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July 30, 2006 (Sunday) － Issue No. 60 |
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Why
Don't You Just Hang Yourself at Home? |
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Mother
Seeks Justice in Beijing by Selling Daughter |
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A
Surgeon's Hands |
| China
Ranked As One of the Highest In Birth Defects According to the Information Times, China has high birth defects. In China, there is one birth defect every 30 seconds, one out of every 1.2 million children is born with birth defects annually, and the number one abnormality is neural tube defects....…Full Article |
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Salary Raise for Chinese Army Reveals CCP Crisis Starting July 1 the Chinese army doubled the salary for members of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), initiating the largest wage increase in the history of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It is believed that the Party is taking this action as a means to maintain loyalty among an increasingly dissatisfied army......…Full Article |
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According to a report released by the Chinese Ministry of Public Health in 2005, suicide has become the fifth leading cause of death in China. In 2005, approximately 250,000 people committed suicide, and 2.5 to 3.5 million people attempted suicide. Since one fifth of the world's population resides in China, the number of people who committed suicide in China in 2005 is equal to one quarter of those who committed suicide around the world. At present not only are there are no organizations providing psychological treatment to those at risk of suicide in China, the government even charges people for attempting suicide in public locations. For instance, during the second hearing of Beijing resident Ye Guoqiang, who jumped into the Jinshui River near Tiananmen Square in 2004, an officer of the Supreme Court asked, "Your attempted suicide in the Jinshui River disgraced the nation. If you wish to die, why don't you just hang yourself in the privacy of your own home?" Ye Guoqiang is the younger brother of the renowned Beijing human rights activist Ye Guozhu. In May 2003, the government demolished all of their extended family's houses in the Xuanwu District of Beijing, and three generations of the family were forced to relocate. This moment was captured truthfully in the picture of their elderly parents being thrown into the streets by authorities as their mother looks despairingly at the demolished house. Since then, the two brothers have been protesting against the forced relocation and were subsequently jailed in Tianjin. Ye Guoqiang was sentenced to two years in prison for attempting suicide in the Jinshui River on October 1, 2004. On the other hand, Ye Guozhu was sentenced to four years for appealing on behalf of other residents and requesting a permit for a 10,000-person march on Tiananmen Square. Ye Guoqiang's attempted suicide was reported widely by both the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and overseas media. However, the content of the reports was very different. On July 18, 2006, in recollecting the court hearings, Ye Guoqiang said, "Gao Zhisheng had agreed to be my defense attorney very early on. However, the National Security Police and the government refused to tell him where the hearing was taking place. Therefore, two hearings had passed before Mr. Gao found me. The first hearing was held in the Beijing intermediate court. The case was then brought to the Supreme Court after we rejected the court's initial decision. My lawyer was one appointed by the government. During the trial, no one else was present besides a few city officials and seven or eight city representatives. The hearings were purely a fraud." Embarrassment
to the Country On the morning of July 15, 2006, middle-aged mother Wang Jinlan stands on the busy Wangfujing Business Street in Beijing with her daughter and narrates stories about her 14 years of appealing to the Chinese government. As tourists surround Wang, she holds up her handwritten complaint, Seeking Justice by Selling Daughter, searching for someone to adopt her daughter. The police took the mother and daughter away after about an hour. Wang Jinlan is from Zhengzhou City of Henan Province. Wang and her husband were falsely charged with killing a pedestrian with their truck in 1992. As a result, their truck was illegally confiscated, leaving the family with no means of making an income. In addition, police and local mafia have beaten her husband many times since and constantly threatened their lives. The family had no choice but to leave and appeal to the government. During the May session of the Meeting with Appellants held by the Ministry of Public Security, Wang appealed to the high-ranking officials of Henan Province's Supreme Court for help, but to no avail. Desperate, Wang joined the Trip Along the Great Wall to Safeguard Human Rights activities held by many appellants in mid-May. Wang was arrested and detained for 15 days by Beijing police for distributing written complaints to Chinese and overseas tourists at the Great Wall of China. According to Wang, the mafia targeted her and her husband because