Taiwan: Anti-Torture Exhibition in Da An Forest Park Exposes the Brutal Nature of the Persecution and Touches People's Hearts

On November 13th, 2004, in Taipei's Da An Forest Park, Falun Gong practitioners held a live demonstration of several torture methods used to force Falun Gong practitioners in China into renouncing their cultivation of Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance.

Upon entering the park, people were shocked by the verisimilitude of the reenactments and the ruthlessness of the torture methods they described. Rows of posters detailed the way Falun Gong practitioners have endured immense suffering in order to uphold the truth. A visitor stared at a paragraph of description on a poster board. "Ms Wang Yuzhi, who had personally experienced torture for more than 100 days in Wanjia Labour Camp told this reporter, 'I witnessed a 6-7 month pregnant woman being tortured this way in the labour camp: Her hands were tightly tied to a horizontal girder and then the stool under her feet was kicked away. Her entire body was hanging in the air. The girder was 3-meters high. One end of the thick rope was tied to the pulley on the girder, and the police officer held the other end. If he pulled the rope, the practitioner would be hung in the air and if he released the rope, the practitioner would fall down rapidly. The pregnant lady was thus tortured this way and had an abortion. At that time, it was hard to describe in words the pregnant practitioners' suffering, but the police officers were not moved at all. Even more cruel were the police asking her husband to stand by her side and watch her being tortured.'"

People come to learn about Falun Gong and the facts of the persecution

Falun Gong practitioner Ms Chang stated that the seven methods demonstrated this time only represented a tiny part of the physical abuses encountered by fellow practitioners in Mainland China. More torture methods of could not be demonstrated due to the limitation of the location and the fact that they are too cruel to be re-enacted. Even so, people were all shocked upon looking at the scene. They said that they were unable to imagine that in today's modern society, the Jiang regime still adopts such inhuman ways to force people to give up their beliefs.

A practitioner came from the U.S. to attend this anti-torture exhibition with his friend. While explaining the torture methods currently being used in the persecution in China, he pointed at Falun Gong practitioners' demonstration and said that many torture methods could not be shown as they would put the actors' lives at risk. His friend said that previously he did not believe it no matter how his Taiwanese friend, also a Falun Gong practitioner explained to him. Today when he personally saw the live torture re-enactment, he began to believe it. He also said that he definitely wanted to learn Falun Gong since the practise is so great.

Another death case drew the attention of passersby. To draw attention to the suffering of Chen Aizhong's family, on April 1st, 2004, the International Educational Development appealed to the chairperson and representatives of all the member countries of the UN Human Rights Commission. Practitioner Chen Aizhong died from brutal force-feeding on September 20, 2001, at the age of 33 in the Hehuakeng Forced Labour Camp, Tangshan City, Hebei Province. Before he died, police officers used 300,000-volt electric batons to shock him. In the cold winter, jail guards ordered inmates to bury him in snow for three to four hours. His younger sister, Ms Chen Hongping was severely beaten on June 10th, 2001 by the police officers from Donghuayuan Police Substation, Huailai County. As a result, she vomited blood and her legs were broken. After one year and six months of torture in the Gaoyong Forced Labor Camp, she passed away on March 5th, 2003. According to recent news, Mr Chen Aizhong's mother, elder sister and younger brother were recently arrested. His elder sister Chen Shulan was imprisoned in the in the Tiantanghe Woman's Prison, Daxing County, Beijing and his mother is detained in a local brainwashing centre.

A deaf person carefully looked at each of the poster boards and the live torture reenactment. He used his hand gestures to express his astonishment and his admiration toward Falun Gong practitioners.

A young western boy rode past on a bicycle. He did not understand the words on the display boards and then asked practitioners how to pronounce the words and what they meant. Dr Shen then taught him word by word. Later, when the boy understood the entire paragraph and said, "It is terrible!" He also spoke in Chinese, "Even if one is imprisoned in Taiwan, he would not be tortured this way. I'll tell my cousin not to go to the Mainland." Then he signed his name on the petition calling for an end to the persecution. A practitioner gave him a paper lotus flower. He said, "I'll cherish it."

The boy's father Mr William said that he did not know about what Falun Gong is, but whatever the Chinese Communist Party suppressed would probably be something good. He wanted to learn more about Falun Gong. He copied the contact numbers of local practise sites and said that he wanted to learn the Falun Gong exercises. Later, a Swedish practitioner taught Mr William the exercises on the grass.

Mr William and his son accepting an interview with a TV station		Mr William learning the Falun Gong exercises
Motorcyclist listening to a practitioner's explanation while waiting at traffic lights	Many people show their concern while reading posters	Many people show their concern as they read the posters
Group practise at a nearby play area	Anti-torture exhibition at park entrance	People signing petition, hoping for a swift end to the persecution

A young mother brought her child to play at the nearby playground. She curiously asked, "They are subjected to such brutal persecution simply for practising the exercises?" A young lady who just learned about the facts said to her while pointing at the photo illustrating how an eight-month baby and his mother were tortured to death, "Look! They even don't let an infant go. What wouldn't they do?" The mother looked at a group of children who were playing at a distance and sighed. She signed her name on the petition calling for an end to the persecution.

Besides residents of Taipei, some foreign tourists from Israel, Canada, Poland, the U.S., Japan, and Philippines also came to visit the exhibition. Some said that they had seen similar exhibitions held by Falun Gong practitioners in other countries. They expressed their admiration for Falun Gong practitioners' efforts to break through China's information blockade and reveal the truth to the world.

A pair of sisters from Poland who watched practitioners' exercise demonstration.said that the exercises were so beautiful. They wanted to use their short stay in Taiwan to learn the practise. A young man from the U.S. said that he read some introductory information about Falun Gong when he was in New York. He wanted to learn more about it. He was very happy to encounter Falun Gong practitioners in Taiwan. A lama from Tibet said that he understood and sympathised with Falun Gong practitioners who are unlawfully persecuted in China.

The assistant director of the British Royal Medical College said, upon seeing Falun Gong practitioner Dr Shen, "You look very healthy!" Dr Shen said, "My wife and I have been practising for 7 years. My children have also practised Falun Gong with us for five years. Since our family started practising Falun Gong, we have never needed our health insurance." He pointed out that it was estimated that a resident in Taipei would spend averagely 15,000 Taiwan dollars (TWD) each year for medical care. In Kaohsiung, it's about 14,000 Taiwan dollars. If the average medical expense per person in Taiwan overall is about 13,000 TWD, his family of five actually saves the government 65,000 TWD for medical care. 100,000 Falun Gong practitioners would then save the government 1.3 billion TWD. In China, before the persecution started, there were 100 million people practising Falun Gong. That saved the country tens of billions of Chinese Yuan. This practise really benefits both people and the country. However, Jiang Zemin started the persecution campaign out of his personal jealousy.

Dr Shen added, "Over the past five years, Falun Gong practitioners have endured countless tortures and ruthless beatings. They still uphold their belief in Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance. While enduring this brutal suppression, they never use any violent measure to fight back. On the contrary, they have embodied the mighty power of Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance. This also let the world witness the human rights violation committed by the Chinese Communist Party. We hope all people with a sense of justice and conscience will work together to condemn and stop this suppression." The assistant director said, "I understand."