United States: Mother United with 7-Year-Old Daughter in New York After Three Years of Efforts

After three years of effort, Ming Li, a Falun Gong practitioner from China reunited with her daughter at J.F. Kennedy Airport in New York City.

Fashion Designer Ming Li escaped from China to avoid the persecution and came to New York three years ago.	On November 8 2003, Ming Li and her daughter Dou Dou finally reunited in New York airport.
Other passengers at the airport reading materials about Falun Gong.

Ms. Ming Li, was a successful fashion designer and had her own business in Guangzhou, China. She used to have a happy family. After Jiang's regime started the persecution of Falun Gong, Li was abducted several times in Guangzhou city by plain-clothes policemen. Her young daughter Dou Dou was also detained over 24 hours many times. In fear of never see the mother again, little Dou Dou was so stressed and scared that she wanted to be with the mother all the time, and wouldn't even dare to use the restroom alone.

When little Dou Dou saw the policemen take her mother away, she cried and yelled asking for mom back. The cries were like the knife cutting the mother's heart. Ms. Li was detained and beaten up many times and was forced to do hard labor 15 to 16 hours each day. Li recalled, "They also took me away to brainwashing sessions many times. They threatened and cursed me around the clock and deprived me of sleep to force me to watch TV programs slandering Falun Gong and to write repentance letter to break away from Falun Gong. Falun Gong benefited me both mind and body. Why would I give up it?"

In order not to betray her conscience, she had to separate from her daughter and came to America alone. For the past three years, she devoted much of her time going through the process to bring her daughter from China to the America. In fact, the United States approved the visa for Dou-Dou to travel to the U.S. in 2002, but the Dongshan Police Station Guangzhou City would not issue her a passport because Jiang's Regime has a policy - "Falun Gong practitioner's relatives are not allowed to go abroad."

For three years, Li was worried about her daughter. She put all the paintings Dou Dou mailed to her on the wall of her bedroom, longing for the day to see her again.

At the press conference, Li said, "I have the good fortune to be with my child again now. But there are still thousands of Falun Gong practitioners' families in China who can't reunite. Some of the parents even died in the prison. They can never see their children again. I hope all people will appeal to stop the persecution immediately. The children are innocent but they suffered so much. The China government's persecution is not only cruel to the adults but also harming the children. This is cruel and inhuman."