they used to be wealthy. Wang claims she was almost killed and had suffered numerous beatings, arrests and detentions during her appeals over the past ten years. Out of desperation, Wang resorts to unconventional and extreme methods of appealing in order to seek sympathy and attention from society. The Chinese Ministry of Public Security announced in May that drastic measures would be taken against any "unconventional appeals" made outside of the Appeals Office. A modern tragedy in Beijing: Mother seeks justice by selling daughter. (Feng Changle/The Epoch Times) Farmer Sun Yueying, pregnant at the time, went to appeal in Beijing last year when her land was seized. Sun stepped in front of Hu Jintao's car to appeal while holding her baby, and she has been missing ever since. Appellants Feng Yufen and her younger brother were stabbed to death at their home in Xicheng District of Beijing this May. Many appellants from outside of Beijing have been found dead from unknown causes. The police simply inform the family that they died in traffic accidents. Appellants claim
that more than 100 police officers from Shenyang City Prison collectively
appealed in Beijing last Monday. The Beijing police took them away
in about an hour. After the May session of the Meeting with Appellants,
many appellants were sentenced to forced labor and sent back to their
hometowns. A great number of appellants are missing. Back By helping China to persecute Falun Gong practitioners in Singapore in exchange for economic trade, Singapore has lost its reputation as a democratic country. While the U.S. government stayed charges against Wang Wenyi, a Falun Gong practitioner who asked President Bush to help stop the persecution of Falun Gong during a White House press conference; and while Canadian investigators published their report confirming harvesting of organs from Falun Gong practitioners in China; the Singapore government is helping the Chinese communist regime to victimize Falun Gong practitioners in Singapore. According to Xinhua News Agency, on July 14 the Singapore police charged nine Falun Gong followers with "illegal assembly" for an event that occurred last October. Why is an incident that occurred nine months ago suddenly so important to the Singapore police? As the anniversary of the beginning of the crackdown on Falun Gong in China approaches, the "610 Offices" have stepped up their harassment of practitioners in China. Has the Singapore government been ordered to do likewise? Singapore has shown an increasing inability to stand up to China in the face of potential economic gains. This has been evident to the international community for sometime now. Since 2001, Singapore has exerted pressure many times on Falun Gong practitioners in tandem with the Chinese government. As the world was shocked by the contents of the report from the Canadian independent investigation team, reports in mainstream media in western society increased dramatically. So why would the Singapore government disregarded its international image and become an accomplice to the brutal regime for some petty economic rewards? We have drawn two conclusions: first the actions of Singapore's leaders show a lack of morality, and second, the Chinese communist regime is really evil. The "illegal assembly on Orchard Road" refers to nine Falun Gong practitioners peacefully holding placards and distributing flyers to the public on October 22 and 23, 2005. But according to a report in Xinhua News Agency, "After Singapore police finished investigations into activities held on the two days and discussed their findings with Singapore's chief prosecutor, the police decided to file charges against the nine Falun Gong practitioners who participated in the activity." The Singapore police took nine months to complete investigations into such a small case of "illegal assembly" (it is said that the maximum penalty for such a crime is three months imprisonment.) Moreover, the case was unimportant for nine months and suddenly became "urgent" enough to be discussed with Singapore's chief prosecutor before any legal action was started. While the Singapore
government helps the communist regime achieve its goal of persecuting
Falun Gong outside of China, it has sold itself for very little and
has lost its reputation as a modern and civilized country. Back Most Chinese who lived through the Great Cultural Revolution cannot think of those days without shedding tears. The persecution and hardships the Chinese people endured at that time were unimaginable, but those days are not any more behind us than they were when Mao was still alive. A few of my own experiences during the Cultural Revolution shed light on the type of atrocities that are still occurring under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). My mother's hometown is in Xinjiang Province of China, which was once thought to be a remote borderland. The chaos of China's "Great Cultural Revolution" came like a flood in 1966, and at that time I was still a senior high school student. Yet, this movement led the way to the closure of all of China's schools. Unable to continue my education, I spent the majority of each day criticizing the bourgeoisie. It was soon thereafter that I participated in a nationwide campaign dubbed the "Great Linking Up," which was no more