Longkou City, Shandong Province: Over a Dozen Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested

The New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts' company promotes traditional Chinese culture. The Shen Yun artists have toured the world for the past six years and the performances are highly praised by people from all walks of lives. However, the Chinese authorities prohibited the group from performing in China, because the programmes contradict the ideology promoted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). When practitioners distribute DVDs of Shen Yun's performances in China, they are being threatened, arrested, imprisoned, taken to forced labour camps and more often than not face torture.

Because of the present Chinese regime's interference, Shen Yun is banned from performing in China. DVDs of the shows were made and those who were given a copy of the DVD were impressed with what they saw. In Longkou City, Shandong Province, every year before the Chinese New Year, many local residents asked practitioners to give them a DVD of the Shen Yun's latest performance. The practitioners, to provide a special packaging, ordered 16 thousand wood CD cases from a printing firm in Beijing. The wood cases were very expensive. In the process of printing a Shen Yun photo on the cases, the Beijing police learned about the project. The police monitored the firm's phone calls, followed the staff and found out that practitioners from Longkou ordered the cases. The police reported this to the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry demanded that the practitioners be found.

On March 26th, 2012, China Deppon Logistics delivered the CD cases to Longkou and the Longkou Domestic Security Brigade set up traps around Deppon Logistics. Five practitioners drove their cars to pick up their orders and noticed that the printing firm had “made a mistake” by sending plastic instead of wood cases. The practitioners talked to the printing firm. Policemen from the Domestic Security Brigade photographed the practitioners and videotaped their activities. The police followed the five cars for two weeks and finally on April 11th, the police arrested 13 practitioners involved in ordering the cases.

Break-in, Arrest and Robbery

In the morning of April 11th, the Yantai Public Security Bureau ordered the Longkou Domestic Security Brigade and all near-by police stations to act in cohort and break into practitioners' houses, arrest them, and confiscate their cash, credit cards, and personal belongings.

The police confiscated the practitioners bank cards, cash, computers, printers, mobile phones, televisions, and household appliances and refused to issue an official list of confiscated objects. Their actions were no different than those of robbers. The initial estimate of the value of the practitioners' loss of property is 500 thousand yuan (US$ 75,000).

The 13 practitioners that were arrested are, Ms. Yang Meijuan, Mr. Jiang Yongzhan, Mr. Tang Zhulong, Mr. Jiang Xunliang, Ms. Jiang Shuhong, Ms. Miao Chunping, Ms. Wang Xuan, Mr. Wang Mingliang, Ms. Sui Yuhong, Ms. Zhuang Shuhua, Ms. Li Qiumei, Ms. Liu Yancui, and Mr. Mu Xiangshun.

Police climbed the fences of the homes of Ms. Liu Yancui, Mr. Mu Xiangshun, Ms. Yang Meijuan, and Mr. Jiang Xunliang, broke into the homes and opened the doors to allow more police to enter. One police officer smashed and climbed in through Mr. Lu Like's windows. A police officer unlocked Mr. Wang Mingliang's door with a master key and let other police into his house. Another police officer pried open Ms. Yuan Yuqin's balcony window and entered her house. He handcuffed Ms. Yuan and opened her door for other police officers.

Practitioners' Parents and Children Suffer from the Arrests

Ms. Miao Chunping and her daughter Ms. Wang Xuan owned an interior design shop in the Longkou Development Area. Officers from Longgang Police Station arrested them at the same time. The police confiscated her bank book which showed 200,000 (approximately US$ 30,000) yuan, 100,000 yuan (US$15,000), her printer and computer. Ms. Miao's mother in law, a once cheerful and energetic person, could not stand the pain of losing her daughter-in-law and granddaughter and committed suicide on April 14th.

Ms. Yuan Yuqin was known by her neighbours as a good daughter-in-law. Her father-in-law was 83 years old and could not care for himself. He relied on Ms. Yuan. This time Ms. Yuan was forced to leave home to avoid further persecution, leaving no one to take care of her father-in-law. More details on the persecution Ms. Yun suffered can be found at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2012/5/27/258140.html.

Mr. Wang Mingliang's mother was in her 60s. Mr. Wang took very good care of her. After the arrest of Mr. Wang, his mother suffered a mental breakdown. She often talked to everyone about her son, with tears running down her face.

Ms. Sui Yuhong's son was in elementary school and at the top of his class. After Ms. Sui's arrest, her son often woke up in the middle of the night crying. He missed his mother, was often absent-minded and he no longer could hold his good grades.

The police from Donglai Police Station climbed over the fence and broke into Mr. Mu Xiangshun's house at around 4 a.m. A dozen police rushed in and Mr. Mu's four-year-old son Mu Liping was frightened and screamed and cried. He refused to go home during the following days because he was terrified. Mu Liping and his older sister, Mu Yixiao, who was in her teens, and her friend Jiang Mei went to the police station wanting to see Mr. Mu. The police in Donglai Police Station detained Mu Yixiao and Jiang Mei for five days.

Mr. Jiang Yongzhan and Ms. Yang Meijuan were planning for their son's wedding. After they were arrested, the wedding was canceled. The police stole all the money earmarked for the wedding.

The Authorities Determined to Find the Practitioners Guilty

Practitioners Mr. Mu Xiangshun, Mr. Jiang Xunliang, and Mr. Tang Zhulong, were sentenced to two years of forced labour. Mr. Miao Chunping and Ms. Liu Yancui were sentenced to a year of forced labour. Ms. Zhuang Shuhua and Ms. Li Qiumei were sentenced to a year of forced labour. Ms. Wang Xuan was released on bail but had to attend a brainwashing class for several days at Jinan Second Men's Forced Labour Camp.

Ms. Jiang Shuhong, Ms. Yang Meijuan, Ms. Sui Yuhong, Mr. Wang Mingliang, and Mr. Jiang Yongzhan were held in a detention centre. On May 18th, Longkou Procuratorate issued warrants for their arrest, trying to use this as an excuse to further persecute the practitioners. Currently the documents are with the prosecutors in Longkou Procuratorate.

The police stations and Public Security Bureau in Longkou City relentlessly persecute practitioners. Although the cases have not been heard yet, the rumours within the Public Security Bureau are that the practitioners were going to be found guilty and their sentences were already decided.