minime1111
08-16-2005, 02:57 PM
Exclusive interview: Chen Yong Lin: from Persecuting Falun Gong to Defecting from CCP
Former Chinese diplomat Chen Yonglin talks about Falun Gong
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By Luo Ya and Fang Yan
The Epoch Times
Jun 11, 2005
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http://english.epochtimes.com/news_images/2005-6-11-chen_interview.jpg
Former Chinese Consul Mr. Chen Yonglin (The Epoch Times)
Chen Yonglin graduated from the Beijing Foreign Affairs College. In 2001 he started working as a consul for political affairs at the Chinese consulate-general in Sydney. He holds the rank of First Secretary. He job is to monitor the activities of Falun Gong practitioners, pro-democratic activists, the Tibetan Independence movement and Taiwanese people.
Recently The Epoch Times interviewed him; he described during the interview that how he changed from a Chinese embassy official especially dealing with Australia Falun Gong practitioners to finally regaining his conscience and no longer wanting to be a tool used by the Chinese Communist government to persecute Falun Gong, and how he thus escaped from the Chinese consulate. (The following article, excepting the subtitles, are Chen Yonglin’s original words)
Begins Knowing Nothing about Falun Gong, Firmly Carries Out the Chinese Communist Party’s Policies
When I came to work in the Chinese embassy in Sydney, I did not know much about Falun Gong, or pretty much nothing about it. At the beginning, I firmly implemented the Chinese Government's policies on the Falun Gong issue, i.e. suppress Falun Gong, tit for tat, take the initiative to directly attack the practitioners. Now I look at my actions at that time, they were very naïve. I often was in touch with Falun Gong practitioners since I needed to monitor their activities through contact, monitor their activities in Sydney and report back to China, so after many contacts with them, I discovered that this group is not as terrible as our government described.
The Chinese Communist Party Banned Falun Gong Because of its Huge Popularity
At the beginning the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) banned Falun Gong, then the Communist Party members were not allowed to practice Falun Gong; later the government officials were not allowed to practice Falun Gong. The communist government feared that Falun Gong would grow out of its control. At the peak of Falun Gong’s growth, according to internal reports, there were over 100 million people. The Chinese Communist Party considered this scale very fearful, an independent group that could compete with the Chinese Communist Party.
1,700 Falun Gong Cases Claimed by the Chinese Communist Party
From what I know there were 1,700 cases [in which the Party claimed that the practice of Falun Gong had caused people to behave badly]; according to my judgment, the majority of those 1,700 examples were either originally psychotic, or already had suicidal tendencies (before practicing Falun Gong.]. But we should also see that for many people, due to the practice of Falun Gong, their spirits find a home, thus they no longer want to commit suicide, for instance, even though disappointed in love, or their family broken. Since after a person practices Falun Gong, he finds that spiritual home, therefore I felt, considering that more than 200 thousand people committed suicide in China every year, Falun Gong could very possibly have saved several hundred thousand people’s lives.
The Chinese Communist Party’s Policy about Falun Gong is to Put the Responsibility to the Particular Person
One of the Chinese Communist Party’s policies regarding Falun Gong is to mete out punishment for the activity; the Party also tries to round up, re-educate and transform the ordinary Falun Gong practitioners. From the Central government to local governments, its policy of “collect, educate and transform?puts the responsibility on particular local officials. Thus to protect their own power or to climb higher in rank, the local officials would do everything possible to prevent local Falun Gong practitioners from running to other areas, from going out to other places or involving in some free activities or normal contacts such as visiting friends and relatives. Because if they lose control over those practitioners, they would feel it is their duty, they would be punished by the central government, thus their position would be in danger. So they control Falun Gong practitioners, frequently holding brainwashing classes locally.
The ?10 Office?in all Cities and Provinces is the Tool to Persecute Falun Gong
The CCP established an anti-Falun Gong office on June 6, 1999, which is called the ?10 Office.?Afterwards, it established 610 Offices in all cities and provinces. The ?10 Office?is a system to manage Falun Gong issues. This system becomes a tool to persecute Falun Gong.
