News from China - 08/06/2000

[Mainland] Falun Gong fliers appeared on the desk of communist officials

Since the beginning of July 2000, practitioners have been trying their best to tell the facts of Falun Gong to people around them, despite of the communist regime's escalating persecutions against them. Practitioners have distributed a large number of fliers. Some fliers even appeared on the desks of the top officials of a district. Meanwhile, many practitioners have gone to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong.

[Zhuhai]

Practitioners Wang Yulan and Lin Yongxu have been sentenced to two years of forced labor without trials. Wang Yulan has been on hunger strike for 40 days, and she is now being detained in the First Detention Center of Zhuhai City. The phone number of the detention center is 011-86-756-8634456. Its address is Meixi, Zhuhai City. The reason for their sentences was that 10 practitioners got together at the home of Wang Yulan.

[Guangzhou]

Chen Hua (female, 29), a teacher of The No. 27 Middle School of Guangzhou City, went to Beijing twice to appeal for Falun Gong. Each time, she was detained for 15 days. On June 18, she was sentenced to two years of forced labor without trial for joining a group practice of Falun Gong exercises.

[Chengdu] Recipient of special subsidy arrested

Li Bingnan, female, 60, is a practitioner of Falun Gong in Chengdu City. She is a retired engineer, and the recipient of the special subsidy for her special contribution to the country. To prevent Falun Gong practitioners from going to Beijing to appeal around July 22, the local communist regime illegally detained them, including Li Binghua. On July 25, 2000, the police ransacked Li's home without any legal permits. They found an article written by practitioner Zhong Fangqiong to clarify the distorted reports by TV against Falun Gong, and the article thus became the "evidence" of Li's "crime". On the next day, the police ransacked Li's home again, and took the 2000 US Dollars and 1000 Yuan they found in her home. The police accused Li Bingnan of supporting other practitioners' trips to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong.

After two days of illegal detention in the police station, Li Bingnan was sentenced to criminal detention again. She had been detained four times for going to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong, and had been sentenced to one year of home arrest.

[Lanzhou]

On July 18, 2000, six practitioners from Xigu District of Lanzhou City boarded the Train No. 76 to Beijing. Before the train left the station, the police noticed them, and pushed them out of the train. A female practitioner was dragged out forcefully because she refused to get off. Because the six practitioners refused to get on the police van, the police officers beat them madly. Although their mouths and noses were bleeding, and their clothes had been tore apart, practitioners still tell the police and people around peacefully why they decided to go to Beijing to appeal.

Before July 22, 2000, many faculty members and students from Northwestern Normal College went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. To prevent practitioners from going to Beijing, the communist party secretary of the college offered that practitioners could take a paid vacation together with their family members. But practitioners rejected the offer. As a result, the faculty member Cai Fengzhu was taken away by two female faculty members and her whereabouts is unknown. The security members of the college and the police also arrested another family member Fu Yanbiao after ransacking Fu's home. Fu was later detained in the Xiguoyuan Detention Center. In addition, Ms. Kong Weixia was arrested on July 18, and her home was ransacked. She was later sentenced to one year of forced labor.

[Shandong]

A practitioner in Jinan City was arrested for sharing Teacher Li's recent articles with fellow practitioners. The son of this practitioner was also arrested. They were released after one month of illegal detention. This practitioner has been suspended from job, and is being forced to attend the so-called "transformation class". There are dozens of practitioners detained in the "transformation class", and practitioners are all determined about their faiths despite cruel tortures including electric shocks.