Persecution Faced by Two Teachers in their Sixties in Tonghua City, Jilin Province

1. Vice Principal Ms. Hu Song of Yanjiang Elementary School sent to forced labour camp.

Ms. Hu Song, about sixty years old, was the Vice Principal of Yanjiang Elementary School in Tonghua City, Jilin Province. Before she practised Falun Gong she had very poor health, and could only work part time. After 1994 she learned Falun Dafa, and completely recovered her health. Not only was she full of energy, but she also saved a lot of money in state medical expenses. When she was there, Yanjiang Elementary School's educational quality was rated one of the best in the city. Whenever teachers or students had any problem, Ms. Hu always took the initiative to help them. Sometime teachers would work late preparing lessons for students at night, and she would buy them dinner out of her own pocket. If she saw a broken window, she would measure the glass and fix it herself.

Due to her outstanding work, the superintendent praised her, and talked to her personally, intending to promote her to principal. She had no pursuit of recognition or gain, and suggested they give that position to a younger promising teacher.

In the days leading up to the "October 1st" national holiday in 1999, the year the persecution began, police from Dongchang Detention Centre went to her house and ordered her to sign a "guarantee letter" to promise not to practise Falun Gong anymore. Hu refused, and she and her son were sent to a detention centre for 15 days. Since then, on every "sensitive day," police or other department authorities would come to harass her or monitor her. Even when she went for groceries, two police followed her, and at night police waited in front of her house for her to come home.

On January 23rd, 2001, Ms. Hu was forced to attend a brainwashing session held by the Chinese Communist Party School in Tonghua City. She was forced to bring her husband for brainwashing every day. He had uraemia and was also blind, but he still had to suffer through inhuman brainwashing techniques. On top of that, they were forced to pay ten yuan¹ for living expenses and fifteen yuan for food expense per day at the brainwashing centre.

After that, Education Bureau personnel and Public Security officers always came to harass her at work. It seriously interfered with her normal life. Even her husband's surgery was twice delayed and nearly didn't get performed because of interference from these officials. Around 2005, Hu's house was seized by Erdaojiang Public Security Branch Bureau, and she is now detained in Changchun Forced Labour Camp.

2. Zhou Fujian, a Senior Instructor at the Financial and Economics Educational Institution, suffered vicious persecution for many years

Mr. Zhou Fujian, sixty years old, worked for the business school currently known as the Financial and Economics Educational Institution. She was a senior instructor, and lived in a Shengli Street Food Company family member's apartment. Her husband Jiao Cunren, was formerly the Vice Manager for the food company. In 1995 this couple learned Falun Dafa. Before that, they were both troubled with various illnesses, including high blood pressure, heart disease, vasculitis, pulmonary tuberculosis etc. After they practised Falun Gong, all their disease disappeared, and they became very healthy. Many friends and relatives saw these changes, and also started to practise Falun Gong.

After the persecution began, authorities from Xinzhan Detention Centre in Tonghua City and the manager at work always talked to them, and asked them to give up practising Falun Gong. Police Zhu and Instructor Yinbin often went to their house to harass them and force them to sign a guarantee letter, give fingerprints, etc. On January 29th, 2001, some officers came to their home at midnight, knocking loudly and yelling, and finally intruding. The couple was taken to Xinzhan Detention Centre, where they were forced to write a pledge to give up Falun Gong, and were fingerprinted.

Because of the constant harassment, in 2002, Zhou Fujian was forced to become homeless, wandering from place to place. Their children live in another city, yet they are also constantly harassed and threatened. The authorities even tricked them to ask their mother to return, saying that by doing so, she would receive her salary.

Jiao Cunren's former illness recurred, and in spring 2003, he came back home. In may, 6 police from the Public Security Bureau intruded in this frail old man's home, breaking down the door and threatening him. They searched the whole house, but they did not find anything. While they were there, he suffered a heart attack, his face turned pale, and the police left promptly. He died in a hospital within a week.

Zhou's principal and colleagues always came to her house to force her to sign a pledge to give up Falun Gong under threat of not being paid. Because she had benefited so much from the practice, she was steadfast in her belief. She has thus not received any of her salary since 2002. She asked the head of the school about the money, and was told it was decided by the city 610 officers. She went to the city 610 Office² and they gave other excuses. Because of non-stop harassment from her workplace, she had little choice but to become homeless to avoid further harassment and arrest.

Note

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

2. "The 610 office" is an agency specifically created to persecute Falun Gong, with absolute power over each level of administration in the Party and all other political and judiciary systems.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2007/9/10/162426.html