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Chapter 10 The Global Reach of the Campaign
TABLE OF CONTENTS
10.1 THE CHINESE OFFICIALS DEFAME FALUN GONG IN PUBLIC
10.2 CHINESE INTERFERENCE WITH AND HARASSMENT OF INDEPENDENT JOURNALISTS
10.3 THE HACKING OF FALUN GONG WEB-SITES IN THE WEST
10.4 CHINESE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS PRESSURE U.S. LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO RESCIND THE AWARDS
10.5 CHINA STEPS UP HARASSMENT OVERSEAS WITH EMBASSIES AS MAIN FORCES
10.6 THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT PUT INFLUENCE ON THE CHINESE STUDENTS AND SCHOLARS ASSOCIATIONS IN THE USA
10.7 CHINESE EMBASSIES IN THE WORLD REFUSED FALUN GONG PRACTITIONERS' APPEALING LETTERS
10.8 HOW THE WORLD AND CHINA RESPOND DIFFERENTLY
10.1 THE CHINESE OFFICIALS DEFAME FALUN GONG IN PUBLIC
10.1.1 Chinese officials pressured Canadian MPs and senators
10.1.2 Chinese Consulate in Toronto held a secret forum to denounce Falun Gong
10.1.3 Chinese Ambassador Li Zhaoxing in US slandered Falun Gong in Chinese community
10.1.4 China rebuffs U.S. over the ban of Falun Gong
10.1.5 Chinese officials use split in media over Falun Gong practitioners
10.1.6 Chinese Ambassador Mei Ping and Consul General Huang Ping in Canada
using fabricated evidence to defame Falun Gong
10.1.7 Chinese Embassy in Canada held a secret meeting to defame Falun Gong
10.1.8 Consular Wei Ruixing of Chinese Consulate in Chicago US defames Falun Gong
at a banquet held in Illinois
10.1.9 Chinese Ambassador in US compared Falun Gong to Mafia
10.1.10 Jiang Zemin: I don't believe we can't punish Falun Gong for crimes
10.1.11 Ambassador Li Zhaoxing in US attacking Falun Gong in a business symposium
10.1.12 Chinese Ambassador Li Zhaoxing in US spread fabricated stories
in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
10.1.13 Chinese Diplomat in US defends the Falun Gong ban and defames the
founder of Falun Gong
10.1.14 Chinese Embassy says Falun Gong is destabilizing the society
while practitioners talk about the benefits they received
10.1.15 Chinese diplomats in US seek to discredit Falun Gong
10.1.16 Chinese President Jiang Zemin labeled Falun Gong an "evil cult"
before the government official statement
10.1.17 Chinese President Jiang Zemin gave US President Clinton an unusual gift
10.2 CHINESE INTERFERENCE WITH AND HARASSMENT OF INDEPENDENT JOURNALISTS
10.2.1 China State Security Bureau interferes with the communication link
of Information Center of Human Rights & Democratic Movement in China
10.2.2 Chinese interference and harassment to independent journalists in Beijing
10.2.3 Chinese official trying to buy control of Chinese-language media
10.3 THE HACKING OF FALUN GONG WEB-SITES IN THE WEST
10.3.1 Email redirected from China to send fake Mr. Li Hongzhi’s article to Internet users in China
10.3.2 Chinese government attacked Falun Gong web sites
10.3.3 The Chinese government launches attacks on the Internet communication
of Falun Gong practitioners and their web sites
10.3.4 China blocks internet access
10.3.5 The attack on the Falun Dafa Canada Web Site
10.3.6 Technical report of where the web site attacks came from
10.3.7 The attacks forged the U.S. Department of Transportation's return addresses
10.3.8 Falun Dafa Europe Web site hacked by Chinese government
10.3.9 A Chinese official hacker left forged Research Society of Falun Dafa's name on the web
10.3.10 Chinese "government propaganda" placed on Falun Gong web page
and deleted others
10.4 CHINESE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS PRESSURE U.S. LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO RESCIND THE AWARDS
10.4.1 Chinese upset with Boone County, Missouri, USA
10.4.2 Chinese diplomat pressured Columbia City Government in Missouri, USA
10.4.3 Chinese Embassy in US pressured Washington DC City government
