Five More Confirmed Deaths of Falun Gong Practitioners From Three Provinces in Northeastern China

New information has become available confirming five death cases of Falun Gong practitioners in three provinces of northeastern China. The victims are Mr. Na Changjian and Mr. Song Gang from Helongjiang Province, Mr. Liu Ming and Mr. Wang Xidong from Liaoning Province, and Mr. Song Shijie from Jilin Province. Mr. Song, Mr. Liu, and Mr. Wang died four years ago.

Mr. Na Changjian died as the result of persecution he was subjected to in the Changlinzi Forced Labour Camp

Sources from Helongjiang Province confirmed that Mr. Na Changjian was 51 years old. He was a resident of Mingfu Village, Shuangcheng City, Helongjiang Province. On May 10, 2002, around 11:30 p.m., when Mr. Na was at home sleeping, Wujia Township officer Jiang Baoyu, Wujia Police Department officers Sun Xingwu, Li Yunzhong, Zhao Shibo, and the head of Mingfu Village, Pei Congxian, broke in and ransacked Mr. Na's home. After turning the place upside down, they found one Falun Gong book. Using it for justification, they arrested Mr. Na and jailed him at the No. 2 Detention Centre of Shuangcheng City. On May 17, Wujia Township Police Department tried but failed to extort 3,000 yuan from Mr. Na's family [500 yuan is the average monthly income for an urban worker in China]. Around June 24, Mr. Na was sentenced to one and a half years at Changlinzi Forced Labour Camp. While at the labour camp, Mr. Na was subjected to both physical and mental tortures. He became very weak and emaciated. Later, his feet became crippled, and he could walk only with help from other people. Finally, the labour camp released Mr. Na, but only when he was at the brink of death. He returned home on November 17, 2003, but died two months later, on January 14, 2004.

A policeman from Wujia Township Police Department (451-5325-0513) confirmed Na Changjian's death.

Mr. Song Gang died as the result of persecution in Helongjiang and Zhejiang Provinces

Information from Helongjiang Province revealed that Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Song Gang died four years ago due to persecution by officials in Helongjiang and Zhejiang Provinces.

Mr. Song Gang was the assistant director at the Judiciary Office in Yichun City, Helongjiang Province. Due to his wife changing her job, Mr. Song's family moved to Fenghua City, Zhejiang Province. Mr. Song Gang, however, continued to work for his old office in Yichun City. Sources revealed that he suffered from severe heart disease and lung cancer before starting to practise Falun Gong in 1994. His condition stabilized after he became a practitioner. After the persecution began on July 20, 1999, Mr. Song Gang went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. He was arrested and detained for a month at the Fenghua City Prison. While in prison, Mr. Song Gang again began to show symptoms of severe illnesses. Instead of releasing him to his family in Fenghua City, the prison had the Yichun police take Mr. Song Gang to Yichun City. With no family there to care for him, Mr. Song's health deteriorated rapidly. At the end of January 2000, the Yichun Police Department released him, but only after he had become critically ill. Then, he was sent back to his family in Zhejiang Province. Mr. Song Gang died the same day that he arrived home.

A government official from Yichun City confirmed that Mr. Song Gang passed away several years ago. He was not even 60 years old when he died, and had not even reached retirement age. The official acknowledged that Mr. Song had been sick previously, but that his health had improved after practising Falun Gong. His death came after he had been in detention, when his illness once again had got worse. This official also confirmed that Mr. Song was under strict supervision after returning to Yichun City.

Mr. Liu Ming, Mr. Wang Xidong, and Mr. Song Shijie die at the hands of police

Sources from Liaoning Province confirmed that Falun Gong practitioners Mr. Liu Ming and Mr. Wang Xidong died due to persecution in 1999. Both Mr. Liu and Mr. Wang were residents of Danong City, Liaoning Province. Mr. Liu was an employee of Dandong Fibre Factory, while Mr. Wang used to work for Juhua Television Manufactory. They both went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong after the persecution began on July 20, 1999. They were abducted and brought back to Dandong City on August 22, 1999. On August 23, information from Dandong Police Department indicated that both men were dead. The causes of their deaths are yet to be determined.

A man from Dandong Fibre Factory confirmed that Mr. Liu died while he was under arrest in 1999. Mr. Liu was only 32 years old.

A person from Juhua Television Manufactory also confirmed that Mr. Wang was a Falun Gong practitioner, and that he died in 1999.

Another source from Jilin Province revealed that Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Song Shijie, from Siping City, had died due to persecution. An officer from Siping City Political and Judiciary Committee confirmed Mr. Song Shijie's death, but stated that the cause of death could not be released.

The persecution of Falun Gong is most severe in these three provinces in northeastern China. According to statistics from the Clearwisdom website, among the 876 confirmed deaths, 346 were from northeastern provinces. This is more than one third of the total number of deaths. Among the 346 cases, 138 victims were from Helongjiang Province, 110 were from Jilin Province, and 98 were from Liaoning Province. Based on the fact that the information about Mr. Song Gang, Mr. Liu Ming, and Mr. Wang Xidong's deaths did not come to light until four years after the fact, it makes sense to conclude that the death toll from this persecution instigated by Jiang Zemin's regime far exceeds 876.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2004/2/4/66555.html