(Minghui.org) The Jilin City Police Department in Jilin Province seized 34 Falun Gong practitioners on July 19, 2019. Three more were arrested shortly afterward, bringing the total to 37 arrests in three days.
Six of the practitioners’ family members, who don't practice Falun Gong, were also taken into custody on July 19, though they were released hours later.
Among the 37 targeted practitioners, 21 are still held in Jilin City detention centers at the time of writing.
The practitioners’ homes were ransacked, and it has been confirmed that the police confiscated 79,300 yuan ($11,081 USD) of cash, 19 computers, 10 printers, and their Falun Gong books.
It was reported that the police had tapped into the practitioners' phones and monitored them for some time before carrying out the arrests.
A day before the mass arrest, five practitioners were caught on a surveillance camera giving out Falun Gong informational materials.
One of the officers said that the phones of all practitioners, their families, relatives and friends were under surveillance. As soon as the police received orders, they were able to easily locate and arrest the practitioners.
The arrests brought great losses upon the practitioners and tremendous stress and fear to their families. Worst of all, the police officers involved have committed a crime against Dafa and practitioners, which makes it difficult for them to be saved in the future.
Some of our local practitioners in Jilin City haven’t paid enough attention to the issue of cell phone security for a long time.
For example, they carry their phones everywhere. One practitioner even kept her cell phone in her bag while attending a Fa-study group. When the phone rang, she picked up and said, “I’ll be there after I’m done studying the Fa.” What she did posed danger to both herself and the practitioners with her. She was preoccupied with her own convenience while neglecting the safety of others.
One of the arrested practitioners would, instead of turning off the phone, call from a material production site and ask, “The machine is fixed. How many copies do you need?” His actions exposed the practitioners at the site, yet he refused to change his routine even after being reminded.
I also noticed that these practitioners didn't have strong righteous thoughts when faced with tribulations.
Some went to the hospital as soon as they felt uncomfortable.
One practitioner signed a statement to renounce Falun Gong after being arrested. After being released, she said, “I had to. Otherwise no one could take care of my mother. But now that I'm back, I will continue the practice and return home with Master.”
Another practitioner gave information about many practitioners after his arrest because the police threatened to punish his family members. He stopped practicing, not wanting to jeopardize his family’s safety.
Master has talked about safety issues with cellphones many times, and so have Minghui editorials. There were also many discussions on Minghui and painful lessons of mass arrests due to such breaches.
Nevertheless, some practitioners still do not take it seriously, instead believing that they had righteous thoughts and that nothing would ever happen to them.
Some wouldn't give up the convenience of carrying their phones around and don't follow the instructions from the Minghui editorial to remove WeChat from their phones.
Master told us,
“You know about how phones can be monitored… I can tell you that every mobile phone we carry on us is serving as a listening device.” (“2018 Fa Teaching Given in Washington, D.C.”)
“All of the cellphones, computers, and other electronic devices you carry with you, devices that connect to the internet, are all listening devices. It’s not just the wicked CCP who is getting more and more interested in Dafa disciples. Let me tell you that many countries are monitoring you. You may think you are an ordinary student and you are safe, yet they even record your everyday conversation, including when you do grocery shopping and eat meals, and they analyze your entire existence. Do you know how businesses analyze business intelligence? It’s done in the same way. They know you very well, as long as you have a cellphone on you.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2019 New York Fa Conference”)
There are two paths in our cultivation, one arranged by Master and the other by the old forces.
If we do not not walk the path arranged by Master, then the evil will persecute us with all kinds of excuses. No one wants us to success in cultivation except Master.
In the past 20 years, Master has guided and protected us every step of the way. He helped us get up when we fell and wouldn’t want to see tremendous losses like what happened to Jilin practitioners this time.
Let us learn from these painful lessons, study the Fa, and do the three things well. We should, “with a cultivation process that is without regret, walk toward the future.” (“To the Fa Conference in Canada”)