Mr. Dong Shaotai Arrested Again

Name: Dong Shaotai
Gender: Male
Age: Unknown, Elderly
Address: Unknown
Occupation: Retiree of the Pipeline Coatings Company under Sichuan Petroleum and Natural Gas Ltd., Inc.
Date of Most Recent Arrest: September 20th, 2009
Most Recent Place of Detention: Shuangliu County Detention Centre
City: Chongqing
Province: Sichuan
Persecution Suffered: Forced Labour, Home Ransacked, Detention
Key Persecutors: Wang Fenghua, Jiangjin City 610 Office; Li Hongxia and Director Yang, Degan Town Police Station; Ren Jie, Zhu Yuanzheng, Wu Shenghe and Chen Zhuang from the Pipeline Coatings Company; Zhang Hao and Li Zhongquan, Shuangliu County 610 Office; Zhang Bin and Wang Xin, Wan'an Town Police Station

Mr. Dong Shaotai began to practise Falun Gong in August 1996. He quit smoking and drinking within a week. Soon his cerebral thrombosis and heart diseases were cured. Mr. Dong follows the teachings of Falun Gong and lives according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. As a result of the practice, his bad temper has disappeared and his family environment has become harmonious.

After the persecution of Falun Gong started in July 1999, Mr. Dong, along with many other Falun Gong practitioners, went to the Office of Letters and Calls of the Chongqing Municipal government to appeal for Falun Gong. However, they were beaten by the police and thrown onto a truck. The police drove them to a desolate place where there were no bus stops and left them there. Mr. Dong and his fellow practitioners walked for hours in the middle of the night back to the city. They continued to appeal for Falun Gong.

In late February 2000, Mr. Dong went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. He was escorted back by Degan government officials and the security officers from his workplace in March 2000. The authorities searched his home but did not find anything they were seeking. Mr. Dong was later taken to the Dongmen Police Station in Jiangjin City, where he was detained for the night. The next day, he was taken to the Beigumen Brainwashing Centre in Jiangjin City, where he was held until mid May 2000. His pension was withheld between March and July 2000. After he went home, he was placed under surveillance by his workplace.

In November 2001, Mr. Dong wrote a statement to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) committee secretary at his workplace to declare that he would never give up his practice of Falun Gong. The party secretary notified the Degan Police Station. He went with the director of the police station, Yang, and officers Li Hongxia and Pan to search Mr. Dong's home. Without any legal documents, they confiscated Mr. Dong's Falun Gong books and materials and took him to the Langshan Brainwashing Centre in Jiangjin City. During late December 2001, Mr. Dong's family were notified that Mr. Dong had been sentenced to 2 years of forced labour and was held at the Xishanping Forced Labour Camp in Chongqing City. When the family was notified to send Mr. Dong's bedding to the labour camp, the security officer from his workplace took people to search Mr. Dong's home again; they did not find anything.

In September 2002, Mr. Dong's blood pressure went up as high as 230 mm Hg as a result of the torture. The labour camp was afraid of the consequences and notified the family to take Mr. Dong home on parole for medical treatment. However, his pension and medical insurance were suspended until 2005.

In 2005, Mr. Dong was forced to leave home and moved about among friends and relatives to avoid the constant harassment by the Degan Police Station.

On September 20th, 2009, someone framed Mr. Dong. He was arrested by the Wan'an Town Police Station in Shuangliu County and his home was searched. According to the police station, they had found several hundred copies of Falun Gong-related DVDs, Falun Gong books and materials.

Mr. Dong is being held at the Shuangliu County Detention Centre without visitation rights. According to sources, his family are also placed under tight surveillance.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2009/10/10/210109.html