10.4.4 A Conversation with a State officer about Maryland governor "canceling" the proclamation
10.4.5 US denies urging its local governments to apologize to China for
the proclamations of "Falun Dafa Day"
10.4.6 Cancellation of Proclamation from Baltimore City still unknown
10.4.7 China sways Seattle mayor to reverse Falun Gong proclamation
10.4.8 St. Louis City, Missouri, USA received pressure from the Chinese Consulate
10.4.9 The certificate issued and rescinded by Los Angeles City government
10.4.10 Proclamation of "Li Hongzhi Day" in San Francisco City Cancelled
10.5 CHINA STEPS UP HARASSMENT OVERSEAS WITH EMBASSIES AS MAIN FORCES
10.5.1 Diplomats in Thailand asked local Chinese businessmen to report
on Falun Gong activities
10.5.2 The Chinese Consulate in Sydney hosed down appealing Falun Gong practitioners
10.5.3 Macau police seize Falun Gong practitioners on handover eve
during their meditative exercises
10.5.4 Macau expels six more Falun Gong practitioners
10.5.5 China demands arrest, extradition of Falun Gong leader from US
10.5.6 Chinese government interferes with Falun Gong conference held for UN correspondents
10.5.7 Falun Gong practitioners in Australia harassed
10.6.1 Caltech allows Falun Gong activities - regardless of China's warning
10.6.2 Chinese Embassy distributed CDs with fabricated stories in celebration
of Chinese New Year in Virginia, USA
10.6.3 Another attempt by Chinese Embassy to Defame Falun Dafa Overseas
10.7 CHINESE EMBASSIES IN THE WORLD REFUSED FALUN GONG PRACTITIONERS' APPEALING LETTERS
10.7.1 Chinese embassy in US refused Falun Gong practitioners' appealing letter
10.7.2 Chinese embassy in France refused Falun Gong practitioners' appealing letter
10.7.3 Chinese embassy in Singapore refused Falun Gong practitioners' appealing letter
10.7.4 Chinese embassy in Sweden refused Falun Gong practitioners' appealing letter
10.7.5 Chinese Ambassador in US refused Falun Gong practitioners' appealing letter
10.7.6 Chinese embassy in Japan refused Falun Gong practitioners' appealing letter
10.8 HOW THE WORLD AND CHINA RESPOND DIFFERENTLY
10.8.1 Amnesty International says China's human rights white paper is a whitewash
10.8.2 China fails to address western concerns in human rights
10.8.3 China opposed to European move to censure its human rights record
10.8.4 Chinese officials expressed "strong indignation" today over an American campaign
to censure China at the United Nations Human Rights Commission
10.8.5 US to seek resolution critical of China's rights record
10.8.6 China says it will fight hostile religious forces
10.8.7 China draws up black list of Falun Gong practitioners abroad
10.8.8 China Demands U.S. Revoke Sanctions Over Religion
10.1 The Chinese Officials Defame Falun Gong in Public
10.1.1 Chinese officials pressured Canadian MPs and senators
Date of report: December 16 - 22, 1999
Source of news: Now Magazine
Title: Reform Party Deep-Breathing Unlikely ally for China sect
Author: Gordon Laird
Abstract:
Last month, Mr. Xie in the Chinese embassy in Ottawa called Reform MP Rob Anders, who was organizing a parliamentary luncheon to draw attention to the persecution of Falun Gong - some 35,000 people have been detained in China since June. Chinese officials were concerned about Reform’s involvement with Canadian members of Falun Gong, a Chinese meditation practice that’s been the focus of the largest Chinese government crackdown in recent memory.
The embassy message was clear: stop meddling in China’s domestic affairs.
“It was diplomatic but insistent,” recalls the Reform staff who took the call. “They urged us to reconsider hosting the meeting and to consider their facts.”
Several MPs and senators were contacted by Chinese embassy staff.
“Our ambassador His Excellency Mei Ping, as a diplomat, made telephone calls to explain our position,” confirms Jin Zhenda, Chinese embassy press secretary, “in order to let the Canadian people know the facts about the Falun cult.”
