(Minghui.org) The Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s persecution of Falun Gong permeates every corner of society, including the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Falun Gong practitioners who are active or retired service members have faced constant pressure to renounce their faith since the persecution began in 1999.
Yet little is known about the persecution of practitioners in the military due to the regime's strict control of the armed forces. Many people are not even aware of the existence of the 610 Office in the military.
The 610 Office is an extralegal agency tasked with carrying out the persecution of Falun Gong. It has branches at every level of government.
As a practitioner affiliated with the army, I'd like to share what I know about the persecution of practitioners in the military.
Organization of the Persecution
When former Communist Party leader Jiang Zemin ordered the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999, he ordered the army to take the lead in the persecution and serve as a role model for civilian agencies.
The PLA consists of five professional branches of service: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, Rocket Force, and the Strategic Support Force. The Armed Police Unit, General Staff Department, General Logistics Department, and other organizations are affiliated with the Strategic Support Force. Each unit has its own 610 Office.
A 610 Office was set up in each unit to persecute the practitioners in that branch. The 610 Office functions above the law and is directly under the General Political Department. The head office is located inside the building that houses the General Political Department and the Security Department.
The first director of the 610 Office in the military was Yu Yongbo, who was also the director of the General Political Department. Its second director was Admiral Li Jinai. Due to the director’s rank, the 610 Office could assign anyone within the General Political Department as needed.
In the army, a 610 Office can be set up anywhere as long as there is a need.
An Important Meeting Between the 610 Office and the Military
Not long after the self-immolation hoax on Tiananmen Square, Jiang Zemin gave orders that an important meeting be held between the military and the 610 Office. Yu Yongbo arranged the secret conference, which was reportedly attended by more than 20 core members of the 610 Office. No recordings or photos were allowed. In the meeting, Yu explained the role of the military in the suppression of Falun Gong and its future plans.
According to someone who once tried to “transform” me (coerce me to renounce Falun Gong), at that meeting, Jiang ordered the military to take the lead in persecuting Falun Gong. All practitioners in the military had to be completely “transformed” with no exceptions. Everyone assigned to carry out the “transformation” would have stand firm and be determined. They could secretly use any means necessary, including preying on practitioners' affections and tender feelings.
Following these orders, it was reported that the deputy chief of the Security Bureau, which is under the Security Department, “transformed” 172 practitioners in the Nanjing Military Region.
A Notorious Perpetrator
I know that Zhu Fuxi, a general in the People's Liberation Army, is another key person who relentlessly persecuted Falun Gong practitioners. He served as the inaugural Political Commissar of the Western Theater Command in 2016 and the last Commissar of the Chengdu Military Region. He took early retirement in 2017.
In 2000, Zhu was the secretary general of the Political Department of the Nanjing Military Region. He often persecuted practitioners. He was later appointed to head the 610 Office of the General Political Department of the Nanjing Military Region.
After several promotions and appointments, Zhu became the director of the Political Department of the PLA Air Force in 2009. In his post, he secretly persecuted two practitioners who were Air Force majors stationed at the Xinjiang Weapons Test Base. Because this information is censored, their names still remain to be investigated. It was reported that after being brutally tortured, they were stripped of their ranks and taken to the notorious Masanjia Forced Labor Camp in Liaoning Province. We have not heard about them since.
