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Media Coverage
News and Events Around the World
Facts of the Persecution
People Awaken to the Truth
Announcement
Health Benefits of Practicing Falun Gong
Practitioners Exchange Insights and Experiences
Solemn Declarations
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
David Matas and David Kilgour
Citizen Special
The argument by Glen McGregor in Saturday's Citizen ("Inside China's 'crematorium'") is that the government of China must not be found guilty by world opinion to be pillaging organs from Falun Gong practitioners on the basis of circumstantial evidence, no matter how overwhelming. He wants to see a smoking scalpel, a confessing surgeon or a surviving organ "donor."
Unfortunately, none of this kind of evidence is available. The medical professionals involved are complicit in murder and are not going to talk about it. There are no surviving organ donors from the Falun Gong community across China.
The world is not a criminal courtroom, but our report, "Bloody Harvest," (which we prepared on a volunteer basis) concludes, based on evidence which is independently verifiable and available on our website (www.organharvestinvestigation.net), that the party-state in China and its agencies have over six years put to death a large but unknown number of Falun Gong prisoners of conscience and sold their vital organs for high prices, sometimes to "organ tourists" from abroad.
Consider some of the avenues of proof and disproof available:
China's government is a systematic and extensively documented human rights violator; the government has reduced financing to the health system substantially since 1980; organ transplants are a major source of new funds.
The government has given the military the green light to raise money privately. The military is heavily involved in organ transplants.
Corruption across China is a major problem, with the latest Transparency International ranking (2007) placing China behind 71 other countries in its corruption perception index. There is huge money to be made from transplants and the lack of effective controls over corruption.
There is no self-governing disciplinary body for Chinese transplant ethics. Between 1999 and 2005, for example, China's minister of health (Zhang Wenkang) was president of the Chinese Medical Association (the sponsor of Mr. McGregor's trip to China). There has been no independence for the CMA from the party-state since Mao Zedong took power in 1949.
The government has long taken the organs of criminals sentenced to death without their consent. The Falun Gong constitutes an additional prison population which the authorities vilify and dehumanize even more than executed prisoners sentenced to death for criminal offences.
There is no organized system of organ donations in China. There is a strong cultural aversion to organ donation, which explains why there is such a shortage of organs for transplantation among the largest national population on earth.
Hospital websites post self-incriminating information, boasting a matter of days and weeks for waiting times for all organs for large payments, ranging from $30,000 U.S. for corneas to $180,000 for liver-kidney combinations. In other countries, waits are months and years.
Organ recipients we interviewed told us about the secrecy with which transplant surgery is undertaken and the heavy involvement of the military.
The practice of selling organs in China was legal until July 1, 2006. The new law banning the selling of organs appears to be unenforced.
The Communist Party of China sees Falun Gong as an ideological threat to its existence. Objectively, Falun Gong is a set of exercises with a spiritual component. Persecution of the Falun Gong since mid-1999 is a party-state decided and decreed policy.
Falun Gong practitioners are victims of systematic torture and ill treatment in forced labour camps. Falun Gong practitioners have been arrested in huge numbers. They are often detained without trial or charge until they renounce their beliefs. There are thousands of named, identified Falun Gong practitioners who died as a result of torture.
Many practitioners, in attempts to protect their families and communities, have not identified themselves once arrested. These unidentified individuals are a particularly vulnerable population.
Falun Gong practitioners in custody are regularly blood tested and physically examined. Because they are also systematically tortured, this cannot be motivated by concerns over their health.
Traditional sources of transplants -- executed prisoners, donors and the brain dead -- come nowhere near to explaining the total number of transplants across China. The only other identified source which can explain the skyrocketing transplant numbers is Falun Gong practitioners.
In a few cases, between death and cremation, family members of Falun Gong practitioners were able to see the mutilated corpses of their loved ones. Organs had been removed.
We had callers phoning hospitals across China posing as family members of persons who needed organ transplants. In a variety of locations, those who were called asserted that Falun Gong practitioners (reputedly healthy because of their exercise regime) were the source of the organs. We have recordings and telephone bills for these calls.
We interviewed the ex-wife of a surgeon, who said her husband personally removed the corneas from approximately 2,000 anaesthetized Falun Gong prisoners in Sujiatun hospital in Shenyang City during the two-year period before October, 2003. Her testimony was credible to us.
There have been two investigations independent from our own which have addressed the same question we have addressed, that is, whether there is organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners in China. One is by Dr. Kirk Allison of the University of Minnesota, another by a European Parliament vice-president, Edward McMillan-Scott. Both came to the same conclusion that we did.
It is easy to take each element in isolation, and say that this element or that does not prove the claim. It is their combination which led us to the chilling conclusion to which we came.
Our report has 25 recommendations for precautions which should be introduced to prevent the pillaging of organs from Falun Gong practitioners. Organ seizures from Falun Gong practitioners across China are happening. And they must stop.
David Kilgour represented southeast Edmonton in Parliament for 27 years and was Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific), 2002-2003. David Matas is a Winnipeg-based international human rights lawyer.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/opinion/story.html?id=7cd6b2fa-2f14-4b5d-a2cf-b4e452545c0c
27-11-2007
Human rights
With next year's Olympic Games in Beijing just around the corner, the world must keep up the pressure on China over its human rights record, a hearing of the European Parliament's Human Rights Subcommittee attended by over 200 people was told on Monday. Several NGOs, including a Chinese dissident speaking live via Internet telephone conference, described the widespread human rights violations still being perpetrated by the authorities.
Opening the hearing, subcommittee chair Hélène Flautre (Greens/EFA, FR), pointed out that it was taking place two days ahead of the 10th EU-China summit. She regretted the absence from the hearing of a representative from the Chinese embassy.
A "human rights disaster" in China
The first guest speaker was cyber-dissident Hu Jia, who with his wife Zeng Jinyan was one of the candidates for the EP's Sakharov Prize this year (see link below). Speaking from house arrest in Beijing on a webphone link via an interpreter, Hu Jia told the hearing that "a human rights disaster" was taking place in his country. A million people had been persecuted for fighting for human rights, many being detained in camps or mental hospitals. He highlighted the "irony" that the head of China's Olympic Games body was also head of the National Security Bureau, which he likened to "the mafia being in charge of the games". There was a conflict between the West's hope that holding the games in China "would foster democracy and openness" and the Chinese authorities' hope that the games would legitimise their rule. He urged Europe to "stand firm" and in particular not sell arms to China.
Hu Jia was unable to answer questions from Ana Gomes (PES, PT), who asked whether it was true that a senior party official had called for the authorities to "come clean on Tiananmen Square" and how many people were still detained in prisons or hospitals because of those events.
IOC must not duck the issue
Former Olympic fencing champion P íl Schmitt (EPP-ED, HU), who is now an MEP but spoke on Monday in his capacity as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), initially insisted that the IOC "does not take the lead in human rights and political matters" and is "not in a position to pressure China on issues outside the Games". The IOC's view was that it was best "to hold open a new door to China". This view was questioned by Hélène Flautre and openly challenged by Edward McMillan-Scott (EPP-ED, UK), who said "Article 1 of the Olympic Charter refers to fundamental ethical principles, so the IOC does have a mandate to look at these matters". Moreover, the IOC had once banned South Africa from the games because of apartheid, thus showing that "it can take political positions". Indeed, Mr McMillan-Scott argued "it is time for the IOC to make a political statement" on the situation in China. Mr Schmitt then agreed to this, saying he would speak to the IOC board, which he admitted "cannot close its ears" to these demands any longer.
Phelim Kine (Human Rights Watch, Hong Kong) focused on the issue of media freedom, pointing out that in order to be awarded the 2008 games, China had promised that the media would be able to operate freely. But, he said, "the IOC is failing to ensure that China lives up to its promises" and is "turning a deaf ear" to Human Rights Watch's reports.
Mr McMillan-Scott read out a speech on behalf of Hong Bing Yuan, a Chinese human rights defender now resident in Australia who was unable to travel to Monday's hearing. According to this statement, "people are still being imprisoned and murdered", the treatment of Falun Gong is a "human rights disaster", "90 million people are working as slave labour" and overall the situation will "bring shame and disgrace to the Olympic spirit".
