(Clearwisdom.net)
Dear Ambassador,
I have just received a notice from the Singapore Immigration and Checkpoint Authority that I must have my passport renewed urgently; otherwise I have to leave Singapore upon the expiration date. So I have no choice but to write to you once more.
You already know that my husband and child are both citizens of Singapore. My husband works full time to earn a living for the entire family; and my daughter is only 20 months old. Now, our tightly knit family is facing forced separation, and not only that, if I return to China, I will face the very dangerous situation of being illegally imprisoned, tortured, and may even lose my life. Many overseas Falun Gong practitioners suffer such a fate when they arrive back in China.
At present in China, more than 100 different kinds of torture methods are used on Falun Gong practitioners, including, continuously depriving them of sleep for long periods of time; multiple high voltage electric batons applied to various parts of the body for long periods of time (including the mouth, chest, armpit, breast, genitals and so on); Various forms of handcuffing: foot shackles, "smoke pole handcuffs," "wolf teeth cuffs," back cuff (1); Rubber stick; Wolf teeth baton; Underground dungeon(2); Water dungeon(3); Dead person's bed(4); Sitting board(5); Whips made of leather and copper wires twisted together; reinforcement bar; full bamboo pole (with spikes); tying the ropes(6); iron nail piercing fingernail seam; iron pliers twisting the flesh; pulling out nails with pliers, confinement within a small cell(7); sitting on iron chair; forced feedings through ordinary plastic tube with hot chili pepper water, highly concentrated salt solution, and even feces; pouring of cold water on head during winter and exposing outside to freeze without clothes; exposing practitioners to hot sun during summer for extended periods; preventing practitioners from urinating and denying the use of restroom; injection or forced consumption of large doses of drugs that can cause the destruction of the central nervous system; ultra strength electric needle devastation; and so on and so on.
The above may take only one minute to read; however, it was compiled from the countless and continuously disclosed information, without any reprieve, from the many Falun Gong practitioners who suffered from these tortures over the last 5 years. It is a well-known fact that Jiang Zemin and the "610 Office" (8) systematically persecute millions of Falun Gong practitioners by implementing the policies of "damage their reputation, bankrupt them financially, destroy them physically." "No one will be held responsible if Falun Gong practitioners are beaten to death, just count them as suicide." "No investigation is needed, just have them cremated."
The policy of refusing to renew passports for Falun Gong practitioners is a manifestation and extension of this persecution policy outside China, which deprives and threatens the most basic rights of subsistence to these overseas practitioners.
Today, my experiences cause me to feel that this is indeed the case, as my passport renewal depends on the condition that I approve the persecution, and give up my conscience and my spiritual belief. Ironically, China is a signatory country to the International Joint Pledge on "Citizens rights and Political rights." In it, section 18th explicitly stipulates that, "All have rights to enjoy the freedom of thought, conscience, and religion." "No one should be forced to suffer or be harmed when he chooses to maintain or change his religion."
With my conscience, I do not accept this persecution. I have the confidence to walk down this path, and my confidence has been continuously inspired. Although the suppression has been cruel and brutal over the last 5 years, the truth has nevertheless been incessantly exposed to the world, and this has never happened before. (The Nazi's slaughter of the Jews was only exposed to the world years after the fact.) This attests to the fact that the persecution has been unpopular.
Millions of Falun Gong practitioners, because of their belief in "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance," fully comprehend the relationship between health and morality, and further understand the real significance of life. Who can simply take away "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" from the hearts and minds of these people? In turn, these people have numerous relatives and friends; the persecution has enraged many other people from all social strata in China.
In private, and even in public, people condemn this brutal and tragic persecution; many of such condemnations are reported at www.clearwisdom.net. Many writers and scholars with conscience can no longer remain silent. Some officials with a sense of justice at different levels are helping to collect evidence of the persecution, while more and more police and public security officers are resisting participating in the persecution whenever possible, or even secretly helping Falun Gong practitioners to prevent or reduce their torture and suffering. Moreover, the condemnations from the international community has never ceased. This perhaps explains why the notorious "610 Office" changed its name recently.
At present, Jiang Zemin and his accomplices who persecute Falun Gong, including senior officials like Luo Gan, Li Lanqing, Ding Guan'gen, Wu Guanzheng, Zhou Yongkang, Liu Qi, Xia Deren, Zhao Zhifei are being sued in various countries and some have been found guilty by the court. This explains why they cannot escape their historical responsibility. The WOIPFG (World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong) was established on January 20, 2004, with the stated mission, "To investigate the criminal conduct of all institutions, organizations, and individuals involved in the persecution of Falun Gong; to bring such investigations, no matter how long it takes, no matter how far and deep we have to search, to full closure; to exercise fundamental principles of humanity; and to restore and uphold justice in society."
