(Minghui.org) Personnel from various security agencies entered the homes of several Falun Gong practitioners in Hepu and removed their satellite dishes on November 19, 2014. There are reports of the same activity taking place in Beihai City, though full details are not yet known.
Police also recorded videos of homeowners and in some cases wanted the occupants to go with them to give a testimony. Because the officers did not produce any search warrants, homeowners accused them of breaking into their homes and stealing their property. When the homeowners protested these violations, the authorities did not issue a response.
Many Chinese citizens install satellite dishes to receive uncensored overseas broadcasts as a means of circumventing the country's state-controlled media. To help others gain access to these uncensored news streams, some Falun Gong practitioners volunteer to install satellite receivers for their neighbors.
On October 20, 2014, police from the Beihai Domestic Security Division called Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Cai Kunru and pretended that they wanted to have a satellite receiver installed. Mr. Cai was lured in and arrested.
On October 31, three Domestic Security officers ransacked Mr. Cai's home in Hepu. They seized a computer, a Falun Gong book, and a CD containing the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. They also took photos of TV programs he received and threatened his family to keep quiet and not to hire a lawyer.
Mr. Cai is currently held in Beihai Detention Center. His lawyer has already met with him and said that he was bruised and lethargic.
The satellite dish seizures were reportedly carried out jointly by Beihai Security Bureau, Hepu Domestic Security Division, Guan District Police Station, radio and television bureaus, and other agencies. Each team consisted of a dozen people, with a mix of uniformed and plainclothes officers.
