(Clearwisdom.net) Ms. Wang Hongmei and Ms. Chen Ping, both Falun Gong practitioners in Nanchong City, Sichuan Province, have been in custody for more than one year. The police arrested them simply because they wanted to book tickets for the 2010 Hong Kong Shen Yun performance.

Below is an open letter Nanchong practitioners wrote to their local community regarding the two practitioners’ plight.

In the past few years, many overseas Chinese have chosen a unique way to celebrate Chinese New Year; that is, they watch a classical Chinese dance and music show together with their family and friends. The shows are presented by Shen Yun Performing Arts, whose mission is to revive the spirit of traditional Chinese culture. At the core of Shen Yun’s performances is classical Chinese dance with ethnic and folk dance styles. Many audience members are awestruck by the exhilarating performances and the show has met with high praise wherever it has performed world-wide. Every year, Shen Yun unveils an entirely new lineup of dances, songs, and musical scores. The show is drawing serious attention from Western mainstream society.

Ms. Wang Hongmei, 38, obtained her PhD degree in history from Lanzhou University in Gansu Province, and is currently a faculty member and lecturer in the History and Culture Department of Xihua Normal University in Nanchong City, Sichuan Province. Ms. Chen Ping, 34, obtained her Master’s degree in literature from Xihua Normal University and now teaches there. They know a great deal about Chinese culture. When they learned that the world-renowned Shen Yun Performing Arts would hold a show representing the magnificence of Chinese traditional culture in Hong Kong on January 27, 2010, they immediately asked some of their friends to book tickets for them and were preparing to go see it.

However, the local police monitored the two practitioners’ cell phones and Internet use, and learned of their plans. On January 13, 2010, agents from the Domestic Security Division of the Shunqing District Police Department broke into their homes and arrested them. The police took them to Huafeng Detention Center in Nanchong City, where they have since been incarcerated.

The police department twice attempted to sentence the two teachers to prison, but Shunqing District Procuratorate and Court both turned down the case, citing that there was no clear evidence to show that the two women had committed any crimes. The police should have released them immediately and unconditionally. However, 610 Office head Yang Ze, police chief Zhao Xianfeng, deputy police chief Yang Yonggang, political committee secretary Liu Tianling, and Domestic Security Division deputy head Du Weijia have refused to set the two practitioners free and are still looking for some excuse to sentence them to prison.

As Falun Gong practitioners, Ms. Wang and Ms. Chen are always good to others, consider others before themselves, and are diligent in their academic research. They are recognized as good teachers by their colleagues and students. Ms. Wang Hongwei is an accomplished scholar and has twice won national technology advancement awards, which greatly enhanced her school’s reputation. They both have happy families and their husbands are also employed at the same university. Their husbands now face the possibility of being demoted or losing any chance of promotion. The detention of Ms. Wang and Ms. Chen has been a traumatizing shock to their families, especially their young daughters, who are only 8 and 4 years old, respectively.

On June 7, 2001, while still a doctoral student, Ms. Wang was illegally arrested by Lanzhou University’s security division and sent to Taoshuping Labor Camp. She was pregnant, but as a form of torture she was forced to have an abortion, which caused tremendous damage to her both psychologically and physically. The United Nations listed her as one of the severely persecuted Falun Gong practitioners in 2006.

These two young college professors are in custody because of their love for Chinese culture and their persistence in being good people following the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. People of conscience would be appalled by this. We thank everyone that has been helping rescue Wang Hongmei and Chen Ping. At the same time we call for more help to secure their release.

Responsible personnel:
Yang Ze, head of the 610 Office of Nanchong City (located on Beihu Road, Shunqing District): 86-817-2245598 (Home), 86-13086365448 (Cell), 86-817-3693663 (Office), 86-817-2251773 (Office). He has been directing the 610 Office to persecute Falun Gong since 1999.

Zhao Xianfeng, head of Shunqing District Police Department, also the deputy head of Shunqing District and head of Political and Law Committee: 86-817-2183111 (Home), 86-13909079688 (Cell), 86-817-2227355 (Office), 86-817-2257722 (Office)

Liu Tianling: political head of Shunqing District Police Department: 86-817-2251898 (Office), 86-817-2222612 (Office), 86-13309070111 (Cell), 86-13320776666 (Cell), 86-817-2125555 (Home)

Yang Yonggang, deputy head of Shunqing District Police Department (in charge of persecuting Falun Gong): 86-817-2225239 (Office), 86-13990870777 (Cell)

Du Weijia, Domestic Security Division deputy head: 86-817-2225811 (Office), 86-817-2196636 (Home), 86-13708271111 (Cell). He has been actively persecuting Falun Gong throughout the past years. Under his directive, hundreds of practitioners were unlawfully arrested, detained and sent to labor camps. He is also the person in charge of Wang Hongmei and Chen Ping’s case.