Globe and Mail: Canadian arrested in China

Wednesday, January 23

Canadian Press

After Connie Chipkar's youngest son died from leukemia at nine years of age, the mother of four entered a 20-year spiral of depression.

Her life changed four years ago when she discovered the Falun Gong spiritual movement.

"I have never seen her so peaceful as she has been for the past four years," said her son Joel, also a follower of Falun Gong for the past three years.

The 61-year-old woman, from Mississauga, Ont., is expected to be deported in the next couple of days after being arrested Wednesday. She is the latest westerner to take the movement's message to the heart of China's capital. In the middle of Tiananmen Square, she sported a sash that read: "Falun Gong" and "SOS."

Standing in the huge square while curious Chinese tourists watched, she sang and held out her arms before a uniformed officer and others in civilian clothes loaded her into a police van that drove her away.

The protest lasted only a few minutes.

A spokesman for Canada's Foreign Affairs department confirmed that Ms. Chipkar had been detained.

"Yes, we've been informed of the possible detention of Mrs. Chipkar," said Reynald Doiron.

"We are dealing with the Chinese authorities."

Canadian officials called at around 9 a.m. to inform Joel Chipkar of his mother's detention. Mr. Chipkar said his mom arrived in China on Tuesday with the goal of telling Chinese citizens that their government was lying to them about the spiritual movement that is practised around the world.

Police have detained thousands of Chinese followers, often beating and kicking them, on Tiananmen Square since the government outlawed Falun Gong in July 1999 as a threat to society and the Communist Party.

[...]

She was the fourth Canadian citizen to be arrested for protests in the Chinese capital. Lin Shenli, a Canadian of Chinese origin, was slated to be released Wednesday from a labour camp after being sentenced in May 2001.

Prof. Kulin Zhang, also a Canadian citizen of Chinese origin, was arrested and sentenced to three years in labour camp in 1996. He was deported a year ago.

[...]

Falun Gong accuses Chinese authorities of torturing and mistreating detainees. It says 350 have been killed, 500 sentenced to prison, more than 1,000 sent to mental hospitals and 20,000 detained in labour camps.

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