A slew of propaganda materials against Falun Gong soon found their way onto Parliament Hill.
The Chinese Embassy won’t confirm how many calls it made, but about 10 MPs and several senators were contacted by the embassy and urged to boycott the Reform-Falun luncheon.
And while the Chinese embassy asserts the sanctity of its domestic policy, Falun Gong’s Canadian practitioners report that the Chinese government has been operating its own surveillance campaign right here in Canada.
“I get warning calls from other practitioners, saying they’ve been asked for information by the government,” says Jillian Ye, a Chinese expatriate.
“Last September we noticed someone following us and taking pictures,” she says.
In Ottawa, mysterious cars park in front of the homes of Falun Gong organizers. Unknown Chinese sit in them for hours, waiting. Threats are sometimes made. “I’m an agent - you’d better be careful” was one call reportedly received by a Toronto Falun adherent earlier this fall.
10.1.2 Chinese Consulate in Toronto held a secret forum to denounce Falun Gong
Message received: December 14, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong practitioners
Location of incident: Toronto, Canada
Abstract:
The Chinese Consulate in Toronto held a secret forum on December 14, 1999 to denounce Falun Gong. Only the Chinese Xinhua News agency was informed. It was reported from Chinese Sing Tao Daily and World Journal on December 17 when they received a news report article from the Chinese Consulate.
10.1.3 Chinese Ambassador Li Zhaoxing in US slandered Falun Gong in Chinese community
Message received: December 11, 1999
Location of incident: Washington, D.C.
Abstract:
To celebrate Macau returning to China, the Chinese embassy hosted a “Macau returning to China discussion” meeting at the University of Maryland. Chinese ambassador Li Zhaoxing attended the meeting and gave a speech. In his speech, Li Zhaoxing brought up the Falun Gong issue as an example of problems existing in Sino-US relationship. He criticized US President Clinton for his recent speech asking China to allow Chinese people to practice their belief of Falun Gong in China. Li Zhaoxing called it “openly supporting the evil cult”. Li Zhaoxing referred to President Clinton’s comment on Falun Gong issues as “an interference in Chinese internal affairs” and “using two standards for evil cults”. Some Falun Gong practitioners went to the meeting and talked about their view of the issue. They used their own experience to say that Falun Gong is not an evil cult and since Falun Gong has been spread around the world, it could not be labeled as merely a “Chinese internal affair” and President Clinton’s comment on this issue should be considered by the Chinese government.
10.1.4 China rebuffs U.S. over the ban of Falun Gong
Date of report: December 7, 1999
Source: Associate Press
Title: China Rebuffs U.S. Over Banned Sect
Author: John Leicester
Abstract:
Rebuffing U.S. criticism, China said Tuesday that it was protecting the human rights of its citizens by banning the Falun Gong spiritual group. It accused the United States of ignoring the group’s dangers.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue’s comments came a day after President Clinton criticized China’s crackdown on the multimillion-member group as a ``troubling example’’ of the government acting against those ``who test the limits of freedom.’’ It was Clinton’s first public comment on China’s detention and imprisonment of Falun Gong members. “The U.S. government has adopted a double standard on the cult and also turned a deaf ear to the adverse effect and the damage of Falun Gong to the Chinese people and society and even tried to beautify this cult and interfere in China’s internal affairs,’’ she said when asked about Clinton’s remarks.
10.1.5 Chinese officials use split in media over Falun Gong practitioners
Date of report: December 7, 1999
Source: http://www.sunday-times.co.uk
Title: Chinese use split in media over sect
Author: Oliver August
Beijing - Chinese authorities are trying to exploit differences of opinion among foreign journalists over how to report the Falun Gong crackdown to justify the arrest of members of the spiritual movement.
The group has staged the biggest civil appeals in China since the 1989 pro-democracy movement and many practitioners interviewed by journalists have asked to be identified by name to demonstrate their determination. Journalists working for The New York Times, Reuters and other media have named the practitioners, possibly risking their imprisonment. Other correspondents have sharply attacked the practice.
