners were peaceful and he admired their courage and persistence. He was indignant at the Care Association’s interference: “This must be masterminded by the CCP.” He filed a complaint with the police. He said in reference to police response that the Association had big fund and lots of resources and that only orders from their superiors could make the police take action.
关爱协会成员故意遮挡法轮功学员真相横幅
Members of the Care Association (in green shirt) intentionally obscure Falun Gong practitioners’ banner

A lady asked for several copies of the Epoch Times and shouted several times “Falun Dafa is good” to express her support. Security guards on site were also unhappy with the members of the Association.  Hong Kong legislators express support for Falun Gong and call for resistance to the CCP Regarding the Care Association’s harassment of Falun Gong practitioners in their efforts to make the facts of the persecution known, several legislators expressed concern and called for resistance to the CCP.

Hong Kong Legislative Council member Leung Yiu-chung stressed that Falun Gong practitioners have peacefully protested the persecution for 13 years and that their efforts had won public support and recognition. He said, "Our Falun Gong friends have upheld their belief for so many years. I think this should be respected, because it is important for each person to be able to express his opinion in a peaceful way."  Legislative Councillor Albert Chan said that, since the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong to China 15 years ago, the CCP has continued to suppress freedom of speech and religious freedom in Hong Kong using increasingly worse and more despicable means and that the police have become more and more biased in favor of the pro-communist camp. He thought that this round suppression of Falun Gong in Hong Kong was masterminded by the CCP’s Political and Legal Committee. He said, "At least in these activities against Falun Gong, you see the obvious use of special means and measures.

The possibility of special funding from the stability maintenance fund in the mainland cannot be ruled out, because so there are so many people with so many banners and strong organization."  When Democratic District Director Chow Wai-tung learned about the issue, he said that the recent assaults in Hung Hom and Lok Ma Chau were not unpremeditated, that they were directed behind the scenes by the Political and Legal Committee. He and Falun Gong practitioners jointly condemned what has been taking place. Mr. Chow said, “One can see clearly how Chinese Communists are operating in the persecution of Falun Gong. We all know that recently in the mainland, Political and Legal Committee secretary Zhou Yongkang and his faction are on shaky ground, so they are struggling to maintain power and are extending the persecution to Hong Kong." Partial telephone list for Lok Ma Chau Police Station:

Suze Hsiung, police inspector: 36614401
Chen Chiang-ming: 36614402
Liang Nitto: 36614405
Lee Chia-hung: 24828794
Hsu Yu-chen (female): 36614440
Mak Wai-chuen: 36,614,407
Lee Sir: 22527102