than students traveling the country to share their "revolutionary experiences." At this time, the son of a resident of my mother's village came from Urumqi in Xinjiang to Beijing to participate in the "Great Linking Up." He made use of this opportunity to visit us and stayed in our home for several days. Although the Cultural Revolution was a campaign in which the entire Chinese population was persecuted, at that time my parents had not yet been targeted. So at that time our home environment was still relatively peaceful. This villager told us with emotion of the horrors that had been taking place in Xinjiang. "The situation in the cities is a little better than that in the country," he said. "It is totally chaotic in Xinjiang, with infighting among various groups becoming very serious. Many people have already been killed." He then followed by telling us a story that left my entire family utterly shocked. He told us that in early 1950, to aid a frontier-support campaign initiated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), a young surgeon from southern China came to Urumqi in Xinjiang Province and worked in a local hospital. By the 1960's he had become very famous and was reputed for his skill in performing operations and curing critical patients. With high prestige among the people of Xinjiang, he was dubbed "the best surgeon in Xinjiang Province." Despite his noble reputation and fine skill, he was unable to protect himself. Upon the eruption of the Cultural Revolution, he was quickly branded an "academic bourgeoisie reactionary" and was thereafter criticized every day. However, what he received was not simply criticism, but rather downright barbarism. One day, during a "criticism meeting", both his hands were publicly chopped off with a broadsword by the rebels, a group that specialized in criticizing those in power and potential bourgeoisie. After attentively reading the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, I have come to a better understanding. I had wrongly presumed that policies made by Chinese Communist authorities were good, and that it was their subordinates who engaged in illegal activities. I sincerely appreciate
the work of the author of the Nine Commentaries. By reading the author's
detailed and well-reasoned articles, the blinding fog that hung in
front of our eyes has been removed, and our eyes are unveiled. Only
then can we stop shedding tears when recalling the bygone, and only
then will Chinese people genuinely stand on their own feet! I believe
this day will be soon at hand. Back Nurses attend to babies at the Critically Ill Baby Aid Center of Anhui Children Hospital in Hefei of Anhui Province, east China.(China Photos/Getty Images) From the OSF Healthcare Website: "Neural tube defects (NTDs) are serious birth defects with symptoms that range from mild to severe impairment. They are caused by incomplete development of the brain, spinal cord and/or their protective coverings. This occurs when the fetus' spine fails to close properly during the early stages of pregnancy. The Spina Bifida Association of America (SBAA) says spina bifida is the most common NTD." According to China's population and family planning science and technology meeting, the latest figures show that China has a high rate of birth defects. Out of 30 million births each year, between four and six percent of children are born with abnormalities. Neural tube defects rank the 3rd highest amongst all nations. According to the Information Times, China has high birth defects. In China, there is one birth defect every 30 seconds, one out of every 1.2 million children are born with birth defects annually, and the number one abnormality is neural tube defects. During a recent academic meeting regarding "folic acid and prevention of birth defects" in Guangzhou, experts proclaimed that women of childbearing age should have sufficient intake of folic acid before pregnancy to prevent neural tube defects. Current Medical research has proven that insufficient folic acid can lead to neural tube defects. "However, taking folic acid supplements during pregnancy may be too late!" The experts suggest the daily intake of folic acid for women of childbearing age should not be less than 400 micrograms, and pregnant and lactating women should take no less than 600 micrograms. Natural folic acid can be found in food items such as bread, noodles, rice and flour, cereal, cattle liver and orange juice. Tests indicate that 50-90 percent of folic acid is lost during cooking. Therefore, experts recommend taking folic acid supplements and folic acid fortified formula before and during early pregnancy to maintain daily requirements. Back Salary