"The struggle for human rights in China is a marathon"
Sharon Hom (of the New York based NGO Human Rights in China) spoke of the authorities having a "blacklist of 42 categories of banned individuals", which she described as "a chilling tool for social control and intimidation". This, she said, "should be of concern to the IOC". She also said the government was "having trouble maintaining domestic control while presenting an open image to the world" and urged the EU to maintain the pressure in bilateral meetings with China. "The struggle for human rights is a marathon", she said, but if successful it would be "good for China and the world".
The final speaker was Vincent Metten (International Campaign for Tibet), who highlighted the clampdown on Buddhism, the "demographic colonisation" and environmental deterioration of the region and the socio-economic marginalisation of Tibetans.
26/11/2007
Subcommittee on Human Rights
In the chair : Hélène Flautre (Greens/EFA, FR)
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_page/015-13596-330-11-48-902-20071126IPR13587-26-11-2007-2007-false/default_en.htm
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
A group protesting human rights abuse in China is urging next year's Olympic Games are moved from Beijing to Athens.
Jan Becker swam in the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 1964, and is travelling the world as the ambassador for the Human Rights Torch Relay. Starting in Athens, the relay has made its way to Victoria to promote not only an athlete boycott, but a complete move of the 2008 games.
According to the group's website, it is opposed to human rights abuse in China and the persecution of practitioners of [the] spiritual movement Falun Gong.
"Because of the humans rights abuse in China, they promised in 2001, when they got the Olympics, to improve," explains Becker on the group's stop in Ballarat. "I was assured by International Olympic Committee officials that that would happen, and it hasn't; it's actually become worse. They haven't adhered to the Olympic charter or the code of ethics and with what they're doing, both inside and outside of China; a lot of people are calling for a boycott [but] I feel that they just shouldn't have the Olympics. It's just not in the Olympic spirit."
Being a former Olympian herself, Becker knows about the training and preparation that goes into competing at the elite level. But she says, if competing today, she would throw away the years of training to boycott the Beijing Olympics.
"Eight years of training to get to the Olympics; I know what it's like," she says. "And I thought, 'How can I ask these athletes to boycott?' Then I saw some words that said, 'The sanctity of life and respect for human beings takes precedence over any sporting event.' It really hit me, that we can't treat people like this [for the sake of] two weeks. They should just transfer the Olympics to Athens, where it's neutral, and they have the infrastructure there to do it."
Despite her stance, she understands why athletes are not stepping up opposition to China. "A lot of them don't know what's really happening," Becker says. "A lot of them have [heard of it], but most of them won't [join the relay] because they sympathise with the cause, but they're scared of losing their sponsorship, of the IOC not looking upon them as fondly as usual...If no one does anything, no change will happen."
Members of Parliament and councillors have been supportive of the group's cause on its tour through regional Australia, says Becker. The relay remains in regional Victoria for the rest of the week.
http://www.abc.net.au/southwestvic/stories/s2103314.htm
(Clearwisdom.net) Sydney Falun Gong practitioners gathered in front of the New South Wales Supreme Court on the morning of November 26, 2007 to protest the Chinese Embassy's interfering with Australian judicial proceedings.
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In December 2006, when Chen Shaoji, chairman of the Guangdong Province Political Consultative Committee and deputy secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee, visited Australia, Falun Gong practitioners Ms. Li Fuying and Ms. Xie Yan filed a lawsuit against him for illegal detention and torture (Ms. Li and Ms. Xie had both been detained for practicing Falun Gong in China). On November 26, 2007, the NSW Supreme Court held another hearing over the case of Chen Shaoji. Defendant Chen Shaoji has failed to respond to the court since the lawsuit was filed in February 2006. Therefore, the plaintiffs applied for a default judgment against him.
Chen Shaoji is Outside the Jurisdiction of Diplomatic Immunity
On November 13, three solicitors from the Australian Attorney General's office submitted a letter to the court from the Chinese Embassy in Australia claiming that the defendant should be granted immunity, because he is an official of a foreign country.
Due to pressure from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Attorney-General's Department intervened in the case. They submitted a certificate granting the defendant Chen Shaoji diplomatic immunity. The certificate was issued and signed by Foreign Minister Alexander Downer on November 15, 2007. The hearing should have discussed certain issues, such as whether the court would approve Foreign Minister Downer's certificate and if intervention by the Attorney General's Department is legal. Now, due to federal elections which took place ten days after the certificate was signed, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and Attorney General Philip Ruddock are no longer in office. It is unclear if their submission to the court will be granted by the newly-appointed foreign minister and attorney general. Therefore, the judge decided to defer the case for two weeks.
Mr. Downer abused his authority previously by signing certificates for 42 months, which restricted Falun Gong practitioners' protests in front of the Chinese Consulate. He appeared to take this action only to stay in favor with the CCP. Falun Gong practitioners filed a lawsuit against Mr. Downer and the Supreme Court ruled that Downer was to stop issuing and signing the certificates, and that Falun Gong practitioners have the right to protest in front of the Chinese Consulate. Downer paid $20,000 Australian dollars in compensation for damages to Falun Gong practitioners.
Barrister for the plaintiffs, Angela Kate, said that the court has not approved the Attorney-General Department's intervention. This case will be deferred to December 12, as the Attorney-General Department will also reconsider the certificate signed by Downer.
President of the New South Wales Falun Dafa Association, Lucy Zhao, said that the court did not make a final judgment today as to whether it will allow the Attorney-General's Department to intervene in the case. This will likely be decided at the December 12 hearing. We hope that the Attorney-General's Department and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will respect the independence of the court and let the court make an independent judgment.
Working Together to Stop the Chinese Embassy's Interference with Australian Judicial Proceedings
Plaintiff Ms. Xie Yan wrote an open letter to the Australian people regarding the CCP's interference with the case. She said, "Adolf Hitler was a government official and he did what he did based on the laws of Nazi Germany. I would like to know, if Hitler were on trial today, would Minister Downer and the Attorney General use the same reasoning to excuse him? Actually, the persecution of Falun Gong itself is against both China's Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including all international laws based on the Declaration."
"Falun Gong is a traditional Chinese practice based on the principles of Truth, Compassion, and Forbearance. Currently more than 100 million people in over 80 countries around the world benefit from the practice. I hope all people of justice will pay attention to and support the Australian judicial justice system and stop the Chinese Embassy in Australia's unreasonable interference."
Plaintiff Ms. Li Fuying said in an interview, "I was imprisoned twice in 2000 for practicing Falun Gong. During the detention, I was deprived of food and water for three days. They forced me to write a guarantee statement. I'm 78 years old, but I did not give in. When I went to a park to do the exercises a second time, I was arrested and incarcerated in a brainwashing center where I was subjected to torture."
"My daughter Yan Haiyu has been imprisoned for over three years for practicing Falun Gong. She has been brutally tortured. The guards handcuffed both her hands to a window frame for 24 hours, with only her toes touching the ground. She was also locked in a metal cage."
Ms. Li believes that Chen Shaoji, took advantage of his position, by ordering and inciting officers in the legal system and the general public to hate Falun Gong. He also ordered, supervised, controlled, assisted or instigated police officers to brainwash Falun Gong practitioners, thus subjecting Falun Gong practitioners in the Guangdong area to severe persecution. Chen Shaoji cannot shirk responsibility for his involvement in crimes against humanity which occurred in Guangdong Province. According to international law, when a crime involves torture and crimes against humanity, no one has immunity.
(Clearwisdom.net) On November 17th 2007, an activity was held in Leeds in northern England to let people know about the human rights abuses that Falun Gong practitioners are suffering at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Many passers by signed a petition to show their support for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. Many also showed interest in the Falun Gong exercises and asked for information on free classes.
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| People talk with practitioners to find out more and some had a go at doing the Falun Gong exercises | |
A lady from Vietnam who has been living in Leeds for more than twenty years was happy to finally get the opportunity to withdraw from the Communist Party in the form of a public statement. One girl told us that a few months ago she saw Falun Gong practitioners holding a similar activity and decided to raise awareness about the persecution against Falun Gong in her own school.
A Hungarian gentleman who had suffered persecution from the Communist Party, sent blessings to Falun Gong practitioners for their determination in calling for justice and standing out in cold weather to raise awareness. Practitioners gave him the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party DVD and Falun Gong informational material.
