Beloved Village Chief Twice Sent to Forced Labour Camp

Name: Yin Xuhua
Gender: Male
Age: 58
Address: Muchang Village, Town of Shijing, Fe County, Linyi, Shandong Province
Occupation: Muchang village chief
Date of Most Recent Arrest: Late 2007
Most Recent Place of Detention: Wangcun Forced Labour Camp of Shandong Province
City: Linyi
Province: Shandong
Persecution Suffered: Beatings, imprisonment, torture, home ransacked, detention
Key Persecutors: Chen Weidong, 610 Office chief, section chief of Political Affairs and Defence Section at Police Department of Fe County, Linyi, Shandong. Fe County Detention Centre

Mr. Yin Xuhua was born in 1958. He was elected chief of his village in 1984 because he was honest and capable, and loved to help others. Mr. Yin started practising Falun Gong in 1998. However, since the persecution began in 1999, this kindhearted village chief has twice been imprisoned in a forced labour camp, both times for three-year terms. He was also brutally beaten while imprisoned in the Fe County Detention Centre.

Witnessing the Healing Power of Falun Gong and Beginning to Cultivate

Mr. Yin has an uncle who was in his 60s when diagnosed with oesophagus cancer. His cancer was already in the final stages, so the hospital did not offer any treatment. He seemed close to death when he was sent home. As if by coincidence, Mr. Yin's family met a Falun Gong practitioner who told then that Falun Gong was unusually effective in curing illness and improving health. Mr. Yin obtained a copy of the Falun Gong book Zhuan Falun to give it a try. He read Zhuan Falun to his uncle every day. Unexpectedly, Mr. Yin's uncle became stronger and stronger each day, and by the end of 1997, he was completely healthy. This surprising recovery caused a stir in the area.

Mr. Yin started to practise Falun Gong the next year. At that time, there were many practitioners in his village. Mr. Yin uncle's life was saved by the practice in 1997. He is now 78 years old, strong, and healthy. He still does farm work and peddles a pedicab to market.

Kindhearted and Honest Village Chief Imprisoned for Three Years in a Forced Labour Camp

After Mr. Yin started practising Falun Gong, he believed he should be responsible for his villagers, so he worked even harder to help them, and never for personal gains. Mr. Yin brought in electricity and clean drinking water to improve living conditions in the village. Everyone in the village recognised him as a good leader and a trustworthy official.

Even though he was such a good public official and tried always to be a good person, Mr. Yin was arrested by the 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) of Fe County in 2000, just for practising Falun Gong, and spent three years in Wangcun Forced Labour Camp. There he was brutally abused both physically and mentally.

A Second Arrest, Again Brutally Beaten by Guards at the Fe County Detention Centre

At 7:00 p.m. on August 24th, 2004, Chen Weidong, chief of the 610 Office; the Section chief of the Political Affairs and Defence Section of the Police Department of Fe County; and others, arrested Mr. Yin in Muchang Village in the Town of Shijing. Mr. Yin was held in the 504 Prison of Fe County; also called the "Civilised Detention Centre--Prison of Fe County." The guards on duty at the time were from Team 4 of the Police Division. The leader's last name was Wang; others call him Wang Dadui. Wang asked Mr. Yin, "What is your name?" When Mr. Yin did not give him a straight answer, Wang got angry and screamed, "Beat him!" A handful of guards jumped on Mr. Yin. They pushed him to the floor. Mr. Yin was held face down with his arms and legs stretched out. Wang stood on Mr. Yin, cursing, hitting, and slapping his face, ears, nose, and mouth non stop like a madman. Other guards also hit and kicked Mr. Yin, and he was bleeding from his nose and mouth. Nonetheless the guards were still not satisfied. They picked up rubber clubs and continued hitting Mr. Yin all over his body. He was walloped with over 20 blows to his buttocks alone. By that time, Wang and other guards were exhausted from the beating, and one can only imagine the condition of Mr. Yin. Mr. Yin had been beaten for several hours, and he had both internal and external injuries. He was shaking so hard that he could not stand. He was dizzy, was seeing flashes, and his ears were ringing. His vision and hearing were damaged. His left eardrum was ruptured, and his memory began to fade.

Another Three Years in a Forced Labour Camp

A month later, the 610 Office of Fe County sent Mr. Yin to Wangcun Forced Labour Camp again. Guards at Wangcun Forced Labour Camp saw that Mr. Yin had injuries all over his body and said, "The Detention Centre of Fe County is certainly brutal." Mr. Yin spent three years in the forced labour camp and was then released. The injuries Mr. Yin suffered still torture him. When he was examined at the Fe County Hospital, the physician asked him the details of his injuries. He told Mr. Yin, "You should sue them for beating you like this."

Mr. Yin did not sue. In late 2007, the county 610 Office agents and officials from the town and village went to Mr. Yin's home to harass him. They confiscated two Falun Gong books and arrested him a third time. They intended to send Mr. Yin to Wangcun Forced Labour Camp for a year and a half term, but the labour camp refused to accept him because his blood pressure was 240 mm Hg. Mr. Yin was instead placed under house arrest and had to post bail. The 610 Office of Fe County took 3,000 yuan¹ from Mr. Yin as deposit. A year later, the 610 Office sent Mr. Yin a letter notifying him that his deposit had been confiscated because he continued to practise Falun Gong. Even though Mr. Yin was sent to a forced labour camp several times, his villagers still like him as much as before. In their hearts, the villagers know who is evil and who is kind, and they elected Mr. Yin as their village chief again. They know they will have peace of mind because Mr. Yin will wholeheartedly serve the village.

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/2010/12/5/233307.html