Police in Weifang City, Shandong Province Arrest Ms. Dai Zongzhen and Her Daughter; Their Family is Once Again Being Persecuted

At about 7 p.m. on April 18th, 2007, more than 20 plainclothes police officers went to a kindergarten run by practitioner Ms. Dai Zongzhen from Weifang in Shandong Province and took Ms. Dai by force, throwing her into a minibus. Ms. Dai shouted for help at the top of her lungs. The police officer in charge said viciously, "Stuff her underneath the seat." Then the police ransacked the kindergarten and took a TV, a DVD player, a computer, Falun Dafa books and about 8,000 yuan¹ in cash. The thugs even dragged away a worn out car battery and an old bicycle.

At the time, Ms. Dai's daughter, Ms. Wang Peng was driving a child home from kindergarten. She was arrested by 7 or 8 policemen at the child's home. Ms. Wang's minibus was also confiscated. The child's mother (not a Falun Gong practitioner) came downstairs when she heard all the noise. She tried to stop the policemen and was herself arrested. Two staff members (not practitioners) employed at Ms. Wang's workplace were also arrested.

Ms. Dai Zongzhen is 52 years old and known as a very good person by all. Her husband is Mr. Wang Shenghua. He is also known as a very good person. During the 70's Mr. Wang worked as a driver at the Weifang City No. 2 Transport Company. One day there was a fire in the maintenance workshop. There were several oil drums inside the shop near the fire. If these drums caught fire, they would have exploded. Completely disregarding his own safety, Mr. Wang dashed into the fire several times to roll out the oil drums. The state property was protected, but he suffered from severe burns and serious medical complications. The surface of the wounds were either bleeding or oozing pus for months afterwards. Many parts of the wounds began to show signs of cancer. Mr. Wang was suffering so much that he wished for death. He contracted heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis and other complications. The treatment was very expensive. The City No. 2 Transport Company stopped paying for the medical expenses for this hero who risked his life to save others, protect the workshop and the company's product.

The heartlessness of his work unit, the painful suffering and thoughts of death all contributed to the development of mental illness. He burst out in a rage against his family members and others for no apparent reason. Ms. Dai was mentally and physically exhausted trying to care for her husband and family. She resented taking him around for treatments while trying to care for the rest of the family. She developed heart disease and kidney problems. Although she was hospitalised several times, her illnesses showed no signs of improvement. She suffered one blow after another, becoming very weak. She was so upset that she would just stare off into space and sometimes even lose consciousness.

The couple was on the verge of collapse physically and mentally the summer of 1995. They learned Falun Gong through some friends at that time. The wonderful effects of practising Falun Gong showed in them after just a couple of days. Mr. Wang's symptoms disappeared and Ms. Dai also became free of illness. The couple went back to their normal work. Later, they both went to work at the United Front Department of the City Party Committee.

Having learned Falun Dafa, the couple held themselves firmly to the principles of "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance." They won praise from their work leaders and colleagues alike.

Their beautiful daughter, Ms. Wang Peng also practises Falun Gong with her parents. Since she embarked on the road of cultivation, she is no longer sad and depressed. She has become happy and lively again. Falun Dafa has brought health, joy and happiness to their family.

In July of 1999, Jiang Zemin in collaboration with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began their crackdown against Falun Gong. Since Ms. Dai's family refused to give up the practice of Falun Dafa that brought them new life, the family became victims of the persecution.

The morning of July 20th, 1999, local thugs secretly arrested Ms. Dai on orders from the Deputy Head of the Weifang City Assistance Centre in Shandong Province. She was locked up for hours before she was released.

Ms. Dai Zongzhen and Mr. Wang Shenghua went to Beijing to visit their daughter in October of 1999. She was studying at a school there. After they left the school, policemen from the Weifang Police City Department and local policemen went to the school. They put Ms. Wang Peng under surveillance in an attempt to arrest her parents. Kind-hearted people helped Ms. Wang Peng escape the surveillance and inform her parents of the situation. The three of them decided to go to the State Appeals Office to appeal for Falun Dafa. However, they stopped to sit in Tiananmen Square for a while and they were arrested. They were escorted back to their hometown, where Ms. Dai was detained one month for the criminal offence. Her husband Mr. Wang Shenghua was given 15 days security detention. Ms. Wang Peng returned to school in Beijing. The Beijing Police Department refused to allow her to live in Beijing and her school kicked her out. She was forced to return home.

In April 2000, Mr. Wang Shenghua and Ms. Wang Peng went to visit a friend. The Kuiwen police took them to the bus station and detained them for 24 hours. Ms. Wang Peng was released, but her father, Mr. Wang Shenghua, was given 15 days security detention. He was only released after he served 45 days detention.

Lawless officials from Ms. Dai and Mr. Wang's workplace exerted pressure on them to quit Falun Gong. The couple sternly refused. An official named Cui and several others made threats to coerce Ms. Dai to renounce Falun Gong. The coercion continued for a long period of time. As a result, Ms. Dai had a recurrence of old illnesses. Only when she was unresponsive did the thugs give up.

Ms. Dai and Mr. Wang's workplace and Weifang City lawless officials were furious that the couple resolutely refused to compromise and attempted to arrest them. They had no choice but to leave there to avoid being arrested and persecuted.

Their first few years were very difficult. Being homeless is a very hard life. During the last two years, the couple opened a kindergarten with the help of relatives and friends. A few months ago they borrowed some money and bought a second hand minibus. The minibus was to bring children from far away and return them home.

When the family's finances improved, officials plotted to persecute the family once again. Ms. Dai and daughter Ms. Wang Peng were arrested. Mr. Wang escaped arrest since he was not at the kindergarten. Their house was ransacked. All their valuables were taken, including the minibus and the property of the kindergarten. Even two employees who did not practise Falun Gong were arrested.

At the same time, Ms. Dai's younger brother, Mr. Dai Zongqiu, from Anqiu, was taken away by the local police that day. Mr. Dai was given three years of forced labour in 2001.

Ms. Dai was arrested and held at the Weifang City Detention Centre. The police threatened to "bury her alive." Three days later she was transferred to an unknown location. Now, her whereabouts are still unknown. Ms. Wang Peng is still being held at the Weifang City Detention Centre.

We appeal to all people who believe in justice in the world to urgently pay attention to these human rights violations and the crimes committed by law enforcement officials. Please help to stop the atrocities being committed by the Weifang City authorities! We want the authorities to release Ms. Dai, her daughter and all the other imprisoned practitioners immediately!

Telephone numbers of those people responsible:

Zhang Xinqi, Party Secretary of Weifang City Party Committee: 86-536-8789950,
86-13605360198(Mobile)

Cui Jiaanping, Deputy Party Secretary of Weifang City Party Committee (in charge of political and legal affairs): 86-536-8789000(Office)
Wang Zhiliang, Head of Weifang 610 Office: 86-536-8789217, 86-13853610606(Mobile)
Huang Weilian, Head of Weifang Police Department: 86-536-8783123
Li Bing, Head of Weifang City National Security Bureau: 86-536-8237274(Office)

Note

1. "Yuan" is the Chinese currency; 500 yuan is equal to the average monthly income of an urban worker in China.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2007/5/11/154513.html