By Wang Zhen

Feb 01, 2005

Chinese television footage of the staged "self-immolation" used to justify the crackdown on Falun Gong. (Newsmakers)

Only a few lines were devoted to honoring the memory of recently deceased former General Secretary Zhao Ziyang in the newspapers throughout mainland China.

Zhao, who died on January 17th after enduring 16 years of house arrest, was most remembered for his involvement in the June 4th student protests on Tiananmen Square. CCP authorities are attempting to downplay any significance of Zhao's death, as they are afraid that public mourning ceremonies could give way to large-scale protests in the mold of Tiananmen in 1989.

The public is demanding that the June 4th incident be re-examined in an effort to clear Zhao of any wrongdoing, and to expose the horrific and unjust actions taken by the CCP during the incident. The phrases "Mourn Zhao Ziyang" and "Say 'bye for good to the CCP" have taken on a connection in the minds of the Chinese public- a phenomenon that the CCP finds deeply disturbing.

January 18, the day after Zhao Ziyang passed away, Xinhua.Net brought up the "Tiananmen self-immolation" incident from four years ago. The CCP organizer even especially included two "litigants" from the Western media. Yet when the incident occurred 5 years ago, Western reporters were expelled from the scene, robbed of their equipment, physically assaulted, and expelled from the country for reporting on the peaceful petition of Falun Gong practitioners at Tiananmen Square.

It is no coincidence that the self-immolation case is being brought out again at this time directly following the death of Zhao Ziyang. A spokesperson for the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG) said, "This is the same dirty trick the CCP habitually uses to divert attention. However, the CCP may be playing with fire, because its role in the Tiananmen self-immolation incident has aroused serious international attention. The CCP is widely suspected of single handedly directing the self-immolation incident and murdering potential informers."

Officials' Report is Full of Holes

On January 23, 2001, five people allegedly partook in a group act of self-immolation. Within a few hours of the incident, the CCP ordered the Xinhua News Agency to immediately send news of the tragedy, in English, to the rest of the world. They claimed that five "Falun Gong practitioners self immolated" at Tiananmen Square. One woman named Liu Chunling died on site, the other four, including Liu Chunling's 12-year-old daughter, Li Siying, were severely burned.

Initially, Beijing Central Committee Television (CCTV) and Xinhua News reports exposed many significantly questionable points. For example, there are no fire extinguishers at Tiananmen Square, and police do not routinely carry fire extinguishers. Why then did they have a fire blanket and dozens of fire extinguishers on site and ready to be used?

The public was shown many views of the self-immolation, taken from multiple angles, far shots, medium shots, and close shots, even photographs. If it wasn't prearranged, then how could it have been captured so completely?

Manuscripts of sensitive news stories to be aired on the Xinhua News Agency must be reviewed and drafted many times. In this instance the story was out to the public with such unheard of speed that it roused people's suspicions. "Wang Jindong can still yell out slogans after being burned jet-black; 12-year-old Liu Siying can still sing after her trachea was cut open. These cases do not make medical sense..."

CCP's Role Stirs Attention

In response to the publication of the Tiananmen self-immolation incident, Falun Gong practitioners simply pointed out that suicide violates the basic principles of Falun Gong. In the main work of Falun Gong, Zhuan Falun, it is explicitly indicated that practitioners cannot kill-themselves or anything else.

The CCP completely disregarded Falun Gong's statements and put the incident to use in its efforts to discredit Falun Gong. The hatred of the whole nation, even the whole world, was intentionally stirred up and directed against Falun Gong, which gave the CCP the excuse it needed for its bloody campaign of persecution. At the time, many ordinary Chinese people who had sympathized with Falun Gong were instilled with hatred as a result of the brainwashing propaganda. Amidst this anti-Falun Gong sentiment, there were still many around the world that were suspicious of the event, and who did not trust or believe the CCP. There were some who were convinced that the CCP had staged the whole thing. The CCP's role in the Tiananmen self-immolation provoked serious attention from the outside.

On August 14, 2001, International Educational Development (IED) issued an official statement at the United Nations conference: "We have obtained a video analysis of the self-immolation incident that indicates that the entire event was directed by the government."

Through its own independent investigation, WOIPFG concluded that the Tiananmen self-immolation incident was very possibly the CCP's attempt to strengthen its persecution of Falun Gong.

Real and Fake Wang Jindong

Wang Jindong during self-immolation (Epoch Times)

On May 4, 2003, WOIPFG held a press conference in Washington DC to publicly announce evidence that the CCP had fabricated the self-immolation incident.

Xinhua News Agency declared that the leader of the immolation incident was Wang Jindong from Henan. CCTV successively broadcasted three interviews with Wang Jindong. WOIPFG expressed that through computer analysis of speech and sound, it had concluded that the Wang Jindong who appeared in the interviews was a different person each time.

WOIPFG spokesperson, Mr. Zhao said, "The International investigation committee at Taiwan University's language laboratory carried out an independent analysis of Wang Jindong's voice. Taiwan University pronunciation laboratory's analysis of Chinese pronunciation is world famous. They concluded that the person from CCTV's first broadcast was different from the two that followed. The international investigation committee received reliable information from China that said the person in the self immolation was actually a People's Liberation Army officer."

Doctor: Cause of Liu Siying's Death is Suspicious

A CCTV reporter, not wearing sterile clothing or facemask, boldly interviews the burn patient. (Epoch Times)

WOIPFG also exhibited the testimony of a doctor from Jishuitan Hospital. He thought 12-year-old Liu Siying being able to sing loudly for the CCTV interview after she had received a tracheotomy was impossible. This doctor claims that Liu Siying's death is very suspicious.

Mr. Zhao disclosed to the International investigation team the following evidence collected from Liu Siying's doctor, in which the doctor said, "Liu Siying's burn treatment was about completed, and her body had basically recovered to its normal state. She had already decided to leave the hospital. In light of these circumstances her death appears very suspicious."

The doctor also disclosed, on March 16, the day before she died, that the hospital did a comprehensive check up on Liu and found her condition to be completely normal. The hospital doctor also confirmed that Liu Siying died that morning. Jishuitan Hospital staff and the Beijing Medical Administration Department's director even conversed with her, and at that time, Liu Siying's health was still normal.

Liu ChunLing was Struck Down Before She Died

Liu Chunling was struck down and killed by a blow from behind as seen in this slow-motion replay. (Epoch Times)

Liu Siying's mother, Liu Chunling, was the woman who died on site. Viewing CCTV's recording of the self-immolation incident in slow motion, one can see that there was a hard object thrown at her forehead by a man in an army coat, which caused her to fall to the ground.

It has been exactly 4 years since the "Tiananmen Self-immolation" incident. It is pitiful that both mother and daughter have been dead for 4 years.

Falun Gong appealed multiple times to the United Nations and Tripartite to conduct an independent investigation, but was obstructed by the CCP authorities. As a result the truth is still covered up. Falun Gong practitioners have pointed out that, "One point is for certain, the CCP has put on a good show and managed to deceive many people, the effect of which has been to intensify the persecution against Falun Gong practitioners."

http://english.epochtimes.com/news/5-2-1/26164.html