Source: http://clearharmony.net/articles/200711/42225.html
(Clearwisdom.net) Mr. Sun Depo, a practitioner and resident in Tuwan Village, Heiwang Town, Zichuan District, Zibo City, Shandong Province, is being held in Wangcun Forced Labor Camp. He has been force-fed, beaten, hung by handcuffs, and tortured with other means. Now he is very weak and thin. He often has no feeling in his limbs, his eyes hurt, his reactions are slow, and he appears to be in a daze.
Brutal force-feeding
On December 26, 2006, a Dr. Xu from the medical office pried Mr. Sun's mouth open as wide as possible with a special tool and caused him great pain.
At the end of December, a Dr. Zhao inserted a feeding tube into Mr. Sun's nose, then repeatedly pushed and pulled it in and out roughly, causing him to bleed profusely.
In late January 2007, police officers Liu Zonghao and Bi Hongtao from the Seventh League took Mr. Sun to the medical office in the forced labor camp, handcuffed his arms behind the chair and inserted a tube into his nose. The two stomped on the handcuffs with their feet for a long time, causing the already weakened Mr. Sun to pass out from the pain.
From February 12 through 16, 2007, Li Gongmin force-fed Mr. Sun once each day. They handcuffed him to a chair, stomping on the handcuffs or his legs, which caused the handcuffs to bite into his flesh. His arms and hands were numb and very painful.
The worst time was between May 3 and 4, 2007. Police officer Mr. Xu from the medical office used a pair of scissors to pry open Mr. Sun's mouth and used the mouth-opener to keep his mouth open in order to force feed him. When he inserted the tube, he did it so violently that Mr. Sun was in great pain and threw up blood. The pain persisted for two months.
Beating
At the end of June, Luo Guangrong slapped Mr. Sun with his hand and the sole of his shoe. He also used his fingers to dig into his rib cage.
Between July 20 and 22, Luo Guangrong, Li Gongmin, Zhang Reimin, and Liu Zonghao tortured Mr. Sun by kicking, slapping, handcuffing him to a bed, and taping his mouth shut.
On August 3, Liu Zonghao kicked Mr. Sun, and Lu Guangrong slapped and choked him.
On August 9, Li Gongmin and Liu Zonghao slapped Mr. Sun with the sole of a shoe, causing the left side of his face to swell. Mr. Sun's face bled underneath the skin and his eye sockets were bruised.
Now Mr. Sun is extremely weak and thin. Even going to the restroom is a difficult endeavor for him. His limbs feel numb all the time. His eyes are painful. He reacts slowly and looks dazed.
Mr. Sun's father and sister both persecuted to death
Mr. Sun's father, Sun Shubo, began cultivation in Falun Gong in 1997. His home was ransacked once after 1999 because he went to Beijing to appeal. Later he was constantly threatened by the police. This, plus the fact that his son was held in the forced labor camp, caused him great trauma both physically and psychologically. He passed away in April 2007 at the age of 68.
Mr. Sun's sister, Sun Guifeng, began her cultivation in 1997. She was always a very healthy person. In October 2004, her home was ransacked because she told people the facts about Falun Gong. They took away her computer and other valuables and extorted a few thousand yuan from her. In November she was arrested and put in Yanzhou Jail for a month. During this time she was beaten and her leg was injured as a result, making it difficult for her to walk. She also lost a lot of hair from being dragged. In December, she was put in the No. 2 Women's Camp of Wangcun Forced Labor Camp. She was in constant pain and lost her appetite. Because of her weakness, the forced labor camp was afraid that she might die, so they released her after a month. Ms. Sun died in May 2005 when she was only 44.
(Clearwisdom.net) On April 29, 2007, Ms. Shi Xiangdong, a 37-year-old civil servant from the Shijiazhuang Religious Affairs Bureau, attended a work meeting at the No. 1 Guest House that was hosted by Wu Xianguo, Party Secretary of the Shijiazhuang Party Committee. After the meeting, Shi Xiangdong kindly reminded Wu Xianguo that the things he said about Falun Gong at the meeting were wrong and would damage his reputation. As soon as Wu discovered that Ms. Shi was a Falun Gong practitioner, a few plainclothes officers emerged, and pushed Shi Xiangdong to the ground, then forcibly took her to a detention center. The police also later arrested her husband, Mr. Liu Xin, when he went to visit her. Their home was also ransacked.
A case was filed in the Qiaoxi District Court of Shijiazhuang City, and no one knew when the trial took place. On November 9, the family was notified of the illegal judgment and learned that Ms. Shi Xiangdong had been sentenced to three years of imprisonment, and her husband was sentenced to five years in prison. Both have appealed the verdicts. Mr. Liu has been on a hunger strike since the day he received notification of the sentence.
Currently, the family consists of only Mr. Liu Xin's mother, who is in her seventies with poor health, and the couple's six-year-old daughter. Mr. Liu's mother is very worried about her son's health condition. She is often in tears all day long, while struggling to take care of her young granddaughter.
(Clearwisdom.net) Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Liu Duancai is from Xiagou Village (in Xifu Town, Chengyang District, Qingdao City of Shandong Province). On September 11, 2007, when he was clarifying the truth in Moujia Village of Xifu Town, he was reported to police. He was illegally arrested by police from Chengyang District Police Branch and Xifu Town Police Station. His home was later ransacked. Police took away Dafa books, truth-clarifying materials, an MP3 player and other items. His motorcycle was taken away and hasn't been returned since then.
Mr. Liu Duancai is 37 years old. He has a newborn son who is only five months old, and he has aged parents. Before he practiced Falun Gong, he had spurs in his legs which gave him a lot of pain. He sometimes had a hard time walking, and he was unable to do heavy labor. His parents tried hard to help him treat the disease, but it was in vain. Since the end of 1996, when he started to practice Falun Gong, he followed the principles of Dafa and treated people with kindness. Not long after, his health problem was gone, and the family's living conditions improved.
After Liu Duancai was arrested, his 71-year-old mother cried every day and was afraid she would never see her son again. Since the Chinese Communist Party started the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999, the elderly lady was always worried about her son whenever he came home late.
Liu Duancai is the only one who supports the family financially. His family is facing a difficult situation since his arrest. After his arrest, his wife went to visit him. She was asked to leave clothes and money for him, but she was not allowed to see her husband.
Liu Duancai was detained in Xiaozhuang Prison, which was still under construction. According to people near the prison, Xiaozhuang Prison will become a new provincial prison in Shandong province. It is called Xiaozhuang Prison by local people because it is located in Xiaozhuang Village, Xifu Town.
Kind-hearted people, please pay attention to this case.
Related Contacts:
Xiaozhuang Prison/Chengyang District Government:
Office: 86-532-87868518
Deputy Office: 86-532-87866500, 86-532-87868615, 86-532-87866501
Supervision Office: 86-532-87866509
Information Office: 86-532-87866507
Secretary Office: 86-532-87868518
Administration Section: 86-532-87866502
On-duty Office: 86-532-87868518
Xifu Town Police Station: 86-532-87881217
Xifu Town Party and Government Office: 86-532-87811035, 86-532-87881037
Xiagou Village Committee: 86-532-87986207
Head of Xiaguo Village Party Branch: Guo Zhengen
Xiagou Social Mediating Office: 86-532-87985029
Moujia Village Committee: 86-532-87882442
(Clearwisdom.net) On September 20, 2007, police officers Guo Fengjun, Wang Li and several others from the Wutai Township Police Station broke into practitioner Mr. Jiang Lide's home in Wutai Township, Dehui City, Jilin Province, and arrested him. They detained Mr. Jiang in the Dehui City Detention Center.
Mr. Jiang was held in Room 206. His roommates, criminal inmates Liu (given name unknown) and Yu (given name unknown), watched him around the clock. He started a hunger strike to protest his detention and persecution and to petition for his release. Ordered by the detention center director, guards, and doctors, Liu and Yu brutally force-fed Mr. Jiang. A large quantity of salt was added to the forced-feeding solution and Mr. Jiang's mouth and cheeks were injured while being forced-fed. One of his upper front teeth was knocked out.
On October 8, 2007, Mr. Jiang was transferred to Room 210. Death row inmates restrained in 40 pounds shackles, murders, and rapists were also detained there. Zhang Zhenfeng, the guard overseeing this room, was very cruel. Because Mr. Jiang continued his hunger strike, Zhang instigated the inmates to force-feed him. During one incident, Mr. Jiang was almost tortured to death. The inmates would often beat or verbally abuse him.
