Conditions at Beijing's Tuanhe Forced Labour Camp During the Height of the SARS Panic

The Tuanhe Forced Labour Camp is one of the centres Jiang's immoral regime uses to persecute Dafa practitioners. There are still about 200 male Dafa practitioners illegally detained there. Police officers claimed they would try to make their "reform rate" tops in the country. They never stop persecuting Dafa practitioners even for one day. But during the 2003 spring SARS epidemic, unprecedented panic appeared among police officers at this evil centre.

After SARS drew the attention of all of society, the heads of the three brigades for detaining Dafa practitioners changed their work pattern to an isolated "three shifts" style. To avoid contagion, the patrol of the camp was called off and the brigades were asked to do their own patrolling. The small courtyard-- the dirtiest place in the whole camp where the "intensive reform group" for brainwashing Dafa practitioners is located-- was closed. Many Dafa practitioners were ill treated in this courtyard and given bad food and inhumane treatment.

Owing to SARS, the "intensive reform group" was closed and people were moved to other places. The Detainee Release Meeting which was scheduled was cancelled. The posters on the bulletin board, which used to consist of materials slandering Dafa, were replaced by "SARS prevention" materials. All brigades were in a panicky mood wondering how to stay away from SARS. Determined Dafa practitioners who were sent to other brigades for brainwashing in alternative ways were sent back. Since there were orders from upper authorities that "no public gatherings were allowed," for half a year, the camp cancelled all the large scale "lectures." But in a small scope, they still forced Dafa practitioners to "study."

During that period of time, Dafa practitioners were taken outdoors for "disinfection." Every evening, everyone was asked to watch the CCTV news for brainwashing purposes outdoors. Owing to the panic about SARS, there were not that many police in the three-shift work pattern. Daily activities were reduced to a minimum: mostly, people were taken outside and told to sit in the sun.

To reduce the opportunities for Dafa practitioners to talk with each other, group leaders would organise "games" or "programme acting" to kill time. Once under the hot sun, a group leader coerced Dafa practitioner to "sing songs." One 69 year old elderly practitioner could not bear it and protested. Later the elderly man was called in for "talks" many times.

Under the situation, the Camp still used detained Dafa practitioners as slave labour. Since SARS had caused a shortage of medical commodities, the Forced Labour Camp was ordered to produce tourniquets. But skin diseases are rampant. How could the tourniquets produced satisfy the strict hygienic requirements?

As to the SARS panic, most Dafa practitioners knew the reason behind it. The peaceful minds of Dafa practitioners in such an environment made the wicked police officers aware of what they were afraid of. Brigade and group leaders all came to ask about Dafa practitioners' views of SARS. At the same time, letters sent to the Tuanhe Forced Labour Camp from Dafa practitioners in and out of China gave strong warning to the police officers. They felt the pressure of SARS and for their wrongdoings.

But just as Teacher Li Hongzhi has said: "It seems that people can never learn positive lessons from history. Instead, they always learn from negative lessons for the sake of their own self-interests."(from "The Buddha Fa and Buddhism" Chapter 3 of Zhuan Falun)

As soon as the impetus of SARS weakened, the police returned to their former patterns of wrongdoing and began rampantly persecuting Dafa again. Some even challenged Dafa practitioners in a weird tone. Now they have started a new round of persecution. The patrol resumed; working hours have gone back to normal; extended brainwashing hours have resumed. Some even said that SARS did not cause large scale deaths and used this as a tool to threaten Dafa practitioners. Right now, determined Dafa practitioners are still harassed and persecuted in various ways.

Dafa Practitioner Wang Fangfu Is Taken Away from Tuanhe, His Whereabouts are not Known

Wang Fangfu is a Dafa practitioner about 30 years old from Hebei province, a graduate of a medical school. He was arrested while appealing for Dafa in Beijing. After four months of torture in the police station, he was persecuted at the Forced Labour Camp Detainee Management Department and the Tuanhe Forced Labour Camp. During the persecution process, he acted with a righteous mind, and wrote dozens of letters to clarify the truth to upper level government officials. But all these letters were withheld, and because of these letters, the cold-blooded police officers tortured him more cruelly. At the fifth brigade of the Tuanhe Forced Labour Camp, he suffered long term physical and mental torture. Because of the torture, his hair became white, his lower back and legs were injured, and his feet swelled. At the most serious time, he could not sleep or care for himself. Evil police officers once said they would try every means to "reform" him; otherwise, his term would be extended. After police failed to reform Mr. Wang in an "intensive brainwashing session," Dafa practitioners in the Fifth Brigade saw Wang Fangfu being brought out together with his luggage, and he has not been heard from since then. Some people said he was taken back to his hometown, others said he was transferred to a Women's Forced Labour Camp in Beijing for further persecution. Before that, Wang's term was extended 10 months because of his firm belief in Dafa.

Dafa Practitioner Liu Litao Is Persecuted in the Intensive Training Group of Tuanhe Forced Labour Camp

Liu Litao is a Dafa practitioner from Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province. He was illegally arrested and sent to the Camp when he was in Beijing to appeal for Dafa. He was tortured by police officers at the police station. The Forced Labour Camp Detainee Management Department, since he refused to write a guarantee, wicked police officers bound his arms and legs to his back, then coerced criminals to stomp on his chest. He woke up on the second day after being sent to the hospital at the Tuanhe Forced Labour Camp. In Tuanhe, he suffered endless humiliation, harassment, and torture, but nothing could shake his firm belief in Dafa. One day in June 2003, he refused to listen to orders by Yang Baoli, the head of the Fifth Brigade, to get up from bed because he did not feel well. Yang Baoli was very angry and with this issue as a pretext, he sent Liu to the intensive brainwashing session for one month. Yang also threatened Liu by saying: "This is the first time. If it happens a second time, your term will be extended for ten months." Now Liu is still detained in the intensive brainwashing group, and what kind of torture he is suffering is unknown.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2003/7/8/53648.html