Xinsheng Net from Zhengming ['Contend,' a Hong Kong magazine] - April Issue [Minghui Net] Under the Central Military Committee's intervention, more than 130 military officials were released after having been arrested because of practicing Falun Gong. Jiang Zemin's campaign of eliminating Falun Gong has ignited the core of the Party into flames of war. Recently, a group of government and high-ranking army officials suffered "double dismissal" (both expelled from the party and discharged) punishment. But this act encountered the military's forceful revolt. More than 130 military officials, who were arrested because of practicing Falun Gong, have already been released under the Central Military Committee's intervention. After their release, they keep "practicing Falun Gong exercises," "reading the books and studying the teachings of Falun Gong." The Campaign Against Falun Gong has Spread to the Party Core Jiang Zemin's decision to eliminate Falun Gong has not only aggravated the struggle between the [party name omitted] Party and the masses, but has also created another opposing force in the Party core because a number of officials in the government and army are Falun Gong practitioners. They are, by no means, trying to "subvert the government," but they practice in order to have good health and prolong their lives. However, after Jiang Zemin coerced the entire Party into going against Falun Gong, these Falun Gong practitioners in the Party core immediately became a target of the dictatorship. Therefore, Jiang Zemin's perverse actions similarly aroused revolt in this group. Thirty-Six High-Ranking Government and Army Officials were Expelled from the Party and Dismissed from Public Service Recently, the Party "purged" a batch of officials from the government and army. Among them, 36 high-ranking officials, including an associate director of the National People's Congress from a city in Liaoning Province, a chairperson of the Political Consultative Conference from a city in Hubei Province, a government Bureau Chief in Tianjin City and a department head from the People's Liberation Army, were expelled from the Party and discharged because they supported and protected Falun Gong practitioners. The reason is that Jiang Zemin's brutal suppression of Falun Gong received resistance in the interior of the Party. For example, some leaders in work units reimbursed the travel expenses of Falun Gong practitioners who went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong, and some leaders even took the lead in going to Beijing to appeal. A head of a development company in Guangdong Province was investigated on charges of "diverting public funds" and "fraud" because he reimbursed travel expenses for Falun Gong practitioners who appealed in Beijing. Some leaders led all workers in resisting when police came to arrest Falun Gong practitioners at their work units. As a result, no practitioners were arrested. All Falun Gong Practitioners were Dismissed and Even Sent to Labor Camps As some leaders in the inner-party supported Falun Gong, Jiang Zemin became highly vigilant. He punished one group of leaders before the National People's Congress in March 2001. More than 15 leaders were first detained and then given the "double dismissal" punishment. This time while dealing with the Party core, Jiang Zemin introduced the archaic policy of "extending punishment to related persons" to handle the Falun Gong issue. This policy has been used to rule people by totalitarian regimes since ancient times. He stipulated that, in any work unit, so long as some workers practice Falun Gong, the unit's leadership will be denied opportunities to be transferred to another post or be promoted. They will also be discriminated against in welfare assistance, such as housing, medical care services and retirement pensions, etc. All those who practice Falun Gong will be dismissed, and those who refuse to be reformed, will be sent to serve three to five years in labor camps. All Senior Officials Who Suffered the "Double Dismissal" have Nearly 30 Years' of Party Service Taking disciplinary actions against these 36 senior officials is to warn and threaten the entire Party. Each of these senior officials has been a Party member for at least 27 years. They have devoted their entire lives to the Party. However, once they were implicated in the Falun Gong issue, they were punished by "double dismissal." To insist on his incorrect and unwise decision about the Falun Gong issue, Jiang Zemin has not only completely lost reason, but has also not hesitated in heartlessly purging his "comrades." It is enough to make the officials in the inner Party dismayed. All 130 Military Officials Who Practice Falun Gong were Released Under the Military's Forceful Revolt The purge of Falun Gong in the Party core caused the military's intense resistance. During the big arrest at the end of last year, many retired senior military officials (including senior officials at the army corps level and military strategist level) and reserve duty military officers who have retired from active duty services were arrested because of practicing Falun Gong. After they were arrested, some army posts dispatched troops using military vehicles to besiege the detention centers, pursuing and beating police. Many retired senior military officials put on their uniforms and wore their officer's badges, and together with active duty personnel, went to provincial and city governments to present a petition, requesting the release of those senior officials. Some of them also held a sitting meditation to protest. The government and the police did not dare to take action on these officials and were unable to get out of this awkward situation. Finally, the Central Military Committee sent out a work team to resolve the conflict, and ordered the local authorities to release all 130 military officials before December 30, 2000. Continuing Practicing the Exercises and Reading the Books After these officials were released, they did not pay any attention to Jiang Zemin's ban on Falun Gong. Instead, they continued to practice the exercises, read the books, and study the teachings of Falun Gong. In particular, retired senior military officials living in some military resort areas are still publicly practicing the exercises. (These are the only places in China where Falun Gong exercises are publicly practiced. Not only retired senior officials, but active duty personnel and their family members are also practicing there.)

Category: Accounts of Persecution