On October 10, 2007, Chen Shusan, the director of the detention center, and Zhang Zhenfeng told Mr. Jiang that he would not be allowed to sleep for three days and nights if he continued to refuse to eat. He was told that if he continued his hunger strike, there would be even more brutal torture. The same day, four inmates were instructed to carry Mr. Jiang and put him in the middle of a bed frame, where he had to sit on the wooden boards.
Mr. Jiang was very weak and he suffered from leg injuries incurred during a previous beating. It was very difficult for him to sit on the boards. Four inmates surrounded him as one pulled his ears and one kicked him in the stomach to force him to eat. Suddenly, Feng Bao, a criminal from Jiutai City, kicked him in the lower back very hard. Mr. Jiang almost passed out. He was in so much pain that he cried out in pain. Then they stuffed a shoe in his mouth and tied a rope around his head to hold the shoe in place. Later director Chen Shusan, Dong Deli, guard Zhang Zhenfeng, and doctor Li Yazhou went to Mr. Jiang's room. Mr. Jiang requested an x-ray of his injury, but he was ignored.
Because of his lower back injury, Mr. Jiang needed two people to help him go to the restroom. Others had to assist him in his daily life. At times he experienced so much pain that he cried out. Even though he was exhibiting this degree of pain, the officials of the detention center refused to have him examined and the perpetrator, Feng Bao, was not punished.
By the morning of October 25, 2007, Mr. Jiang was skin and bones and barely recognizable. Wang from the Law Enforcement Section and Chen Endai from the State Security Office of the Dehui City Police Department drove Mr. Jiang to the Yinmahe Forced Labor Camp in Jiutai City, Jilin Province. During the pre-admittance physical, Jiutai Hospital diagnosed Mr. Jiang with a fractured lower back and concluded that he was no longer able to take care of himself and therefore was certainly unable to do hard labor. The labor camp refused to admit him. The police had to no other choice but to tell his family to come and take him home.
Mr. Jiang is currently in a very weak condition and is bedridden from fractures to his legs. There is pus oozing from one of his legs, and his condition is precarious.
Organizations and people involved in the persecution of Mr. Jiang:
Zhang Guochen, director of Dehui City Police Department: 86-431-87222192 (Office), 86-431-87211111 (Home), 86-15904400460 (Cell), 86-13364600000 (Cell), 86-13364600001 (Cell)
Wang Shuxin, deputy director of Dehui City Police Department: 86-431-87238208 (Office), 86-431-87276698 (Home), 86-15904400466 (Cell), 86-13944024888 (Cell)
Jiang Yunlong, director of the Wutai Township Police Station: 86-15904414490 (Cell), 86-431-87580010 (Office), 86-13364464222 (Cell)
Chen Entai, police officer of Dehui City State Security Section: 86-431-87222053 (Office), 86-13364463106 (Cell)
Chen Shusan, director of Dehui City Detention Center: 86-431-87273438 (Office), 86-431-87212897 (Home), 86-15904414530 (Cell), 86-13844924900 (Cell)
(Clearwisdom.net) On August 22, 2007, at an intersection along the Qiaokou section of Jinghan Avenue, Wuhan City, Hubei Province, a car deliberately knocked a motorcycle rider to the ground while turning into the road from Jinghan Ave. A man, later known to be surnamed Kang, came out of the car and grabbed the victim. That man and several others knocked the victim to the ground and then arrested him.
The arrested man was 32-year-old Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Min Changchun from Zhongxiang City, Hubei Province, who was working in Wuhan City at the time. The police brought Mr. Min to the Wuhan Police Department, and only then was he informed that the policemen who beat him were from the First Division (National Security Division) of the Wuhan Police Department. These agents, when beating Mr. Min, did not show any ID.
The persons who took part in the arrest, physical abuse and subsequent incarceration included Huang Haizhe, Zhang Ning, Liu Hua, Kang Bao, Zhang Yixu, and another man of about 30 years old whose name is unknown. The person in charge was Qiu Hanhua. They were all from the First Division of the Wuhan City Police Department.
The same day, these agents sent Mr. Min to the Jiang'an District Detention Center, even though they had no excuse to do so. Mr. Min was locked in cell No. 313. Also detained in this cell was a criminal inmate named Liu Wanfang.
Around September 15, these agents said they planned to send Mr. Min Changchun to forced labor, but stated that Mr. Min Changchun could hire a lawyer.
On September 17, following criticism from guard Shen Bo, inmate Liu Wufang attacked Min Changchun and injured his eyes. This resulted in dropsy in his right eye, hyperemia, retina injury, and blurred vision. He only had peripheral vision. On September 20 and 27, Mr. Min Changchun went to the ophthalmology department of the Tongji University Hospital, where associate professor Dr. Sun Jinghua checked his eyes to determine whether his eyesight would recover, but the diagnosis was that it required further observation. When Mr. Min returned to the eye specialist on October 15, his eyesight had not recovered. Jiang'an Detention Center officials stopped his treatment and medication at that point.
On October 18, Kang Bao, Huang Haizhe, Zhang Ning and another person from the Wuhan Police Department sent Mr. Min to the Second Division of the Hewan Forced Labor, Wuhan City. At that time Mr. Min had already been detained for two months, far beyond the 37-day legal limit for detention. He was not given any legitimate explanation or documentation.
Upon arriving at the labor camp, the guards only read to him a notice, saying that his forced labor term would be one and half years to January 21, 2009, and declared without evidence that he had "obstructed the execution of the law." Mr. Min asked them, "I was going to work like normal. Why do you beat me, arrest me and sentence me without due cause?" All they said was, "You know the reason."
The only reason these persecutors hit Mr. Min with a car and arrested him was because he practices Falun Gong and follows "Truthfulness-Benevolence-Tolerance" to be a good person. These agents took from him a backpack and other personal belongings, including his cell phone, bank card, electronic book, and other items. They abandoned Mr. Min's motorized bicycle on the roadside, so the bicycle was stolen.
The vision in Mr. Min's right eye has further deteriorated. He cannot see things clearly and still has only peripheral vision. Medical examiner Liu from the Jiang'an District Police Department examined Mr. Min's right eye, concluding that his right eye has sustained a minor injury. It remains to be seen if the injury turns out to be moderate or major, depending on recovery.
Hewan Forced Labor Camp, 86-27-85311381
(Clearwisdom.net) At 10:00 a.m. on November 15, 2007, the Xiacheng District Court in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province unlawfully sentenced Falun Gong practitioner Jin Meihua to five years in prison.
On November 12, defense attorneys Mr. Mo Shaoping and Mr. Shang Baojun established Mr. Jin's innocence. They argued that under China's Constitution and all other laws currently applicable in China, Falun Gong is not illegal, and therefore Jin Meihua has every right to believe in Falun Gong. They also responded with sufficient reasoning to every accusation made by the police against Jin Meihua. The police had nothing to say to rebut. The defense attorneys asked the judge to declare the defendant not guilty.
However, the judge hastily wrapped up the trial and told the defense attorneys and Mr. Jin's family to wait for the judgment. On November 14, the court notified the attorneys and Jin's family that the verdict would be announced at 9:30 a.m. on November 15.
At 9:30 a.m. on November 15, the judge declared Jin Meihua guilty.
We hope that kind-hearted people in the international community will pay close attention to this case.
Responsible Parties:
Public prosecutor: Lan Hongxia
Presiding judge: Shen Ning
(Those mentioned above have participated numerous times in arresting and sentencing Falun Gong practitioners during the persecution)
Secretary, Hu Liang: 86-571-88166745
Contact information for Xiacheng District Court, Hangzhou City:
Criminal court: 86-571-88166739
No. 1 Civil Court: 86-571-88166788
No. 2 Civil Court: 86-571-88166812
No. 3 Civil Court: 86-571-88166789
Case Filing Tribunal: 86-571-88166720
Administrative Tribunal: 86-571-88166771
Enforcement Bureau: 86-571-88166769
Examination and Oversight Court: 86-571-88166813
Address: No. 109, Xiangjisidong Road, Hangzhou, China, Post Code: 310004
(Clearwisdom.net) Since August 2006, Lingyuan City Police Department deputy head Yang Minghui, National Security Division head Wang Guilin, deputy head Chen Zhi and others have committed over 20 illegal arrests, seizures of personal property, and extortions from Falun Gong practitioners. More than 70 practitioners were personally affected. More than 40 practitioners suffered direct losses of totaling over 346,000 Yuan in cash. Wang Guilin was the most unscrupulous. He demanded money from and coerced practitioners and their family members directly.