Falun Gong is a special group in society. Practitioners believe in Falun Gong. Because the ?10 Office?is mainly for tackling with matters relating to Falun Gong, when it deals with Falun Gong issues, it often adopts unconventional measures. For example, it detains Falun Gong practitioners, and carries out forced transformation and brainwashing education. Because it concerns the issue of belief, Falun Gong practitioners do not cooperate, so they are always forced to be detained.
The Falun Gong Policies for Overseas Official Organizations are Keeping Close Watch and Destruction
For overseas Falun Gong practitioners, the Chinese government’s main measures against them are keeping them under surveillance, closely watching their development, and preventing the development in other countries from spreading to China. Some officials in the 610 office think that the main reason that Falun Gong practitioners in China cannot be transformed is the continuous influence of overseas Falun Gong practitioners. Actually, I think this is an issue of beliefs. Because it is an issue of spirit, people cannot be transformed easily. You can try carrying out the brainwashing education on Christians, Catholics or traditional Buddhists in China to transform them. It is impossible.
The Falun Gong Practitioners Who Were Persecuted to Death are reported as Committing Suicide by the CCP
The information about Falun Gong practitioners being persecuted to death is confidential, because they are usually defined as committing suicide by the CCP. The related information is kept secret, so it’s impossible for me to get it. The CCP will not say that how many people it has persecuted to death, but how many Falun Gong practitioners have committed suicide.
It Will Go against My Conscience if I Go On Doing My Job
When I started to work in the consulate in Sydney, I had little knowledge about Falun Gong, so I resolutely carried out the central government’s policy of sharply opposing and deliberately attacking Falun Gong. When I carried out the policy, it was unavoidable that I used drastic speech and action towards Falun Gong. However, after gradually meeting with Falun Gong practitioners, I understand their theories. I found that if I go on doing the job, I would be acting against my conscience. I could not go on doing the job, because I think what these Falun Gong practitioners need is not persecution but help. I hope that the Chinese government can re-examine their policy on religions as soon as possible.
link to article: http://english.epochtimes.com/news/5-6-11/29462.html
Former Chinese diplomat Chen Yonglin talks about Falun Gong
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Luo Ya and Fang Yan
The Epoch Times
Jun 11, 2005
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://english.epochtimes.com/news_images/2005-6-11-chen_interview.jpg
Former Chinese Consul Mr. Chen Yonglin (The Epoch Times)
Chen Yonglin graduated from the Beijing Foreign Affairs College. In 2001 he started working as a consul for political affairs at the Chinese consulate-general in Sydney. He holds the rank of First Secretary. He job is to monitor the activities of Falun Gong practitioners, pro-democratic activists, the Tibetan Independence movement and Taiwanese people.
Recently The Epoch Times interviewed him; he described during the interview that how he changed from a Chinese embassy official especially dealing with Australia Falun Gong practitioners to finally regaining his conscience and no longer wanting to be a tool used by the Chinese Communist government to persecute Falun Gong, and how he thus escaped from the Chinese consulate. (The following article, excepting the subtitles, are Chen Yonglin’s original words)
Begins Knowing Nothing about Falun Gong, Firmly Carries Out the Chinese Communist Party’s Policies
When I came to work in the Chinese embassy in Sydney, I did not know much about Falun Gong, or pretty much nothing about it. At the beginning, I firmly implemented the Chinese Government's policies on the Falun Gong issue, i.e. suppress Falun Gong, tit for tat, take the initiative to directly attack the practitioners. Now I look at my actions at that time, they were very naïve. I often was in touch with Falun Gong practitioners since I needed to monitor their activities through contact, monitor their activities in Sydney and report back to China, so after many contacts with them, I discovered that this group is not as terrible as our government described.
The Chinese Communist Party Banned Falun Gong Because of its Huge Popularity
At the beginning the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) banned Falun Gong, then the Communist Party members were not allowed to practice Falun Gong; later the government officials were not allowed to practice Falun Gong. The communist government feared that Falun Gong would grow out of its control. At the peak of Falun Gong’s growth, according to internal reports, there were over 100 million people. The Chinese Communist Party considered this scale very fearful, an independent group that could compete with the Chinese Communist Party.
