Chinese Police Threaten Australian Citizen: "We'll Make You Disappear"

My name is Helen Liu, a citizen of Australia. I went back to China to see my family and visited Tiananmen Square with my sister in July 2002. My sister stretched out her arms in Tiananmen Square, and suddenly some plainclothes policemen stopped her. The policemen asked her if she was a Falun Gong practitioner. She said no, but they dragged her into the police car anyway, causing bruises on her elbow and knee. (See picture)

I asked them why they arrested my sister. Instead of answering, they asked me if I was a practitioner. I said that I had no obligation to answer the question and showed them my passport. They pushed me into a police car, too.

In the police station they forced my sister to state that the suppression of Falun Gong was correct. Then they took my passport away and said that they would send me to Division 5 of the police department. I requested to see an Australian embassy officer. They rejected my request and said, "What do you want to see embassy officers for? Do you intend to stir up conflict between the two countries? We will make you pay if you do not behave." They confined me there for seven hours and kept threatening me. "We have seen many cases like you. You must have been away from China for too long and not too familiar with the situation here. Listen, there are thousands of people with the same name as yours in China. It means nothing if one of you disappeared. Do you understand? Don't be stubborn. You'd better answer truthfully now whether you are a Falun Gong practitioner." I was not released until more than seven hours of harassment and threats.

Jiang's regime is carrying out a bloody suppression of Falun Gong. I urge everyone to devote their attention and concerns to the situation of Falun Gong practitioners in China. As an Australian citizen, I was threatened and harassed by them without having done anything wrong. Imagine what could be happening to practitioners in China! There are too many Chinese practitioners who have lost their lives or had their families broken apart. Please help stop these tragedies from continuing any further.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2003/8/6/55175.html