Family members of the arrested and harassed Falun Gong practitioners were squeezed for money for their efforts to rescue their loved ones. They were forced to deplete their savings, and some were forced to borrow money. The amount coerced from the family members ranged from several hundred to tens of thousands of Yuan. This resulted in huge mental and financial damages to the practitioners and their families. Some practitioners' direct loss was near 30 thousand Yuan. In this process, authorities in the Police Department and police stations at different levels demanded money for their own share. If their demands were not met, they would extend the detention period and threaten to send the practitioners to a forced labor camp. In order to get their loved ones home, the practitioners' family members decided to give the evildoers the money.
After paying the extortions, some practitioners' family members went to Wang Guilin and asked for the release of their loved ones. Wang Guilin complained about the amount not being enough. After some practitioners had already been sent to the forced labor camp, Wang Guilin still called their family members and told them the practitioners would be released only if they paid another 1,500 Yuan. Some practitioners were still sent to forced labor camps, even though their family members had already paid the money. Money was stolen from practitioners' homes during searches. Agents from the street police stations would afterwards say the money had been forwarded to the National Security Division, but people there would deny receiving it. Some of the arrested practitioners in their 70s and 80s were not released until their family members had paid the agents more than 10 thousand Yuan.
Following practitioners Mr. Han Ximin and his wife's arrest, Wang Guilin urged Xiyiao Street Police Station agents to search their home. The police entered the home without legal documentation, in the absence of the their family members. They confiscated computers and other personal belongings. They also took all the cash that was kept at home. Mr. Han Ximin and his wife were in illegal detention at the time and had no idea about their home being plundered. Xiyiao Police Station head Wei Qinglin beat Han Ximin and deprived him of his right to eat and sleep in the detention center. Wang Guilin also told Han Ximin that he could be released on bail for medical treatment only if Mr. Han would pay 30 to 50 thousand Yuan.
Practitioner Guo Fengxian was arrested, and her husband decided to leave home to avoid the arrest. National Security Division head Wang Guilin, deputy head Chen Zhi and others took the keys and illegally entered Guo Fengxian's home five times and searched it, without any of Guo Fengxian's family members present. The vegetables growing in the yard were trampled; the sofa was broken, the cooking vessel was pulled off the stove; more than 10,000 Yuan in cash was stolen and anything else of cash value, including cell phones, were taken. The home was in total disarray. The agents failed to provide legal papers. No family members were present, and personal belongings were simply carted off. Wang Guilin and his gang did not return the house key to Guo Fengxian's relatives until they had looted the home like this five times.
Dongcheng Police Station agents arrested practitioners Xu Guihua, Cheng Guanghui and Li Yongsheng. The police confiscated cell phones, VCD players and audiotape players and other items from Cheng Guanghui's home. They took about 15,000 Yuan from Cheng Guanghui's room, money that Xu Guihua had kept at his rented home. The practitioners' belongings were stolen without their knowledge. No one knows where any of them are now.
Two other practitioners were arrested, and their car was taken away. This happened more than two months ago, and the agents still refuse to return the vehicle.
(Clearwisdom.net)
Learning the Truth - Several Examples
An employee in an enterprise in the Autonomous Region of Inner Mongolia's Hulunbier City put a copy of Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party on his desk. He had gotten it somewhere else. Other employees circulated it, and all applauded secretly after reading it.
A resident in the same city often bemoaned the fact that he had not received Falun Gong truth-clarifying materials for a long time. One day he finally got a copy and finished reading it overnight. He said, "The CCP is really bad. What Falun Gong says is all true. I cannot waste this information, but must pass it on to others."
Right before the CCP's 17th Congress, while a Falun Gong practitioner from the city passed the Xuefu Road area one evening, he heard two young men who looked like students chanting loudly, "Falun Dafa is good! Falun Dafa is truly good!" Their voices sounded especially clear and loud in the noisy crowd.
For Our Future, My Family Members and I Resolutely Quit the Communist Party
I am a resident of a township in Qingdao City, Shandong Province. I ran into a Falun Gong practitioner when I was seven months pregnant. She told me the facts about Falun Gong and sincerely persuaded me to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. She also told me to chant silently, "Falun Dafa is Good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good." She told me I would be blessed by chanting it, especially during pregnancy and labor. I agreed happily.
A physical exam in my eighth month of pregnancy revealed that my baby was in a breech position. The doctor said, "You can try to have her turned if you want; otherwise we can schedule you for a C-section." Of course I wanted to try turning the baby, so the doctor suggested that I stay in a special position to make the baby turn. However, the next checkup two weeks later showed that the baby was still in the breech position.
It seemed that the baby's position eight days before the due date was fixed, and there would be no chance for her to turn. I then remembered the practitioner's words and started constantly chanting "Falun Dafa is Good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good." Miraculously, seven days later, my baby's position became normal. While I was in labor and in great pain I again chanted, "Falun Dafa is Good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good" repeatedly. My baby was one of the two natural deliveries among 22 in the hospital that day.
I feel very fortunate and wholeheartedly appreciate Falun Dafa and Master Li. I have read some Falun Gong truth-clarification materials and understood the truth. I was deeply shocked, learning of the organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners while they were still alive. For our wonderful future, my family and I resolutely quit the wicked and shameless CCP.
(Clearwisdom.net) First published in 2006, Hearts and Minds Uplifted--The Power of Falun Dafa, is now available as an e-book that can be viewed at: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/download/ebooks/index_h.htm á
A previously published collection of short articles, Life and Hope Renewed--The Healing Power of Falun Dafa, (http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/download/ebooks/index_e.htm) described the profound health benefits of Falun Dafa. This companion volume focuses on another important aspect of people's lives: the tremendous personal growth that can be achieved by cultivating one's character through practicing Falun Dafa.
(Clearwisdom.net) When I came to the United States four years ago, I had difficulty adjusting to the new language and culture. I suffered from insomnia as a result of the added pressure from school and work. At its worst, I could only sleep four or five hours a week. On average, I got an hour of sleep per night. I became anxious every night when bed time came. I tried hard to sleep but could never fall asleep. This insomnia tormented me, and each day felt like a year. I went to many hospitals for treatment but to no avail. I took different sleeping pills and exercised more, but nothing worked. I almost lost the confidence to continue living.
My friends were concerned about me. They urged me to try Falun Gong. I had doubts at first, so I only did the exercises. My condition didn't improve after two weeks. Veteran practitioners cared a lot about me, telling me to sincerely cultivate. They told me to genuinely understand "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance," the characteristics of the universe. They urged me to read Zhuan Falun and other Dafa books more. So I watched the video recording of Master's lectures and read Dafa books online every day. In the morning I practiced the exercises at the practice site.
After six months of cultivation practice, I unreservedly said goodbye to insomnia. Now I sleep peacefully for about six hours every night. I stopped all the medications I was taking. Furthermore, my energy level and mood have all improved. I personally experienced "Falun Dafa is good," and am determined to continue with my cultivation.
(Clearwisdom.net) Greetings Teacher! Greetings fellow practitioners!
I am a Falun Dafa practitioner from a remote area of Northwest China and I am 55 years old. Since I attained the Fa in November 1996, and especially since July 20, 1999 (when the persecution began), I have been through many tribulations and difficulties, but I have always persisted in practicing Dafa. I want to share with fellow practitioners about my understanding of cultivation and improving my xinxing during the process of producing truth-clarifying materials. Please kindly point out anything improper.
1. Giving Up the Attachment of Fear and Taking the Initiative to Start a Truth-Clarifying Materials Production Project
Since July 20, 1999, under the environment of terror and persecution, although the evil tried to destroy our Dafa materials production site and we encountered many tribulations and difficulties, materials production in our areas never stopped. At first, our ability to make Dafa materials was limited only to providing Teacher's articles and a few truth-clarifying brochures and flyers, copied separately by a few coordinators in the local copy shop and sent to the other practitioners. This method was not safe, and was also time-consuming and expensive. It could not meet the practitioners' needs for the materials.
