California University Student Detained in Beijing; Whereabouts Unknown

"I'm merely trying to help people who have no voice and are in desperate need of justice."

Sierra City Family Worried, but Supportive and Proud

Taken just before his trip to Beijing, Andrew Ellsmore displays the banner he unfurled on the Square yesterday afternoon. He was taken away by Chinese police, and his whereabouts are currently unknown. The banner reads, "Falun Dafa [Falun Gong] is good."

(AP photo, taken as Andrew unfurled his banner, and was arrested)

LOS ANGELES, April 15, 2002 (Falun Dafa Information Center) - According to the Associated Press, Andrew Ellsmore, 21, was taken into custody in Beijing after peacefully appealing for Falun Dafa [Falun Gong] at Tiananmen Square earlier yesterday. At the square Andrew unfurled a yellow banner and called out its contents in Chinese: "Falun Dafa is good!"

At present Andrew's whereabouts and condition remain unknown.

Andrew's mother, Cindy, said that his family knew of his plan and although they are worried they know that Falun Dafa is good, they support his standing up for justice, and they are proud of him. She has also been in contact with the U.S. Embassy, which is trying to obtain information about Andrew from the Beijing police. The police have yet to provide them with any information.

In a statement written before his trip Andrew, a Geology Junior who grew up in Sierra City, said: "I will go to Tiananmen Square to appeal for the Chinese people, as they deserve to know the truth and breadth of the systematic attack against a kindhearted group of citizens."
AP reports that: "Military police who patrol the square quickly swooped in and seized Ellsmore's banner, then blocked his way as he tried to walk off [the Square]. The entire incident lasted less than a minute." (AP 4.14.2002).
An AP photographer was also taken into custody at the scene.

Since the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners by Jiang Zemin's regime began in 1999, Tiananmen Square has largely been the only public channel through which the Chinese people can voice their appeal to their government and make their plight known to their fellow citizens as well as the world at large. Both international media and tourists have reported that the peaceful appealers have often been met with unrestrained police brutality, including usage of electric batons. There have been numerous reports of individuals who were beaten to death shortly after appealing in the Square, and one who died from injuries sustained on the Square itself.

With human rights organizations' reports depicting an escalation in the persecution, appeals by Westerners, too, have become common in recent months. Many of the Westerners have returned home with injuries sustained as a result of being beaten by Beijing police, yet the Chinese authorities claim they were all treated "humanely."

(Extract from Falun Dafa information Centre Press Release)

Below is Andrew's statement, written before he left for Beijing:

Why Am I Going to Tiananmen Square to Appeal for the Chinese People?

Andrew Muir Ellsmore

I will go to Tiananmen Square to appeal for the Chinese people, as they deserve to know the truth and scope of the systematic attack against a kind-hearted group of citizens, the persecution of Falun Dafa.

Falun Dafa (Falun Gong) is an ancient Chinese traditional practice of cultivating the mind and body with meditation, exercises and the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. This practice and its principles have opened my heart and given me peace in my everyday life. It has also improved my focus and relations with others. It has truly changed my life for the better and I have met many others that have even more amazing improvements. In the 90's the founder, Li Hongzhi introduced Falun Dafa to China. The practice received wide-scale acclaim by the public and government alike. In a little more than a half of a decade the number of practitioners estimated by the Chinese government grew to over 70 million due to the inspiring health and life changes that accompany the practice. Individuals from all ages, social strata and ethnic backgrounds were participating in Falun Gong.

To go with picture - Andrew Muir Ellsmore displays a banner that reads "Falun Dafa is good" in San Francisco, CA before his trip to Beijing

Around the world Falun Gong is practised freely and has been well recognised by many local and state governments, but in China since July of 1999 the tide has changed as the President of China outlawed Falun Gong. This action is against the Chinese constitution and International Human Rights treaties for freedom of belief and gathering. An all-encompassing propaganda campaign against the group was fabricated to get public support for the "reforming" of Falun Gong practitioners. This "reform" includes destruction of private property, robbery, kidnapping, rape, brainwashing, torture and murder. These actions have been increasing in intensity and viciousness over the last two and a half years. One month ago it was reported that the President Jiang passed down a directive stating, "Kill without pardon" and "shoot to kill" Falun Gong practitioners seen distributing or posting information about the persecution. Already many people have been victims of this latest attack. The city of Changchun has been the target of mass round-ups of practitioners, 5000 in the last month.

As one can tell, this is an urgent situation and seems to be escalating more rapidly. I feel that as a citizen of the world these human rights violations should not and cannot be allowed by any group, let alone a government that is supposed to care for its people. Each individual has the ability to make a difference in any situation and in this case something must be done. Therefore, in good conscience I must go to try to help people understand that Falun Dafa is good and the killing of innocent people is wrong from any moral standpoint. By doing this I'm not breaking any laws or trying to cause trouble, I'm merely trying to help people who have no voice and are in desperate need of justice.

Dr. Martin Luther King once said, “... a threat to justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." If we as a world society do not stand for justice, human rights and peace, what then do we stand for? I choose to stand no matter what the consequences. If everyone would choose to stand together for human rights, there would be nothing that could obstruct a beautiful future for all.

Source: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2002/4/15/21008.html
http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2002/4/15/28538.html