FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 25, 2002[ http://www.faluninfo.net/ ]

NEW YORK, June 25, 2002 (Falun Dafa Information Center) - Sixty-eight year-old U.S. citizen and Falun Gong practitioner Dan Bihan was refused entry into Hong Kong on June 22. After being detained for eight hours, security guards wrapped her up in a canvas tarp, hoisted her onto their shoulders and carried her to a plane bound for New York.

Ms. Dan says she was ultimately headed to Malaysia to visit relatives. She was taking Guotai Airline from New York to Malaysia, and stopped in Hong Kong where she planned to spend several days before continuing on to Malaysia.

Ms. Dan had been to Hong Kong many times in the past, all without incident. On this occasion, however, after making a careful study of her passport, customs officials detained her immediately, citing "safety" as the reason.

"Clearly, I'm on some blacklist they are using to prevent Falun Gong practitioners from entering Hong Kong," says Ms. Dan. "They did this last year just before Chinese President Jiang Zemin visited Hong Kong. It is also something that European countries like Iceland and Lithuania did in the days leading up to visits by the Chinese President to those nations."

Just ten days before, Ms. Dan's flight to Iceland was cancelled by IcelandAir and she was barred from boarding the flight because her name appeared on a blacklist supplied to the airline by the Icelandic government in an apparent attempt to keep Falun Gong practitioners out of Iceland while the Chinese President was visiting the country.

On two occasions in 2000, Ms. Dan had attempted to return to her hometown in China. The first time, her visa was refused. The second time, she arrived in Chenzhen City in southern China before being deported by Chinese officials there. "At first I was on a blacklist that the Chinese government was using to keep Falun Gong practitioners from entering China," says Ms. Dan. "Now that list is being used outside of China to profile and discriminate against Falun Gong practitioners according to Jiang Zemin's wishes."

Ms. Dan concluded: "It's really frightening if you think about it... the Chinese President is exerting his influence on other nations to use a blacklist for profiling people and discriminating against people." "Tomorrow, if Jiang decides to go against Catholics or Jewish people, will Hong Kong and those nations who utilized such a list begin profiling and discriminating against Catholics or Jews just because the Chinese President says so?"

8 Hours of Detention in Hong Kong

"I was sitting on a chair and suddenly ten or more officers came into the room," says Ms. Dan. "I knew they were going to try to deport me, so I sat down and told them they had no right to do so. They then grabbed my legs and arms, and wrapped me up in a sticky canvas tarp." Ms. Dan was then hoisted onto the shoulders of the officers and carried to a plane headed for the United States.

Before reaching the airplane, Ms. Dan reasoned with the officials. "I told them that 12 officers don't really have to worry about a 68-year-old woman running away," Ms. Dan says. The officers agreed and let her down to walk the remaining distance to the airplane.

Ms. Dan says that during her detention she was watched by two female officers throughout the eight hours she was held. Even when she went to the rest room, the two officers followed her. When she asked to see her friends in Hong Kong, the officers refused.

When asked why she was refused entry into Hong Kong, the Hong Kong officer would only say it was a matter of "safety." "We don't want you come," one officer added. "You cannot come."

"I don't understand...what threat a seventy year-old lady is to Hong Kong?" Ms. Dan asked. "Nobody in the office could answer that question," she said.

According to Ms. Dan, during her detention the officers clearly avoided discussing Falun Gong and refused to indicate if that was the real reason she was being held.

Background

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a practice of meditation and exercises with teachings based on the universal principle of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance." It is a practice that was taught in private for thousands of years before being made public in 1992 by Mr. Li Hongzhi. Falun Gong has roots in traditional Chinese culture, but it is distinct and separate from other practices such as the religions of Buddhism and Taoism. Since its introduction in 1992, it quickly spread by word of mouth throughout China, and is now practiced in over 50 countries.

With government estimates of as many as 100 million practicing Falun Gong, China's President Jiang Zemin outlawed the peaceful practice in July 1999, fearful of anything touching the hearts and minds of more citizens than the Communist Party. Unable to crush the spirit of millions who had experienced improved health and positive life changes from Falun Gong, Jiang's regime has intensified its propaganda campaign to turn public opinion against the practice while quietly imprisoning, torturing and even murdering those who practice it.

The Falun Dafa Information Center has verified details of over 428 deaths since the persecution of Falun Gong in China began in 1999. Government officials inside China, however, report that the actual death toll is well over 1,600. Over 100,000 have been detained, with more than 20,000 being sentenced to forced labor camps without trial.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE FALUN DAFA INFORMATION CENTER-

Contacts: Gail Rachlin 917-501-4441, Erping Zhang 646-533-6147, Adam Montanaro 917-405-4507, or Feng Yuan 646-523-5676. Email: [email protected], Website: http://www.faluninfo.net/