Hon. Denis Coderre
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
Aug 28,2002
Honorable Minister,
How are you? My name is Qiu Nannan and I am the daughter of Toronto Falun Gong practitioner Wang Yanying. It has come to my attention that you are going to visit China at the end of this month. Here I want to tell you about the persecution that my father and my brother are suffering in China as Falun Gong practitioners. I hope you could further urge the Jiang Zemin Government to stop the persecution against millions of Chinese citizens who practice Falun Gong.
My father is Qiu Zhaojing. He is the chief editor of Jinan Newspaper Company (originally called Shandong Mass Daily Newspaper Publisher) in Shandong Province. My brother was an assistant photographer for a wedding photograph company. My father was plagued with many diseases that left him very weak, especially his stomach. He was forced to take medication at every meal. He became bad tempered. After practicing Falun Gong his body underwent a huge change. His diseases disappeared and his complexion had a healthy glow. He did not need to take the medication anymore and saved the country a lot in medical benefits. His disposition improved and our family lived more harmoniously. He has always worked very hard for the artistic cause in China and had been always strict in his work. In his spare time, he kept learning and creating numerous modern oil paintings that reached a high standard. His work was recognized in the artistic community around the world. The Swiss, the French, Americans and the Germans are collecting his works, and some have been awarded medals. After practicing Falun Gong he bequeathed some of his art to the Shandong Museum, including award winning paintings, sketches, and sculptures. It is because I saw the huge change in my parents that I started to practice Falun Dafa too. My brother's moral outlook was also elevated very quickly. He works hard and never complains.
Since July 20 1999 the Chinese government has been persecuting Falun Gong. Because my father is the contact person of the practice site, he was the first to be brought to the police station. My brother went on the Internet to clarify the truth and was arrested and handcuffed. The police ransacked my home and took away all the Falun Dafa books. They confiscated all of our personal property including a television, tape recorder, computer, bankbook and passports; they even took apart the quilts.
This miserable scene was very distressing. The people's police, who are supposed to protect people, unexpectedly broke into a person's home in broad daylight and looted the home at will. This is not allowed in any other country. What's more, all they arrest are good citizens who cultivate their hearts and elevate their morality. All this is a direct result of orders from Jiang Zemin: "Eliminate Falun Gong practitioners physically, cut them off economically." Later my father was forced to participate in a "brainwashing class." My brother was thrown into jail. There he was detained for more than 40 days and fined 1000 Yuan before being released. After his release he remained under surveillance. He is not allowed to leave the city and his telephone is tapped. He has no personal freedom. Later, because my father spread the new article of our Teacher, Master Li Hongzhi to other practitioners he was arrested again. Although my brother did nothing he was also arrested. In the police station they suffered inhuman torture and persecution. They were beaten with electric batons. The head of police allowed a subordinate to freely beat practitioners. Professor Zhang Kunlun, who was later rescued by the Canadian government, was also persecuted there at the same time. In October 2000 my father and my brother went to Beijing again to peacefully appeal with a heart of compassion and clarify the truth to the government. After my father unfurled a banner saying "Falun Dafa is good," he was arrested right away. My brother was also arrested after he went back to Jinan. They were both sent to Wangcun Labor Camp in Zibo City, Shandong Province. They were sentenced to three years imprisonment without a trial. This labor camp is known as "hell in the human world." Several Falun Gong practitioners have been tortured to death there. Professor Zhang Kunlun had also been detained there. My father and my brother were transferred to Liuchangshan Labor Camp in Jinan in 2001. I heard that my father became very weak due to the torture. He is affected with pleurisy and is emaciated. I worry about their safety very much.
You must understand my feeling as a daughter and a sister. Here, I urgently appeal to you to help us during your visit to China. Please urge Jiang Zemin to stop the persecution of Falun Gong and release tens of thousands of practitioners who are detained and tortured as soon as possible, because they are facing death at any moment. Your righteous behavior will win the support and respect of kindhearted people all over the world once more! Thank you very much!
I wish you a successful visit to China!
Sincerely yours,
Qiu Nannan, A Falun Gong practitioner in Toronto
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Category: Perspective