Given this situation, in 2002 we planned to purchase a high-capacity copier and other equipment to establish a materials production site in a suburban area. However, it was destroyed by the evil before we started production. Many practitioners were arrested. Later, a practitioner purchased a small all-in-one copier for materials production. We had to constantly transfer the machine to different locations either because some practitioners' home environment was not good or because some locations were not safe. Finally the machine was put in my office and for more than six months, I used the time before and after work to produce the materials. But then my employer gave me notice and took back the office. We had to change the materials site again.
In 2003, with the fast progress of the Fa-rectification, we needed massive amounts of truth-clarifying materials. But we could not find an appropriate place for the materials production site because all the places we used before had been destroyed by the evil. Everyone was really anxious. After I continuously studied the Fa and cultivated myself, my attachment of fear was gradually reduced. I decided to establish the materials production site at my home. I understood that producing the truth-clarifying materials to save sentient beings is the most righteous thing in the universe. It will correct anything not righteous. Why should we be afraid of the evil? How dare the evil interfere with us?
After I discussed the project with practitioners who had knowledge of computers, and exchanged ideas with a few coordinators, they felt that it was not appropriate to use my home as the materials production site. At the same time, my human side and divine side also had intense conflicts. My human side thought that it was definitely not appropriate, since my home had been invaded and items confiscated many times by the local police and I was monitored by the police as an important person. Moreover, my wife was still detained in prison and was being persecuted. But my divine side thought that as long as I did it with righteous thoughts and righteous actions and I did not create the attachment of fear, no one would interfere with me. There were three reasons that made me think so. Firstly, since the last time that I had expelled the police out of my home, they did not dare to come to my home again to harass me for more than a year and they just peeked in on me at the courtyard. Secondly, when I went to Tiananmen Square to display banners and shouted "Falun Dafa is good," the police did not dare to arrest me. They detained me at the Tiananmen Police Station for three hours and then just released me. Thirdly, it has been said by other people that the most dangerous place is really the safest place. As long as I did things with righteous thoughts and righteous actions, there should not be any problem.
Because we are in the Fa-rectification period and we are with Teacher, there is nothing we should be afraid of. After I thought it over, my divine side took control. I asked the practitioner who knew how to use computers to buy the computer and printer for me and very soon, I learned how to print materials. A fixed materials production site was therefore established at my home. Under Teacher's compassion and protection, the site has run safely ever since.
2. Giving Up the Attachment of Selfishness, Thinking about the Needs of Others
Having grasped the printing technology, I could basically guarantee being able to supply the text materials that practitioners would need. I could produce the materials depending on what the practitioners needed and how many copies they would need. But I could still only supply materials to a few practitioners. Either they came to pick up the materials or I sent the materials to them, and then they delivered them to the other practitioners.
Several times when other practitioners came to my home, I did not give them any materials for safety reasons. Once a practitioner came from the countryside far away from my home, but I did not give him any materials. After that I felt very regretful. I calmed down and judged myself according to Dafa, and I found that I had gone to an extreme. I was ashamed. I realized that I was only considering my safety and not considering fellow practitioners' needs. This was the attachment of selfishness taking effect. Would a god do something like this? Teacher told us,
"From now on, whatever you do, you should consider others first, so as to attain the righteous Enlightenment of selflessness and altruism." ("Non-Omission in Buddha-Nature" in Essentials for Further Advancement)
It is right to pay attention to safety, but we should not go to extremes. We need to be more considerate of others. Our Dafa disciples' task is to save sentient beings. I did not try my best to overcome difficulties so as to guarantee the materials that fellow practitioners needed in order to save sentient beings. Actually my attachment of self-protection interfered with me.
From this experience I clearly realized that although I had cultivated for many years, the selfish nature of the old cosmos was still hiding deep inside my heart. How were we to guarantee the safety of the materials site and allow practitioners to get the materials they needed in time when they came to the materials site? We thought of many ways. But none of them could incorporate the two aspects well. Finally under Teacher's arrangement, we found a good way to solve both problems which would guarantee the safety of the materials site as well as guarantee a supply of the materials to practitioners. Right now all the practitioners can get the materials they need immediately when they come to the materials sites.
With the progress of Fa-rectification, the manner in which Dafa disciples validate the Fa and save sentient beings needs to keep up. The requirements for the materials are widely varied, and the requirements for the materials sites keep getting higher and higher. Just printing flyers, booklets and stickers cannot meet the needs. What could we do since we didn't know any other techniques? After studying the Fa, I understood that as long as we do everything with a pure heart, Dafa will open the door of immeasurable wisdom for us.
For example, when we just started to produce Dafa amulets, no one knew how to do it. We went to some retail shops. They charged two yuan for one small amulet, which was too expensive for us.
I thought that if everyday people could do it, then Dafa disciples could do it too. But I still could not figure out how to make our amulets. It bothered me for a few days until the third night when I burned incense and kowtowed to Teacher. I saw that Teacher's photos were plastic-sealed. Suddenly I was inspired.
The next day, I visited all the retail shops, but I could not find a plastic sealing machine. Finally darkness descended and I found an advertisement for a businessman. He was able to help me contact retailers in Xi'an City that would have this machine. Just after half an hour, we found the machine. It was sent out that night and we picked it up the next afternoon. At the same time, I also ordered the plastic-sealing paper for the machine. Two days after we got the machines, we made the first batch of amulets and the quality was not bad. After that, the quality of the amulets became better and better. Now we can fill not only the needs of the local practitioners, but also the needs of practitioners in nearby areas.
After Teacher published the article, "We Are Not 'Getting Political'", we started to produce large batches of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. We first sent it out chapter by chapter. Later we got feedback from practitioners that people generally wanted to read the whole book at once and we should print out the entire book. But it was not easy. We could not even meet the demand of single chapter copies, much less the whole book. Because we did not know how to make books at that time, we thought that our production could only meet the needs of a limited number of people and we wondered what we should do to guarantee a massive production and a large-scale delivery.
Afterwards, we read the Minghui website articles and shared experiences with each other. We realized the importance of sending the Nine Commentaries to as many people as possible. We decided to follow the method that the Minghui website introduced, and produced the book version of the Nine Commentaries. We ordered a paper-cutting machine and book assembling machine and produced the book, which was nearly as good as a professionally published book.
During this period, the materials production sites in our area were like flowers blossoming everywhere. Some practitioners purchased more offset printing equipment. Under the coordinator's guidance, we centralized the printing of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and assembled the books in separated locations. We could produce more than 1,000 books every week. It was just like Teacher said,
"You can do a lot of things well if you approach them with righteous thoughts." ("Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference")
Master also said,
"That's because you are Dafa disciples, and you aren't everyday people doing things for Dafa, but Dafa disciples who are validating the Fa." ("Teaching the Fa at the Washington, D.C. Fa Conference")
3. Giving Up the Attachment to Doing Things, Fulfilling Our Historic Responsibilities
Teacher said,
"A cultivator is simply one who eliminates the attachments of an everyday person." ("Cultivation Practice and Taking Responsibility" from Essentials for Further Advancement)
Actually, the process of materials production is the process of cultivating oneself. I deeply realized that in order to produce the materials well, I had to study the Fa well and cultivate myself well.
In the beginning, since I just started to learn everything from zero, I felt it was completely new. My human attachments all showed up, such as the feeling of being inferior (when I could not understand the techniques and I was afraid that other people would point it out), the attachment of zealotry and the attachment of focusing only on doing work. My attachment of focusing only on doing work was especially strong. I was like an everyday person doing things for Dafa and I just produced the materials for the sake of materials production. I did not consider the sacred and glorious task as a Dafa disciple validating the Fa and saving sentient beings.
I was very busy every day. After I learned the printing techniques, I needed to learn how to burn CDs. After I learned how to use the Internet, I needed to learn how to type. I did not put Fa-study first and I did not understand how to do the three things well. So, during the materials production, I had all kinds of troubles. I constantly forgot some details and the equipments constantly had problems. I could not guarantee the production of the materials that practitioners needed and I did not fulfill my task very well. Teacher said,
"If you don't study the Fa well, you won't be able to do Dafa work well." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Boston")
Teacher also emphasized repeatedly,
"No matter how busy you are or how many things you have to do, you can't neglect your own Fa study and cultivation. It's the fundamental guarantee that you'll do well in validating the Fa, and it's also a guarantee that you'll be able to make it to the last step." ("Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference")
It was not until then that I clearly realized that I had not studied the Fa well and that studying the Fa well is the most fundamental thing.
