April 2, 2002 (Falun Dafa Information Center) Right now, there is much the world does not yet know about the crisis unfolding in the northeastern Chinese city of Changchun, and the city's quick descent into virtual martial law. Police have arrested more than 5,000 "suspected" Falun Gong practitioners since March 5. Some residents report screams of torture in the night outside Changchun police stations. Others tell of those who have been beaten to death in police custody. Multiple eyewitnesses describe individuals being thrown from high-rise buildings. Sources attest to dozens of deaths and immediate cremations, possibly as many as 100 or more. The scraps of information these reports piece together paint an ominous picture.

What Do We Know?

Both the stark numbers and the horrifying individual stories will come out over time, filling in the sketchy outline of a disastrous tableau. It is not so easy to quarantine information in China as it was during the dark days of the Great Leap Forward, or the Cultural Revolution, or even the Tiananmen Massacre, just 13 years ago. Thus, the realistic picture of Changchun will, in time, emerge in bright colors and sharp outline. Yet, the grip on information flow in and around Changchun remains firm, so that now we see mostly shadows, hear mostly murmurs.

What we do know is that Changchun cable TV stations showed programs with factual information about Falun Gong for about 50 minutes on March 5, after practitioners tapped into the signal with off-the-shelf equipment (they did not "take over the station" as some reports suggest; no force or violence was used). One of the programs aired was a deconstruction, a slow-motion analysis of the very film that officials had broadcast incessantly following a January 2001 self-immolation incident in Tiananmen Square. This incident was used to bend public opinion against Falun Gong. The film aired on March 5 cast serious doubt on the government's version of the incident and provides evidence that, in fact, the incident was staged by Jiang's regime.

From such exposure of the truth, fear cascaded down from the highest levels in the Communist regime. Jiang Zemin ordered to "kill without pardon" those responsible for the cable-tapping. Security and police forces were massed in Changchun. Amnesty International characterizes it, in its March 15 Urgent Action Notice, as a "security crackdown." They note, "Police 'stop-and-search' checkpoints have reportedly been established across the city."

Of Falun Gong practitioners in Changchun, "Amnesty International believes they are at serious risk of torture or ill-treatment." AI has documented past severe abuses, as have Human Rights Watch, the Wall Street Journal, and other observers. The confirmed death toll in this far-reaching persecution campaign has risen rapidly towards 400 recently, before this latest dragnet began.

In the last three weeks, an inconsistent flow of confirmed and unconfirmed reports has begun to bring to light the events that have transpired over the last three weeks (see timeline of events below), and they paint a dark, eerie picture.

What Does the Action Taken in Changchun Tell Us?

This Changchun crackdown has inadvertently exposed one of the official mistruths of the Jiang regime: if Falun Gong were nearly eradicated, as they claim, that only a few thousand "die-hard" practitioners remained nationwide, why would they need thousands of police to round up thousands of practitioners in a single city? Furthermore, what does it say about Jiang's position that a mere 50 minutes of TV programs broadcasted over a local cable network are reacted to with as much force as if the city itself were under invasion? Why would this relatively harmless act so enrage the Communist Chinese leader?

Falun Gong is growing and flourishing outside the Mainland, with practitioners in more than 50 countries, and the books translated into more than 25 languages. As it is in China, Falun Gong has become an integral part of people's lives the world over. For the past nearly three years, those who practice Falun Gong have joined the world's media and governments in closely monitoring the persecution campaign against Falun Gong in China, investigating its tragic effects and making a careful study of Jiang's true motives for carrying it out.

Thus, those who have watched the situation closely know all too well what the still-fuzzy reports of a police-state crackdown mean in Changchun - it is Jiang's relentless pursuit to hide the true nature and scope of the persecution against Falun Gong, for the entire campaign over the last nearly three years has been built upon and fueled by lies and deception in order to mobilize and consolidate his own political power. Indeed, many analysts argue that the persecution has little or nothing to do with the nature of Falun Gong itself, but has merely been used by Jiang to solidify his own political power base. Surely if these TV programs exposed this to the citizens of Changchun, it becomes more clear as to why Jiang has transformed Changchun into a near police state.

The Latest Updates from Changchun

In the most recent developments, Police in Changchun on March 31 released a statement claiming that all 5,000 detainees were "planning a mass suicide." In many previously verified cases, police have claimed that deaths resulting from torture inside their facilities resulted from suicide, often contradicting multiple eyewitness testimony. This follows a reported directive from Jiang allowing any killing of a practitioner to be reported as a suicide. The March 31 statement, however, fails to explain how 5,000 people, detained separately in multiple locations across a major metropolitan area and under constant police supervision managed to "plan" anything as a group, let alone a "mass suicide." The only possible motives for the police to release a statement like this would be to either further slander Falun Gong and/or act as a precursor to an impending report of an especially high number of deaths amongst the detained.

On April 1, reports received from Changchun indicate that all leaders in Jilin Province and Changchun city will be removed from office if another cable TV broadcast takes place, and police officers who fail to meet their "arrest quota" will be fired along with their supervisors. These reports help explain the scope and severity of the police action. Such threats are a common way for Jiang to demand results from state employees and clearly show that the victims of Jiang's persecution campaign extend well beyond the ranks of those who practice Falun Gong.

On April 1, it was also reported that 18 people were charged with cable TV interruption in relation to the March 5th incident. It has not been verified yet if they were tortured to "confess," if police grabbed them out of desperation, or who they are exactly. We have the names of 5: Liang Zhun Xin, Zhou Ren Jun, Zhao Jian, Liu Chen Jun, and Yun Qing Bin.

Inside sources say Jiang Zemin has ordered that two women reported to be responsible for the cable-tapping in Changchun be given the death penalty. Their simple act of telling the truth in public, and the price they are paying, show their great compassion for their fellow citizens and forbearance in the face of the inevitable terror that would be unleashed upon them. These are the principles that will survive any police action, any torture, any slander. These are the principles that will continue to flourish in and beyond China.

We Must Act Now, We Must Not Be Silent

Shortly after news of the Changchun crisis broke, more than 1,000 practitioners and supporters gathered for a quiet vigil outside the United Nations in Geneva during the Commission on Human Rights. In numerous cities from Australia, to Asia, to Europe, to North America, hunger strikes, candlelight vigils, and peaceful public appearances have unfolded calling for immediate action to protect those under severe persecution in Changchun City. Additionally, a press conference was held on the steps of New York City's City Hall, as city government officials stepped forward to denounce the persecution of Falun Gong.

This is only the beginning.

Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance will emerge along with the stark numbers and details that will bring the Changchun crackdown into sharp focus.

We must act now. We must not be silent.á

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Gail Rachlin 212-706-7026, Adam Montanaro 917-405-4507, or Feng Yuan 646-523-5676. Email: faluninfoctr@nycmail.com, Website: http://www.faluninfo.net/