Latest News from China - 03/23/2000

1.

[Mainland China] Three fabricated Dafa articles are spreading in Guangdong Province and some other regions of southern China. The fabricator usurped the name of Minghui web site to create confusion. This is because many practitioners can not log on to Minghui, while others did not pay attention to the warning message on Minghui against rumors before encountering fabricated Dafa articles. What made the situation worse was that some practitioners (including some instructors and veteran practitioners) were reluctant to boycott the articles because the phony articles conformed to their personal conceptions. They even helped distribute these articles and pushed other practitioners to believe them. Therefore, the fake articles are continuing disturbing practitioners. We hope that Minghui can publish a warning message in a prominent space so that the practitioners who can log on to Minghui can notify other practitioners.

2.

[Shenzhen, Guangdong Province] Yu Hui, a practitioner in Shenzhen, was sentenced to one-year labor camp for insisting on practicing Falun Gong. After two of her articles "Pure and Noble Heart" and" Appealing Statement" were published on Mindhui web site, her name vanished from the list of Falun Gong practitioners in Futian Detention Center. (All names of the crime convicts in this center can be looked up by visitors. Whereas the roster of Falun Gong practitioners is kept by the policeman at the reception window and is not available to visitors.) According to the policemen in the Detention Center, Yu Hui is currently on hunger strike. We hope that all kind-hearted people from all walks of life, out of humanitarian conscience, can extend her a helping hand. Due to the Yu Hui event, the practitioners in the Center are detained in isolation.

3.

[Shenzhen, Guangdong Province] It is reported that on March 10 Zhang Xuyin, Dafa disciple in Shenzhen, was detained in Futian Detention Center on suspicion of sending the above mentioned two articles to Minghui web site for publishing. On March 20, Zhao Yanke, Dafa disciple in Shenzhen, was also detained on criminal changes in Futian Detention Center, on suspicion that he had sent articles to

Minghui web site. His wife (also a Dafa disciple) attempted to bring him some clothes, but was rejected on grounds that "it could not be delivered to whoever

practises Falun Gong".

The telephone number of Futian Detention Center in Shenzhen: (86-755) 311-3218.

4.

[Jiamusi, Heilongjiang Province] In mid February, a Dafa practitioner in the detention center in the city of Jiamusi wrote a cultivation experience article and tried to share with other practitioners. After being spotted by a supervising officer, the practitioner shred the article. The supervisor was extremely irritated and gave several slaps to the practitioner. Then he took out a leather belt and slashed other practitioners, resulting in multiple injuries in their faces and bodies. He then chained two practitioners together to a ring tied to ground. One of the practitioners could not even handle his normal life.

In late February, one practitioner was beaten for going on hunger strike. Another practitioner was beaten also because he tried to offer some explanation in the other's behalf. The whippings of the leather belt and the practitioners' screams could be heard all across the cells. Later on, the practitioners were forced to stand on their hands, or would be tortured. It was said that they even inject doses to practitioners (tranquilizer).

In early March, the practitioners went on hunger strike again. The supervising staff tortured them and fed them with highly salty water forcefully. They used bamboo planks to open the practitioners' mouths, resulting in serious bleeding and horrible injuries. They also used various methods to tortured the practitioners, including chaining their feet with iron devices of 48 Jin (equal to 24 kilos).

5. On Feb. 13, 2000, after two Falun Gong practitioners returned to the Jiamusi Labor Camp from their laboring obligations, they were stripped off upper clothes and forced to stand in the open accepting physical torture and abuse from the policemen on duty, for accusation of practicing Falun Gong. A policeman from the 3rd Sub-Brigade of the 1st Brigade was seen beating and cursing the two practitioners who were forced to push their heads against the wall and bow to 90 degrees. The policeman tried to force the practitioners to denounce the practice during the abuses. In a temperature of minus 20 Celsius degrees, he poured cold water on the practitioners' body, which got frozen instantly.

6.

[Beijing] Practitioners in Fengtai District were arrested for petitioning to the government during the Chinese New Year. Soon after they were released, the 'two congresses' started and they went to Beijing to appeal again for the sake of justice. However, they were arrested again immediately, and detained along with some practitioners coming from overseas. Through discussions, they came to consensus that:

(1). We are not criminals because we did not break any law. Therefore we do not eat criminals' food.

(2). Supervising officers and interrogators represent evil forces. Dafa practitioners did not break any law, thus should not be put on trial. We should not comply with the interrogations.

(3). We should not tell them our names. We are Falun Dafa practitioners.

From then on, everyone went on a hunger strike. They did not go to the int

rrogations (except when being forced). Nor did they abide by any prison rules. On the fourth day, medical personnel began to check the practitioners' physical conditions. As they could not feel practitioners' pulse or blood pressure, the supervisors was quite scared and began to beg the practitioners to eat, even on condition that they eat at restaurants. The supervisors at the detention center were utterly stupefied, and started to release people starting the 4th day. On the 8th day, all 36 practitioners were set free.

7.

[Beijing] Chen Yu-lan, 52, had a partial dislocation of the Ring-shaped cords in her cervical vertebra in 1985. As a result, she was unable to handle normal life by herself. Since then, she had spent 50,000 to 60,000 Renminbi Yuan on treatment, but achieved no significant recovery. Fortunately, in 1998 Ms. Chen attained Falun Dafa. Through studying the Fa, doing the Falun Gong exercises and improving Xinxing (moral nature), she made steady progress in her health and ended up perfectly well without any medication. She could not understand why the government labeled such a beneficial Dafa as an evil cult and believed the government's decision was unjustified. She then made a Falun Dafa banner and went to the Tiananmen Square to tell the public that: "Falun Dafa Is Good." She was arrested and detained on December 21, last year and was later sentenced to a year's labor reformation. She is now serving her term with the 2nd sub-division under the Female Brigade of the Tiantanhe Labor Camp in Daxing County.

8.

[Beijing] On March 22, a large-scaled photograph exhibition, entitled "Uphold Science and Civilization, Combat Superstition and Ignorance", which was sponsored by the Central Office of Civilization and China National Association of Science was held at the West Hall of Beijing Military Museum. The exhibition displays some pictures and other contents that attack Falun Dafa. TV news programs have reported the event in the past few days and today. The event is also covered by "Beijing Youth Daily" today. The media are using this opportunity to attack the Falun Dafa. Some practitioners, after learning about the exhibition, planned to talk with the Museum and persuade them to stop the attacks against Falun Dafa.