After I cleared my mind, I organized my time rationally. Besides a guaranteed two hours of practicing the exercises and four times of sending forth righteous thoughts every day, I also required myself to study the Fa well no matter what happened, to strive forward to cultivate myself, to guarantee sending forth righteous thoughts, guarantee the truth-clarifying materials production and follow a natural course for all the other daily things. Generally, I would study the Fa for four hours, or at a minimum of three hours. Studying the Fa with a calm mind, I memorized and recited Zhuan Falun paragraph by paragraph five times, section by section twice and chapter by chapter once. I memorized Essentials for Further Advancement, Essentials for Further Advancement II and all the articles except Teacher's Fa lectures four times. I recited Hong Yin and Hong Yin Vol. II many times and I can recite it from the beginning or from the end very fluently.
Because I studied the Fa well and I improved my xinxing constantly, I could produce the materials easily and all the Fa-implements worked together very well. Many problems that I never had before were easily solved. I did not delay producing any materials that practitioners needed, and I did not need to deal with all the troubles again.
When I look back on my path of validating the Fa and improving my xinxing, I find there are still many things that I did not do well. But I have the confidence to follow the progress of the Fa-rectification and do the three things well.
Thank you Teacher! Thank you fellow practitioners!
(Clearwisdom.net) Some fellow practitioners have claimed in their articles that they have persuaded hundreds or thousands of people to withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the CCP Youth League, or the CCP Young Pioneer League over the past few years. This might motivate practitioners who are not diligent in clarifying the truth, but there may be some hidden attachments in these boasts. Teacher and divine beings have been watching each and every move of everyone on earth. Why do they need to keep count?
Second, can they honestly claim that they are these people's saviors? Not necessarily. In many articles, fellow practitioners mentioned that they met people who agreed to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliates as soon as they were asked because they had already read our materials. If that's the case, you are simply the last runner in a relay and shouldn't take credit for winning the race. In other words, everyone in the relay should share the credit. I know from personal experience that it is a lot of meticulous work to produce truth-clarification materials, such as buying the equipment needed to produce the materials, getting onto the Internet, downloading and printing truth-clarification materials, binding, cutting, pasting and packaging. Even simple truth-clarification messages on paper money requires handwriting. Eventually practitioners have to take the risk of distributing the materials. It may look like an ordinary print production, but it requires huge amounts of time and effort.
When overseas Falun Gong practitioners produced the Chinese New Year Spectacular, we only saw actors and actress' splendid costumes and their spectacular performances. Has it occurred to us that the production was made possible by numerous volunteers tirelessly and silently servicing customers, selling tickets and promoting the show? Our newspapers, television programs and performing arts programs have the function of saving sentient beings, but every practitioner involved shares the credit of saving sentient beings. Teacher has confirmed that in His lectures.
In my humble opinion, Falun Gong practitioners are one-body. It is the Fa that saves people. It does not seem appropriate that one claims to have saved a specific number of people. We may have the wish to save people, but it is Teacher that actually saves them. This is but my personal understanding on being humble. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
(Clearwisdom.net) My son is almost 5 years old and has been studying Dafa for more than two years. He can recite most poems in Hong Yin and Hong Yin Vol. II. Every day he practices the "Falun Standing Stance", "Coursing Between the Two Poles", reads a paragraph of Zhuan Falun, and recites two poems from Hong Yin. However, sometimes he behaves quite badly when he is among everyday people. When I look inside myself, I found I have all the problems that my son has, although they are more hidden. I have classified them as follows:
1. Bad temper. Sometimes when something is going against his will, my son will make fists and scream loudly. Looking at myself, at work I am always able to think of others first, but at home I often emphasize myself. For housework or work related to validating the Fa, if my wife does not follow my way, I will get angry. Though sometimes I do not say anything, it gets stuck in my mind for quite some time. When my son gets angry, sometimes I cannot control myself well and yell at him. Those times I do not look like a practitioner.
2. Likes to hear praise. My son always get praised by other people and it makes him very happy. But when people criticizes him in any way, he immediately gets unhappy and ignores that person. A child's behavior really can reflect that of the adult! Looking at myself, although I act very modestly among everyday people, often I will think about the complimentary words others have said to me.
3. Strong mentality of showing off and the attachment to competitiveness. My son really likes to show off. He frequently says that he is the best and that he does things the best. Looking at myself, whenever there is something unique I have done at work, I will start to consider myself as different from others. When other people say bad things about me, I will start to argue and not able to face my shortcomings calmly.
4. Taking Fa-study and doing exercises as tasks. When my son does the second exercise, he always asks me whether the time is up yet. When he does other moving exercises he often asks me how many times he has done them. Looking at myself, when I try to memorize the Fa and encounter a long paragraph that I have trouble with, after a while, I will start to get impatient and start to speak faster and faster. When I get impatient, aren't I taking Fa-study as a task? Also, I have trouble getting up every morning to do the exercises at the set times with practitioners around the world.
5. Not cultivating diligently. Before Fa-study, my son always looks at Master's photo, puts his palms together and says something. What he says is basically, "Master, I will study the Fa earnestly and cultivate myself well next time. I promise." Once I asked him, "Why do you always say 'next time'? Why not earnestly study the Fa and do the exercises now? Are you trying to slack off?" My son looked at me and laughed, "Yeah, I can only be diligent the next time!" My son's words really puzzled me and I could not figure out the reason for a long time. One day, I looked at myself and suddenly enlightened to it. I am never diligent enough in doing the three things, and cannot reach Dafa's requirements. I always say to Master that I will do better next time, and next time after that. But when it is time to break through, I still cannot do it; the human mentalities and human desires that I should have extinguished are still not extinguished. Every day, when I open the book I am afraid of looking at Master's photo. I feel too ashamed!
There is another important reason behind my son's bad behavior: I did not treat him as a young practitioner. I did not share with him about xinxing and tell him how to cultivate himself. All I was doing was just teaching him to study the Fa and do the exercises. When I realized this, I started treating him as a young practitioner. Whenever there was a problem, I would look at myself first, "Dad did not do well - I yelled at you. Dad will do better next time." My son would say quite seriously, "All right, as long as you correct yourself, it is ok, no problem."
"But just now you also got angry," I said. "Wasn't that something a young practitioner should not have done?" My son immediately said, "Yes, I will correct myself, too." This way, a "storm" got put off and both of us had our xinxing upgraded. Although many times we still cannot maintain our xinxing and get into arguments, afterwards we can both look within. My son and I
"Study Fa, obtain Fa,
Compare in studying, compare in cultivating,
Examine each and every deed,
Accomplishing is cultivating."
(Solid Cultivation, Hong Yin, Translation Version B).
(Clearwisdom.net) I am over 70 years old, and I am not well educated. However, I am able to read Zhuan Falun and other Dafa books. I can also recite Hong Yin and other of Teacher's articles. Taking the Fa as teacher, I am diligent about doing the three things. With other practitioners, I have been harmoniously doing everything that Dafa disciples are supposed to do.
My home is near a market where many people shop. In the past few years, through learning about others' experiences described in "Minghui Weekly," I have been explaining the truth about Falun Dafa in many different ways to save sentient beings. Many people have come to know me because of this, and instead of "Ms. Wu," they now refer to me as "Lady Truth."
Face-to-face truth clarification
Face-to-face communication is the way I usually explain the truth about Falun Gong. It is flexible and very convenient. Dressed neatly and looking energetic, we can directly speak the truth without much preparation. The effects are very good. I have come across many different types of people. The more we do this, the more we can learn to pinpoint people's misunderstandings very quickly and then address those misunderstandings specifically. This is a very important step. When we clarify the truth well, the people we talk with will understand clearly. Because I have read the "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party," various prophecies, and information about the so-called "self-immolation," several times, I can recall them clearly and use them to convey what I want to say effectively. When I speak to adults, I first bring up the current movement to quit the CCP (Chinese Communist Party). Then I speak directly to the point, asking them to quit the Party and/or its affiliated organizations. I tell them that quitting the CCP is a very urgent issue and needs to be done to ensure a safe future. After quitting the CCP and its subordinate organizations (even using pseudonyms), one's link to the CCP will be removed and one will no longer risk being destroyed with the CCP. I found that the blood of the lamb story in the Book of Exodus in the Bible is a good comparison. After hearing the story, many people have been convinced and agreed to quit CCP.
