(Clearwisdom.net) During the period of time when I was detained at the Laiwu City Detention Center, in Shandong Province, I met two Falun Gong practitioners. One of them was Ms. Liu Aifang; the other practitioner was her sister-in-law.

As soon as I came to know that they were Falun Gong practitioners, I became scared and dared not to look straight at them, fearing that they might do harm to me in their pursuit of consummation. There was so much propaganda in the TV news and newspapers, in the first few years since the crackdown, about horrible incidents that the Falun Gong practitioners were accused of, that I felt scared whenever someone mentioned Falun Gong. I thought to myself, "How can I deal with it now that I am living with them?"

After some time, I realized that they were not like what the propaganda portrayed of them. I then asked others in private, "Falun Gong practitioners are said to 'immolate themselves' and 'kill others'. How come you are not afraid of them?" When they saw my scared face, they laughed and said, "Falun Gong practitioners are very kind-hearted and they are good people." Confused, I said, "Do you really think that the Chinese Communist Party would really make up and fabricate evidence against the Falun Gong?" They all thought I was too naive, saying "The toxic milk powder is exempt from governmental testing. So many college students were killed during the June 4th crackdown on the democratic demonstration in 1989, yet they said nobody was killed in Tiananmen Square. Is there really anything true on TV nowadays?"

The women's ward I was in had about 20 inmates who committed all kinds of crimes including murder, drug dealing, prostitution, etc. Among all of the inmates, the two practitioners stood out. They were very sympathetic toward others and often encouraged us to be good people if we could get out. They told us about the principle, "Good rewarded by good and evil rewarded by evil." Every day they volunteered to help senior or ill inmates wash clothes and do cleaning. They would wash the dirty bed sheets that nobody else wanted to wash. Whenever someone was in low spirits or had a fight with others, they would pro-actively mediate and make peace.

What was most praiseworthy of the two practitioners was how they dealt with the extremely limited space for sleeping in the cell. Sometimes it was hard to arrange sleeping space everyone in the cell even if lying down on our sides. Every night other inmates would quarrel with each other to get a little more space and comfort. Only the two practitioners would not complain at all. Sometimes they would overlap their legs on top of each other's to go to sleep. Sometimes they would even take turns being up doing the Falun Gong exercises just so others could have enough space to go to sleep. Even so, the guards would still often curse them for no reason.

Ms. Liu Aifang and her sister-in-law often shed tears when they thought about the fact that four of their family members were detained, leaving seniors and children at home unattended. Ms. Liu's sister-in-law sometimes could not fall asleep at night and was not accustomed to the food. Sometimes when she did the Falun Gong exercises she had to remain alert so as not to be caught by the guards. Sometimes she had to face irrational interrogations. One time she was handcuffed and shackled. All of these maltreatments took their toll on her and she fell ill. Some of her symptoms included heart palpitations and dizziness. Later, the hospital staff diagnosed her of multiple diseases. They told me that they had practiced Falun Gong for over ten years and did not need to take even a single pill of medicine; however their health had deteriorated after about twenty days of constant abuse in the detention center.

One time Ms. Liu's sister-in-law had tears in her eyes after an interrogation session. It turned out that during the interrogation she saw her husband. A guard had ordered him to practice reporting to the guards facing the door. Upon his refusal, the guard slapped his face.

The history of the detention centers beating Falun Gong practitioners goes back a long way, and it does not just involve one or two practitioners. In 2008, a practitioner who was a retired teacher in his/her sixties, and who was in perfect health died from being beaten after twenty some days in the detention center. Another practitioner named Lu Changming was handcuffed and shackled during his detention. The guards prodded the criminal inmates to brutally beat him and said, "You can be out there killing people, committing arson, and raping women and we don't care a bit. However, you cannot practice Falun Gong." On January 13, 2009, a practitioner named Wang Hui was arrested while walking on the street. In the detention center, Wang Hui resisted an irrational order from the guards. Based on the decision of the detention center chief Chen Fayong, Wang Hui was detained for only two days and then illegally sent to forced labor camp.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s reign and so-called "stability" are totally supported by violence and lies. Their theory of governing is based on the philosophy of struggling and battling. In plain words, their policies indulge and encourage people's wrongdoing, causing people to deviate farther and farther away from their original kind nature; in turn the whole society becomes more violent. Nowadays medical expenses are very high-priced. Everyday people cannot afford the medical care when they have illnesses. Isn't the purpose of practicing Falun Gong to get a healthier body? How come it is okay for the CCP to persecute Falun Gong practitioners, and not allow the Falun Gong practitioners to speak out and appeal for justice?

July 21, 2009