Tuesday, October 24, 2000

An Atlanta engineer and her husband, who spent almost two months under house arrest in China, returned home Monday determined to publicize the faith that landed them in trouble with Chinese authorities.

"We are the lucky ones," said Xiaohua Du, a 29-year-old Chinese citizen who has lived in Atlanta for five years. "But our hearts remain heavy for the thousands of Falun Gong followers still languishing in labor camps because they can't get similar help from overseas."

The couple is planning a flurry of media interviews beginning today to highlight the plight of other detainees in China.

Du and her husband, Shean Lin, were arrested Sept. 8 after Chinese officials found in their possession materials pertaining to Falun Gong, a meditation movement banned in China. After 40 days in detention, they were freed when pressure from the U.S. State Department prompted China to relent. Their return was delayed to allow time for visa renewal.

While under house arrest, the couple said they had little time to ponder their future. Lin's father died soon after their arrival. Their attention "switched from consoling the family in this time of grief to assuring them of our safety," said Du. "The fear of the government is so huge in their heart that they found it hard to believe when we told them we will be OK because we had friends in the states fighting for our release."

While the couple was in detention, friends and supporters worked tirelessly to bring their case to public attention.

Becky Yao, a Falun Gong practitioner in Atlanta who was responsible for a letter-writing campaign, said the couple's release was a result of the efforts of Sen. Zell Miller (D-Ga.) and Rep. Spencer Bachus (R -Ala.). Lin is a graduate student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

"If it wasn't for them, I don't think we could have pressured the Chinese government into changing their mind," said Yao.

Du and Lin said they will now work toward ensuring that other detainees receive similar support.

"There's a student from North(ern) Ireland who was arrested on a similar charge as ours and who's still in jail," Du said. "Our release proves that the Chinese government can be forced to reconsider, and we will have to fight to make them do so in every case now."