One day I met a new police officer. When I told him the CCP would be eliminated by heaven, I used the example of the ancient rock engraved with the characters: "Chinese Communist Party is destroyed" uncovered in Guizhou Province. When he heard this, he immediately said, "No, it is not. I saw news coverage regarding this rock on the education channel on television with images and narration. The rock just mentioned the Chinese Communist Party and did not talk about its being destroyed."
I said to him, "This is how the Party misleads people. I can tell that you are a smart young person with a good education. For example, like with the so-called 'self-immolation,' the CCP fabricates big lies to fool people. Regarding news coverage of the rock on the education channel, they hid part of the words engraved. The CCP's purpose is to deceive people. In fact, many high level officials have visited the place and seen the rock in person. What's happening indeed foretells that the CCP is doomed to be eliminated by heaven. Listening to and believing that deceitful propaganda will only harm us. Quitting the CCP to ensure a safe future is urgent." He kept nodding, "All right, I see. I will go online to find out about it."
Many people around me have learned the truth, and they are passing that truth from one to another. When someone has questions or is confused, others may suggest: "How about asking the Lady Truth when we see her? Everything will be clear then."
Putting up banners
For a period of time, the evil was very rampant in my area. Two practitioners in my Fa-study group were illegally arrested and their personal property was confiscated. Three truth-clarification material sites were damaged, which caused severe interference with our efforts to explain the truth and save sentient beings. At that time, I still had many banners and small posters with me. Hindered by the attachment of fear, I thought I was too old to put up banners. Young practitioners could do it much more easily. Therefore, I planned to put away those materials and wait for young practitioners to do it later.
I had a dream as soon as I went to sleep. It was planting season, and many people were busy in the fields. Some were just starting to sow their seeds, and others were halfway finished. Some seemed to have finished a while ago, and sprouts had already emerged. After waking up, I immediately realized my numerous attachments: fear, selfishness, and relying on others. With Teacher and the Fa, what did I fear for? With righteous thoughts and righteous actions, a genuine Dafa disciple will not wait for or rely on others or count on external circumstances to change. By then, I only had one thought :to save sentient beings openly and aboveboard.
I took out the banner and small posters, and went out early in the morning. I hung up the banners in a tree and found appropriate places to put up the small posters. I finished in a short time. It was very beautiful: amidst the green leaves, truth-clarification banners of various colors fluttered in the wind. By the road were many posters proclaiming: "Heaven Will Eliminate the CCP" and "Quit the CCP to Ensure Safety." Even in the midst of such severe persecution, people are still able to see these messages of truth! How fortunate they are!
When the material sites were damaged, many practitioners could not receive Teacher's new articles, "Minghui Weekly," and other materials in a timely manner. Plus, the shortage of money directly delayed people being saved. In order to set up the material sites once again, I took out over 10,000 yuan (my savings for a long time) to help. Soon afterwards, people were able to read Minghui Weekly, the Nine Commentaries, and other truth-clarification materials.
Truth-clarifying bills
Because Teacher's lecture "Teaching the Fa in the City of Los Angeles" in February 2006 acknowledged the effects of truth-clarification on paper money, another door was opened for me. Since then, I have never stopped.
I use bills with truth clarification messages written on them when I shop. I also exchange large bills for those of small face value (most of them one-yuan) for later use. One day, practitioners at the materials site printed truth clarification sentences on 100 one-yuan bills. On the way home, most of them went to the stores--some for shopping and some were exchanged with store owners on the street. They were very happy to see such bills with words on them and thanked me again and again. In this way, the truth has spread rapidly. So far, I have used more than two thousand one-yuan bills for truth-clarification.
By writing messages explaining the truth on the bills we can maximize the effect of saving sentient beings. That requires strong righteous thoughts and a pure heart. The words include "Falun Dafa is good," "'Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance' is good," and, especially, information about how to break through the Internet blockade, the Nine Commentaries, and quitting CCP. A small bill is like a key for people to have access to the truth so that they can overcome the CCP's information black out.
One morning I was at home organizing some bills I had just exchanged: ironing the wrinkles, etc. I found two of the one-yuan bills defective--one had a fingertip size hole and another was missing a corner. I picked them out and decided not to use them, since doing so might have inconvenienced someone.
Then I organized the remaining bills and neatly wrote "Falun Dafa is good" or information on quitting the CCP on each bill. After I had finished and was ready to put them a bag, I saw that the two damaged bills had been miraculously repaired. I was home alone and had not touched any other bills. How could this have happened? I knew Teacher was helping me. The two bills could now be used to save sentient beings. In fact, truth-clarification bills, just like everything else, exist for the Fa.
In summary, I have practiced Falun Dafa for 10 years. Throughout this period of time, Teacher has compassionately cared for me so that I have been able to walk my path steadily. When I calm down to study the Fa, I truly feel Teacher's enormous compassion. The Fa is very precious and we are very fortunate. Let's all do the "three things" well.
Teacher said, "For every day that the vile CCP does not stop its persecution of Falun Gong, that is another day we will keep up our efforts to expose its persecution and to disintegrate it." ("Teaching the Fa in the City of Los Angeles") In the past several years, people have asked me, "How long will you continue clarifying truth like this day after day?" I reply, "I have faith in Teacher and the Fa and will continue as along as the CCP is still persecuting Dafa."
(Clearwisdom.net)
Solemn Declaration
I have been persecuted by the evil from the beginning of 2001 to July of 2007, which included being illegally sentenced and having that sentence extended, and being sentenced to labor camp. During the tribulations, I was deluded by the false rationalizations of my tormentors and I did not have a solid understanding of the Fa. Consequently, I wrote a "Letter of Confession of Sin" and a "Disassociation Letter", which was a discredit to my cultivation path. I am deeply regretful for this.
Looking within for the reason behind this, I realize that I had not studied the Fa well, nor did I have a clear understanding of cultivation and Fa-rectification. The evil forces took advantage of these loopholes. I am very regretful now and I realize how serious cultivation is. I now know to cherish this cultivation opportunity that only comes along in a hundred thousand years.
I solemnly declare that what I spoke and wrote against Dafa when I was blinded and affected by the evil factors is all null and void. I do not accept the arrangements the old forces made for me. I will take the Fa as Master and do the Three Things well with righteous thoughts and actions.
I will redouble my efforts to make up for the losses I caused and cherish the opportunity to be saved by Master's compassion, so that I will worthy of the divine title of Fa-rectification Dafa Disciple.
By Yang Manhua
on August 25, 2007.
Chinese version available at: http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2007/9/4/161897.html
Solemn Declaration
Since the persecution of Falun Gong began on July 20, 1999, I did not study the Fa well, did not have enough righteous thoughts, and was attached to fear. Under pressure from the evil persecution, I wrote a "Guarantee letter" and a letter of "Confession." I also gave my Dafa book and tape of the exercises to the evil. I deeply regret my actions.
Because of Master's compassion, Dafa disciples have helped me to return to Dafa. I solemnly declare null and void all that I said and did that was not in accord with Dafa. I also declare my Guarantee letter and letter of "Confession" to be null and void. I will redouble my efforts to make up for the damage that I have done to Dafa. I will do the Three Things well. I totally deny all arrangements the old force made for me. I will think and act righteously and will strive forward vigorously, cultivate Dafa diligently, and follow Master to the end of the Fa-rectification.
By Liu Jingyuan
on August 30 of 2007.
Chinese version available at: http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2007/9/7/162239.html
(Clearwisdom.net) A "solemn declaration" is a person's public statement declaring to the world that whatever he or she has done or said under duress or deception that was against Falun Dafa is null and void. Most of these statements have come from Falun Dafa practitioners in China who wished to express regret that, in the face of physical torture and brainwashing, they had signed documents renouncing Dafa and guaranteeing not to practice again. Also, as more and more people in China learn the truth about how they have been deceived and lied to by the Jiang regime, many non-practitioners are also submitting "solemn declarations."
Here are some examples of the Solemn Declarations:
Please click here for more Solemn Declarations