Raise for Chinese Army Reveals CCP Crisis Back After the army reported a salary increase, the Communist Regime's central headquarters in Beijing also promised to raise the income of government workers. The two groups, making up millions of people, account for those who are in direct service to the communist authorities. The basic salary for officers and soldiers was nearly doubled. Raises according to position were also doubled while raises according to rank increased by three times. The new raises create a sharper delineation between what officers in the military and those in the civil sector can be expected to earn. Wages as a whole have quadrupled for military personnel over the past five years. On top of Hu Jintao's July increase, former president Jiang Zemin raised the salary for servicemen by three to four times within three years. Granting Military Ranks in Large Quantities Mr. Chen Pokong, editor and critic for the website hybsl.cn, has also pointed out that recent communist Party leaders have been the awarding ranks to gain loyalty among the military. When Jiang Zemin was the chairman of the Military Commission, he promoted a total of 79 generals. The second day after taking over as chairman of the Military Commission, Hu Jintao suddenly promoted two officers. During the period of raising salaries, Hu also promoted ten more generals. Hu wants to replace those generals put in place by Jiang so he can be sure his generals are loyal to him. Mr. Lin Zhengyang, head of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), said that the CCP tries to hold on to servicemen through corrupt means. Zhengyang said they give out as many high military ranks as possible, creating a rank inflation among military officers. He said that it has become so common that people in China are no longer fooled. Rebellion and Revenge Li Zhengyang said that the CCP would only pay someone if it needs something from him. The CCP has been raising the military's salary because it feels it has no other choice. The party is very worried, added Zhengyang, because there have been a series of transportation mishaps. Airplanes and ships have been getting into accidents that some believe are not accidental. In June, a KJ-2000—a large early warning airplane—crashed into a mountain area when flying over Guangde County, Anhui Province. The 40 military experts and two major generals on board all died. This was the beginning of a series of airplane crashes, killing those on board. Some speculate that this is the revenge by soldiers who were transferred to civilian work prior to the July 1 wage increase, making them ineligible for the raise. It is estimated that these types of "accidents" will continue to occur. In the 1960s, soldiers were disgruntled, but what is happening today is flat out revenge. Into the mid 1990s, it was uncommon for veterans to appeal for unawarded benefits. The majority of those appealing to the Beijing government were those who wanted compensation for harm they suffered during the Cultural Revolution. Now, ten years later, it is not uncommon to find groups of several thousand appealing together. Since soldiers have been transferred to civilian positions, rebellion is starting to surface The Motivation Behind the Salary Increases Chen Pokong has pointed out that the reason the CCP is raising military salaries is to maintain control. In order to accomplish this goal it must have the loyalty of the military. Historically, the communist party has relied on violence to maintain power. Only after soldiers' hearts are firmly under the control of the communist regime can the Party's dictatorial rule be stabilized. Mass protests and strikes continue and become more intensive in the country. Recently, the number of such protests has reached as high as 80,000 yearly. Control and stability have become increasingly sought after by the party, and increasingly illusive. In its search for security, according to Pokong, the communist regime is trying to imbed itself in the military. 'Being Bought off' Mr. Wu Fan, chief editor of China Affairs, a U.S.-based internet magazine, pointed out the Party's plot is quite transparent to the majority of servicemen in the Chinese military and to the greater public as well. They understand that they are being bought off. In their hearts they know that their obligation is to protect the people and land of China, not to do the CCP's dirty work. Wu said that the salary increases would only further displease the veterans. There are millions of veterans in China; several million of them are retired officers. Their economic situations are by no means stable. He said that the people can sense that the military is becoming more and more unstable—the rapid, unjustified raises are just one more symptom of the greater illness. Voices From inside the Military An article written by an anonymous soldier was published in a Chinese newspaper last month entitled, "How to Disintegrate the CCP." It called for a veritable coup d'etat against the CCP regime. It called for an end to military violence and violent control of the people and a beginning of peaceful reform. The author also called on the Chinese people to widely spread the Epoch Times ' Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party , a book that details the crimes of the CCP since it took over rule of China. Wu Fan credits The Nine Commentaries with catalyzing the new movement to replace the CCP regime with a legitimate democracy. Wu, along with several of his colleagues, have created The Future China Forum—an open, round table discussion about the future of China after the CCP falls. Gao Dawei, director of the Global Center for Quitting the CCP, said that The Nine Commentaries has, "successfully dispelled the Chinese communist culture of brainwashing and propaganda. In its place are arising Chinese people that are able to think clearly about its future." Back |
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