1,700 Falun Gong Cases Claimed by the Chinese Communist Party
From what I know there were 1,700 cases [in which the Party claimed that the practice of Falun Gong had caused people to behave badly]; according to my judgment, the majority of those 1,700 examples were either originally psychotic, or already had suicidal tendencies (before practicing Falun Gong.]. But we should also see that for many people, due to the practice of Falun Gong, their spirits find a home, thus they no longer want to commit suicide, for instance, even though disappointed in love, or their family broken. Since after a person practices Falun Gong, he finds that spiritual home, therefore I felt, considering that more than 200 thousand people committed suicide in China every year, Falun Gong could very possibly have saved several hundred thousand people’s lives.
The Chinese Communist Party’s Policy about Falun Gong is to Put the Responsibility to the Particular Person
One of the Chinese Communist Party’s policies regarding Falun Gong is to mete out punishment for the activity; the Party also tries to round up, re-educate and transform the ordinary Falun Gong practitioners. From the Central government to local governments, its policy of “collect, educate and transform?puts the responsibility on particular local officials. Thus to protect their own power or to climb higher in rank, the local officials would do everything possible to prevent local Falun Gong practitioners from running to other areas, from going out to other places or involving in some free activities or normal contacts such as visiting friends and relatives. Because if they lose control over those practitioners, they would feel it is their duty, they would be punished by the central government, thus their position would be in danger. So they control Falun Gong practitioners, frequently holding brainwashing classes locally.
The ?10 Office?in all Cities and Provinces is the Tool to Persecute Falun Gong
The CCP established an anti-Falun Gong office on June 6, 1999, which is called the ?10 Office.?Afterwards, it established 610 Offices in all cities and provinces. The ?10 Office?is a system to manage Falun Gong issues. This system becomes a tool to persecute Falun Gong.
Falun Gong is a special group in society. Practitioners believe in Falun Gong. Because the ?10 Office?is mainly for tackling with matters relating to Falun Gong, when it deals with Falun Gong issues, it often adopts unconventional measures. For example, it detains Falun Gong practitioners, and carries out forced transformation and brainwashing education. Because it concerns the issue of belief, Falun Gong practitioners do not cooperate, so they are always forced to be detained.
The Falun Gong Policies for Overseas Official Organizations are Keeping Close Watch and Destruction
For overseas Falun Gong practitioners, the Chinese government’s main measures against them are keeping them under surveillance, closely watching their development, and preventing the development in other countries from spreading to China. Some officials in the 610 office think that the main reason that Falun Gong practitioners in China cannot be transformed is the continuous influence of overseas Falun Gong practitioners. Actually, I think this is an issue of beliefs. Because it is an issue of spirit, people cannot be transformed easily. You can try carrying out the brainwashing education on Christians, Catholics or traditional Buddhists in China to transform them. It is impossible.
The Falun Gong Practitioners Who Were Persecuted to Death are reported as Committing Suicide by the CCP
The information about Falun Gong practitioners being persecuted to death is confidential, because they are usually defined as committing suicide by the CCP. The related information is kept secret, so it’s impossible for me to get it. The CCP will not say that how many people it has persecuted to death, but how many Falun Gong practitioners have committed suicide.
It Will Go against My Conscience if I Go On Doing My Job
When I started to work in the consulate in Sydney, I had little knowledge about Falun Gong, so I resolutely carried out the central government’s policy of sharply opposing and deliberately attacking Falun Gong. When I carried out the policy, it was unavoidable that I used drastic speech and action towards Falun Gong. However, after gradually meeting with Falun Gong practitioners, I understand their theories. I found that if I go on doing the job, I would be acting against my conscience. I could not go on doing the job, because I think what these Falun Gong practitioners need is not persecution but help. I hope that the Chinese government can re-examine their policy on religions as soon as possible.
link to article: http://english.epochtimes.com/news/5-6-11/29462.html