Recently, the "Global Coalition to Bring Jiang to Justice" organization was formed by 50 establishments from four different continents, with the objective of: "mobilizing concerned groups and individuals worldwide, exposing the crimes against humanity as committed by Jiang Zemin and his accomplices, to ensure justice is served to the perpetrators in the court of conscience and the court of morality, as well as the court of law." All righteous forces resisting the persecution, be it open or hidden, are gathering strength day by day, and the day will soon come when the good will be rewarded and the evil will receive its karmic retribution.
I have always respected you, and I also deeply understand the difficult situation you are facing, but I still insist on speaking frankly to you. Once you make up your mind to carry out this despicable "policy," it will also go down in history that you participated in the persecution of Falun Gong, and this is certainly not good for your future! Actually, from your vast experience, you have a much better perspective than me. You know that in the past 50 years of Chinese history, policies do change frequently. Many people as victims of the various movements, from high officials to common citizens, suffer terrible fates ranging from broken families to death. And those people who had faithfully helped to implement and execute the persecutory policies, thinking that they were the right things to do, had to suffer terrible fates in return. How many of us in China actually benefited from all those movements after all?
I do earnestly request that you reconsider, and renew my passport. Thank you for spending time to read this letter, and I send my best wishes to you!
Notes:
(1) back cuff - The practitioner's hands are tied behind his back with one hand over the shoulder and the other hand against the lower back. The police then apply a great deal of force to pull the two hands toward one another and handcuff the two hands together.(2) Underground dungeon - This is a device intended for murderers or death row inmates. Whenever the practitioner sleeps or moves, plier-shaped clasps dig into the practitioners' flesh. For a pictorial illustration of this torture device, please see http://www.minghui.ca/mh/articles/1999/9/20/5208.html
(3) Water dungeon - Wearing cotton coat and pants, some practitioners are forced to sit down beside the cell vent in a very uncomfortable contorted position, unable to stretch or lie down. The water dungeon area is very small and one can't lean against the wall for support. The practitioner is forced to sit on the cold cement floor. The police then pour water onto the floor, soaking one's coat and pants with freezing water. After they repeatedly pour water into the dungeon, one's body will be completely soaked and partially immersed in water. Oftentimes the water can go chest deep. Ice-cold water and wind chill one to the bones. If one does not renounce Falun Dafa, this torture continues indefinitely.
(4) Dead person's bed - The four limbs of the practitioner are stretched out and tied to the four corners of an icy-cold metal bed. The practitioner cannot move at all. Neither is he allowed to get up to eat, drink, or go to the bathroom. This treatment may last from several hours up to more than a dozen days. This type of cruel torture causes severe damage to the practitioner both mentally and physically.
(5) Sitting Board - Everyday, practitioners put their hands on top of their laps, with backs straight and sitting on benches 18 hours per day. This continues for over fifty days. The authorities even limit practitioners' restroom use time. Because of the long time spent sitting on hard benches, practitioners' buttocks grow big sores that hurt badly. Practitioners cannot even urinate normally because of the pain. Because the labor camp is very wet, and the police do not allow practitioners to have air ventilation or the chance to get some sunlight, and practitioners are locked up for so long, countless red scabies grow on the entire body of the practitioner; they are incomparably itchy and painful.
(6) Typing the Ropes - The police tie up the practitioner with a thin rope, circle the rope around his neck, and tie his hands behind his back. Then the police use all the force they can muster to tighten the rope. The rope becomes tighter and tighter around the body of the practitioner, and makes it more and more difficult for him to breathe. The pain is so intense that the practitioner sometimes loses control of his bladder. There are instances when the rope was tightened enough to break a practitioner's arm.
(7) Confinement in a Small Cell - The detainee is locked up in a very small cell individually. The guards handcuff practitioners behind their back in a fixed position, in which the practitioners can neither move nor lie down. The small cell is very damp and no sunshine comes in. Detainees have to urinate and defecate in the cell. Only half of a regular meal is served to detainees locked up in a small cell during the daytime. During the night the rats are running around. The stench in the small cell is so bad that it is difficult to breathe.
(8) "610 Office" - an agency specifically created to persecute Falun Gong, with absolute power over each level of administration in the Party and all other political and judiciary systems.
