Survivors Break Through Information Blockade and Expose the Atrocities at Wanjia Forced Labour Camp

By Zhen Ru

Editor's note: This tragedy exposes the brutality of Jiang's regime. The only reason for such ruthless torture and abuse was that 15 female Falun Dafa practitioners would not give up their righteous belief in "Truth-Compassion-Tolerance," and would not accept the brainwashing enforced upon them by the government. The torture methods used by Wanjia forced labour camp guards, their lies, their shameless efforts in hiding the truth, and their vicious counter-charges against the victims are far beyond the imagination of people in the civilized world. The brutal abuses against Falun Gong practitioners by Jiang's regime should be condemned by all kind-hearted governments, groups, and people, and should be stopped immediately. (6/21/2002)

Wanjia Forced Labour Camp--a Concentration Camp for Torturing Falun Dafa Practitioners

On December 26, 1999, over 30 Falun Dafa practitioners from Jixi city, Heilongjiang province were illegally sent to the 7th brigade of Wanjia labour camp at Harbin after being lied to by guards, who said they would be set free. To protect their legal rights, they went on a group hunger strike. On the seventh day of their hunger strike, they were forced by guards to clear snow on the sports field.

In those frigid winter winds, guards forced them to run on the sports field after the snow had been cleared. Since they were weak and could not keep up with the running, police then forced criminals to beat them. Later, they were stripped of their cotton jackets and forced to stand in the snow-covered field. Later, police beat practitioners without mercy while force-feeding them. In the words of Shi Baiying, the criminal vice head of Wanjia forced labour camp, "We have used every method available to us."

Since the year 2000, Falun Dafa practitioners have been mistreated and tortured repeatedly. Guards instigated criminals to be their hatchet men to beat Falun Dafa practitioners. Up to one hundred Dafa practitioners, including Zhang Hong, Pan Xuanhua, Wu Jiyang, were confined in small cells (For a detailed description for this and other forms of torture used in forced labour camps, click here).

Zhang Hong and Pan Xuanhua were sent into small cells five times for a total of 14 months. In the beginning, guards in the camp didn't allow Falun Dafa practitioners to change their underwear, use bedding or even wear socks. The April weather in Harbin was still very cold, and the temperature at night could be as low as 10 degrees below zero Celsius (8 degrees Fahrenheit). Falun Dafa practitioners were forced to sleep on the floor without any covers for about a month. Wu Jiyang, who had been a cancer patient before attaining Falun Dafa, was locked to a steel chair for 10 days and 9 nights. In 2001, Wu's body was covered with many open sores. She was locked to the door of a small cell, and after fainting once, she was locked to a steel chair for three days and nights. Only after she fainted two more times was she sent to a hospital for treatment.

Pan Xuanhua suffered from nasal cancer and liver malfunction before attaining Dafa. After which her illnesses cleared up. She was locked to a steel chair for 7 days during her 15-day hunger strike.

Zhang Hong was locked to a steel chair for 15 days and nights until her legs and feet swelled so badly that the shackles were difficult to lock or they opened themselves. After the 15 days and nights, she was released. The guards also handcuffed three or four practitioners together, then forced them to stand for a whole day. Practitioners were also locked to the doors of their cells for 15-16 hours a day for about one month, and fed 3-5 spoonfuls of corn porridge twice each day. If there were a little extra, the guard would throw it away.

In the hot summer, the temperature was above 30 degrees Celsius (or above 90 degrees Fahrenheit). No water was available in the cells, and practitioners suffered from dry, bleeding lips, and most of them experienced a weight loss of more than 15 Kg (about 30 pounds). In such a harsh, unhealthy environment, many Dafa practitioner got sores on their bodies. The guards showed no concern, and still put them into small cells to torture them.

The camp doctor would order male criminals to hold down female Falun Dafa practitioners while the doctor cut out the boils on their bodies. With blood running on the floor and crying voices filling the building, no bystanders could stand to watch the scene. Even the male criminals cried openly. Then the guards would drop practitioners on the dirty floor in the small cells. Three days later, with the old wounds just beginning to heal, the doctor would come again to cut out more boils.

Zhang Bo, the vice head of the seventh brigade, frequently brought criminals to illegally search Dafa practitioners. On May 11, 2000, Zhang Bo broke into the 6th team with some criminals and swept away all the food and daily necessities. Even underwear and bed sheets were torn to pieces, and no toilet paper was left. Spoons and chopsticks were thrown out of the windows, forcing Dafa practitioners to eat meals with their hands for three days. All the food was given to the criminals who came with Zhang Bo. Those criminals, who were in jail for theft, prostitution and drug abuse or trafficking, now could rob Falun Dafa practitioners openly together with the police head.

According to the law, the labour camp should supply daily necessities to anyone jailed. But during our two-year period of detention, the Wanjia labour camp didn't supply us with any necessities or allow us to meet with our relatives, and made it impossible for us to get any supplies from our families. Some practitioners' families travelled long distances in winter or summer in the hope of meeting with the practitioners, but were refused by the Wanjia guards. Some families persuaded the guards to accept and pass on some items to Falun Dafa practitioners, but those items seldom went to the practitioners, as guards and criminals consumed them instead. Once a practitioner raised a question to the vice head of the Wanjia labour camp: "You keep saying that you are a law enforcement institute; so tell me which of your actions abide by the law?" The vice head had nothing to say.

Wanjia labour camp forced practitioners to work long, extended hours of heavy labour. We were pushed to work 16-17 hours a day, and even those with boils on their hands had to complete the same workload. It damaged our health, and consumers were hurt as well. The slippers made in Wanjia are exported to Japan. Baby sweaters and steering wheel covers are also made there. In the second detention centre of Harbin, toothpicks were made with forced labour for export to South Korea. The toothpicks were strewn on the floor and walked on. Even those criminals with venereal diseases were forced to finish the same amount of work, and those who went to the toilet were not allowed to wash their hands. Looking at those toothpicks, we were really concerned about the health of consumers in South Korea.

(To be continued)

Source:
http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2002/6/29/23584.html
Chinese version available at:
http://www.minghui.cc/mh/articles/2002/6/22/32197.html