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Chinese Ice Hockey Coach Facing Illegal Trial for Practicing Falun Dafa
(Clearwisdom.net) On May 9, 2007, a Chinese national ice hockey coach by
the name of Mr. Gao Weixi was illegally arrested by officers of the
Nanguan Branch of Jilin Police Department for practicing Falun Dafa. Mr. Gao is
now detained in the No. 3 Detention Center in Changchun City and is facing
trial. Mr. Gao Weixi is 68 years old and has been a senior ice hockey coach for
Changchun City Athletic Team. He was a renowned coach for the ice hockey team in
Jilin Province and for the Zijin Flower Ice Hockey Team in Hong Kong. Mr. Gao
began the groundwork for ice hockey in the 1960s,
laying a foundation for the sport in China. He frequently led a team to
international competitions and obtained many prizes for Changchun City, Jilin
Province, and China. Mr. Gao was an ice sports layman early on when the sport was played only
outdoors where it was coldest. During the spring season, he would be the first
to skate on the ice to determine the safe areas and sometimes fell into the cold
river. Throughout the years, Mr. Gao developed many serious illnesses, including
a brain tumor and heart and liver diseases. During one phase of his life,
sickness lowered his spirits and gave him a bad temper. He feared nobody and
dared to insult anybody. He was bedridden for two years. He suffered both
mentally and physically. Mr. Gao started to practice Falun Gong in 1998. Around January 2, 1998, he
participated in Falun Dafa activities that were being conducted on a grand scale
in Nanling Stadium during the winter sports competition. He coordinated the
stadium rental and did the exercises with other practitioners to demonstrate the
practice, regardless of his physical discomfort during the periods when his body
was being cleansed. On July 20, 1999, when the Chinese Communist regime began to persecute Falun
Gong, Mr. Gao continued to do the exercises at the local botanical garden for
three months. During the Chinese New Year in 2000, he went to Tiananmen Square
to appeal on behalf of Falun Gong and demonstrate the exercises but was detained
by the police. On April 8, 2000, of the lunar calendar, while doing the
exercises in front of the Dizhi Palace Square in Changchun City, he was detained
again. On December 3, 2000, Mr. Gao was arrested by officers from the Nanguan Branch
of Changchun City Police Department. The police threatened him and tried to make
him give up practicing Falun Gong. He demonstrated Falun Dafa with his conduct
and attempted to persuade the officers to be good. The officers would not listen
to him and sent him to forced labor camps for three years. Mr. Gao was held in two forced labor camps in Changchun City: Weizigou Forced
Labor Camp and Chaoyanggou Forced Labor Camp. He suffered from illnesses during his detention in Chaoyanggou Forced Labor
Camp and was released for a while for medical treatment. This did not affect his
determination to cultivate. However, before he recovered, he was taken to
Chaoyanggou Forced Labor Camp again. During his detention, he repeatedly stated
for two months, "I will definitely practice Falun Gong! I will go home with
Teacher!" His voice resonated throughout the forced labor camp. He
recovered after two months and his face had a rosy glow. No one would think that
he was a 70-year-old man.
Posting date: 7/3/2007 |