"Mother, Why Can't We Return to China?"
(Clearwisdom.net) One day in May at a Kansas Chinese school, children
were all discussing some exciting news: With the support of the Shandong
Province Science Association, students and teachers would go to a summer camp in
China. Only the 8 year-old Qianqian and 6 year-old Chunzhi were silent. Qianqian and Chunzhi's parents practice Falun Gong, and the Chinese Consulate
has refused to renew their passports. Their Passport Extension Was Rejected Kuang Jiyun and Wang Dongmei have been in the United States for over ten
years. They currently reside in Kansas City. In January 2004, it was time to
renew their passports. Mr. Kuang followed the guidelines on the website of the
Chinese Consulate in Chicago and filled out the application forms and sent them
in with the appropriate fees. The mail went out on January 5. Two weeks passed, but they did not get their
passports back. Rather, someone from the consulate phoned Kuang at his office.
The person did not explain why the consulate had not sent back their passports,
but instead asked, "Are you still practicing Falun Gong?" Kuang
replied, "Sure." The person asked him to think twice about it and hung
up. In the beginning of February, the consulate personnel again called and asked
Kuang if he still practiced Falun Gong. Kuang confirmed that he did. The person
asked him if he had ever gone in front of the consulate to demonstrate, and if
he went to protest during Jiang Zemin's visit. Kuang declined to answer his
questions, saying that was irrelevant to the passport extension. After also not receiving any response from the Chinese consulate, his wife,
Wang Dongmei, called the consulate to ask about her passport around February 10.
A Mr. Zhou answered the phone. After checking Wang's name in the computer, he
switched the topic immediately to Falun Gong. Wang patiently explained to him
the benefits that she'd gotten both physically and mentally after practicing
Falun Gong. The talk lasted for over forty minutes. Afterwards, Zhou told her
that he could not make decisions on passport issues and needed to ask his
superiors. He asked her to keep waiting. "Give up Falun Gong, Then You Can Have Your Passport" The visa department of the Chicago Chinese Consulate came to Kansas City to
help local overseas Chinese with their passport extensions. Wang Dongmei went to
inquire about hers too. In the beginning, a Mr. Han treated her quite nicely,
but as soon as he heard the words "Falun Gong," he changed his
attitude and ignored Wang. Wang then turned to an older woman who was also from
the consulate. The woman asked her why she practiced Falun Gong. Wang explained
to her that her husband had many illnesses and they fought a lot in the past.
After practicing Falun Gong, he turned into a different person. His illnesses
went away, and the family became harmonious. The woman was surprised, "Is
Falun Gong truly that powerful?" Then she added, "Why don't you find
another Qigong to practice. If you stop practicing Falun Gong, I will extend
your passport right away." This clearly demonstrated that the sole reason that the Chinese Consulate did
not extend Mr. and Mrs. Kuang's passports was because they practice Falun Gong. Righteous People Offer Their Help Many righteous people condemned the Chinese Consulate's behavior after
learning about this case. On April 2, State Senator Stephen R. Morris wrote to Mr. Xhu Jinzhong, the
Consul General of the Chinese Consulate in Chicago, requesting that he approve
the extensions of and return the passports to those Falun Gong practitioners who
had their passports withheld. He wrote: Honorable Consul Xhu: The reason that I am writing this letter to you is to request the immediate
return of the passports of Ms. Wang Dongmei and her husband, Kuang Jiyun. To
my knowledge, the couple sent in their passports together with all the
necessary documentation and fees to your consulate for an extension in
January. You believe that you can withhold their passports because they
practice Falun Gong. But what you are doing is not acceptable in the United
States of America. In a civilized society, we cannot tolerate the persecution
of innocent people just because of their beliefs. Please arrange to have Ms.
Wang and her husband's passports extended and returned to them. Your prompt
response is appreciated. An attorney working for Mr. and Mrs. Kuang also wrote to the Chinese
Consulate to express his concerns and request that the consulate return their
passports. Their Passports Were Returned But Not Extended In early April, Wang Dongmei called Mr. Zhou at the Chinese Consulate to ask
him if they had received the letters from Senator Morris and their attorney.
Zhou said yes, but whether they were going to deal with it or not still depended
on the decision of higher authorities. Wang asked him what "higher
authorities"? Zhou answered, "China." Wang asked, "Where in
China?" "Beijing," said Zhou. Wang asked, "Which department
in Beijing?" Zhou replied, "[I] cannot tell you." She then asked
him how long it would take, and the answer was, "Two more weeks." But they did not hear anything from the consulate until two months later. On
June 24, Mr. and Mrs. Kuang received their old passports in the mail, but there
were no extensions. Withholding Passports for No Apparent Reason Damages China's Image Many friends of Mr. and Mrs. Kuang have learned about the incident. Many
Chinese friends felt that it was utterly ridiculous for their government to do
such a thing. One of the Ph.D students who planned to go back to China to work
after getting his degree changed his mind after hearing this. An older woman living next door to Mr. and Mrs. Kuang, who admires Chinese
culture, found this unbelievable. "Mr. and Mrs. Kuang are both very nice
people. The Chinese Consulate confiscated their passports just because of their
belief." She said that she would not dare go to China anymore. She even had
a thought that the Chinese government might abduct her for questioning one day. The Persecution Occurs in China and Also Abroad Many people thought that the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners occurred
only in China. They thought that overseas, especially in a democratic country
such as the United States, the Chinese government was not able to do anything.
In reality, the fact that passport withholding occurs routinely in seventeen
countries around the world demonstrates that the persecution of practitioners
has been occurring overseas as well. In a prison or detention center, the question that a prison guard most often
asks a Falun Gong practitioner is, "Do you still practice Falun Gong?"
If the answer is no, then they'll release you. If the answer is yes, then
they'll continue with their beatings. Overseas, the same question is also being
asked. If the answer is no, then they'll give you your passport. If the answer
is yes, then they'll just make you wait. Although the persecution manifests in different ways, the essence is the
same. That is, they apply all kinds of the dirtiest measures to try to force a
person to give up his or her belief. Wang Dongmei feels that the persecution has been very barbaric both in China
and abroad. During her negotiations with the Chinese Consulate for her passport
extension, she found that one was not able to reason with the consulate
personnel. They didn't care whether or not your children could go to China for a
summer camp. They didn't care that you would not be able to visit your elderly
parents. They didn't care that without your passport, all sorts of
inconveniences would occur in your daily life as well as in your place of work.
As long as you insist in your belief in "Truthfulness, Compassion, and
Tolerance," the principles of Falun Gong, they will withhold your passport. A passport identifies a person and represents his right to be a citizen. This
right comes with his birth. The Chinese Consulate has no right to deprive a
Chinese person of his right to be a citizen of his own country. Mr. and Mrs.
Kuang urge more righteous people to stand up to help end this persecution of
"Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance." July 2, 2004
Chinese version available at
http://www.minghui.cc/mh/articles/2004/7/3/78556.html
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