Leaflets land woman in Chinese Jail

Leaflets land woman in Chinese jail

Dapto Woman Fears for Mum's Safety

by Geoff Fails

A young Dapto woman has appealed to the Federal Government to help free her mother serving three years in a Chinese labour camp for distributing flyers about a spiritual movement.

Esther Wang has written to Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer in a desperate effort to have her 56-year-old mother released from the camp she shares with 10,000 prisoners including "thugs and hardened criminal".

Ms Wang, who arrived in Australia in 1995 to marry her Australian fiancé Bill and is now an Australian citizen, claimed yesterday neither she nor her sister in China had been able to see their mother since she was jailed late last year.

Ms Wang said she and her mother practised Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong - a spiritual movement which teaches meditation, truthfulness, benevolence and forbearance but it was banned in China in July 1999.

Thousands of people in China have been arrested for practising Falun Dafa and millions of books, audio tapes and videotapes have been confiscated and burnt.

Ms Wang, a clerk in Wollongong, and her husband applied in February last year for visas to visit her sick father in China.

Her husband's visa application was granted in three days but Ms Wang said she was quizzed about her Falun Dafa activities and had to wait three months before hers was issued.

During this time her father died and because of the delay Ms Wang missed his funeral.

Her torment deepened in July last year when her mother was arrested outside her home for allegedly distributing Falun Dafa leaflets.

"There were no official charges laid and she was kept there for about four months before being taken to trial," Ms Wang said.

"After the trial she was sent back to the jail without any verdict and without knowing how long she would be detained."

"It took another two months before the charges were officially read out and a sentence of three years imposed."

An appeal was lodged but in April this year it was rejected and her mother, whom Ms Wang does not want to identify because of possible repercussions, was sent to a labour camp.

A family friend who visited her mother recently said she was "very depressed and her spirit was 'very low'."

Amnesty International national refugee team member John Clugston said yesterday Amnesty was aware of the arrest of not only Falun Dafa practitioners but also members of other spiritual groups in China.

A spokesman for Mr Downer said yesterday the Government was well aware about complaints about the treatment of Falun Dafa followers.

	Leaflets land woman in Chinese jail Dapto Woman Fears for Mum's Safety by Geoff Fails A young Dapto woman has appealed to the Federal Government to help free her mother serving three years in a Chinese labour camp for distributing flyers about a spiritual movement. Esther Wang has written to Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer in a desperate effort to have her 56-year-old mother released from the camp she shares with 10,000 prisoners including "thugs and hardened criminal". Ms Wang, who arrived in Australia in 1995 to marry her Australian fiancé Bill and is now an Australian citizen, claimed yesterday neither she nor her sister in China had been able to see their mother since she was jailed late last year. Ms Wang said she and her mother practised Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong - a spiritual movement which teaches meditation, truthfulness, benevolence and forbearance but it was banned in China in July 1999. Thousands of people in China have been arrested for practising Falun Dafa and millions of books, audio tapes and videotapes have been confiscated and burnt. Ms Wang, a clerk in Wollongong, and her husband applied in February last year for visas to visit her sick father in China. Her husband's visa application was granted in three days but Ms Wang said she was quizzed about her Falun Dafa activities and had to wait three months before hers was issued. During this time her father died and because of the delay Ms Wang missed his funeral. Her torment deepened in July last year when her mother was arrested outside her home for allegedly distributing Falun Dafa leaflets. "There were no official charges laid and she was kept there for about four months before being taken to trial," Ms Wang said. "After the trial she was sent back to the jail without any verdict and without knowing how long she would be detained." "It took another two months before the charges were officially read out and a sentence of three years imposed." An appeal was lodged but in April this year it was rejected and her mother, whom Ms Wang does not want to identify because of possible repercussions, was sent to a labour camp. A family friend who visited her mother recently said she was "very depressed and her spirit was 'very low'." Amnesty International national refugee team member John Clugston said yesterday Amnesty was aware of the arrest of not only Falun Dafa practitioners but also members of other spiritual groups in China. A spokesman for Mr Downer said yesterday the Government was well aware about complaints about the treatment of Falun Dafa followers.