One Chinese official said: “This only proves how divisive Falun Gong can be... Even the foreign journal-ists cannot agree how to deal with this group... They obviously want to be arrested to become martyrs. Journalists are their tool.”
In an open letter to Beijing-based correspondents, Floris-Jan van Luyn, of the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad, wrote: “Some Falun Gong members might have requested their names be used . . . but I believe that we as foreign journalists should more seriously consider the risk . . . of complete openness.”
Chinese officials took the letter to be an attack against a small number of journalists who attended a secret meeting with Falun Gong leaders.
Erik Eckholm, of The New York Times, wrote in another open letter: “The point of the secret press conference . . . was to have a group of them . . . stand before the cameras and the world and say . . . that the Chinese Government’s persecution was wrong.” Andy Browne, the Reuters bureau chief, wrote: “Are we going to deny Falun Gong this option?”
10.1.6 Chinese Ambassador Mei Ping and Consul General Huang Ping in Canada using fabricated evidence to defame Falun Gong
Message received: December 5, 1999
Victim: Falun Gong
Location of incident: Montreal, Canada
Abstract:
On December 5, 1999, the Chinese Embassy held a meeting to discuss Falun Gong in the Chinese Community in Montreal. Chinese ambassador Mei Ping and Consul General Huang Ping attended the meeting. A very vicious video using fabricated evidence to defame Falun Gong was shown. Prior to the meeting, on December 2, a practitioner called Ambassador Mei Ping to ask if he could attend the meeting. He was refused.
About 60 practitioners from Montreal and Ottawa went to the building where the meeting was held, but no one (even non-practitioners) was allowed to attend the meeting.
10.1.7 Chinese Embassy in Canada held a secret meeting to defame Falun Gong
Message received: November 21, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong practitioners
Location of incident: Ottawa, Canada
Abstract:
On November 21, 1999, the Chinese Embassy held a secret meeting in Ottawa to defame Falun Gong. Chinese ambassador Mei Ping and Consul General Huang Ping attended the meeting. A vicious video, “The Evil Cult Falun Gong”, using fabricated evidence was shown. Only two or three selected Chinese government media, Xinhua News Agency and People’s Daily were informed.
10.1.8 Consular Wei Ruixing of Chinese Consulate in Chicago US defames Falun Gong at a banquet held in Illinois
Date of report: November 19, 1999
Source: China Journal (in Chicago)
Abstract:
November. 16, Springfield (IL). General Consular of General Consulate of China in Chicago, Wei Ruixing, hosted a banquet. Guests included the visiting Chinese delegation of Calligraphy and Painting of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, as well as over 40 state officials and congressmen of Illinois. General Consular Wei gave a speech at the banquet to defame Falun Gong once more, in front of the whole audience.
He compared Falun Gong with other cults, like Aum Supreme Truth in Japan, Holly Sun Palace in Europe, etc. He listed lots of fabricated stories and false accusation against Falun Gong, like “Anti-science, anti-society and anti-humankind”, collecting money illegally, “1400 cases of death”... and insisted that any country should take tough measures on such kind of organization.
The Chinese government is protecting the human rights of its people by crackdown on Falun Gong, he said. He also claimed that after “re-education and transformation”, most of the practitioners in China have given up their practice of Falun Gong.
10.1.9 Chinese Ambassador in US compared Falun Gong to Mafia
Date of report: November. 15, 1999
Victims: Falun Gong practitioners
Source of news: Denver Post
Location of incident: Denver, Colorado
Description:
During his visit to Denver, the Chinese ambassador Li Zhaoxing called Falun Gong “nothing but an outrageous cult, a malicious cult”. In an interview, the ambassador labeled Falun Gong as something like “the Littleton Trenchcoat Mafia”. He raised the Falun Gong issue himself at a cocktail reception and slandered Li Hongzhi on several topics.
10.1.10 Jiang Zemin: I don’t believe we can’t punish Falun Gong for crimes
Date of report: November 5, 1999
Source: Duowei News (Chinesenewsnet.com)
Victims: All Falun Gong practitioners
Title: Jiang Zemin: I don’t believe we can’t punish Falun Gong for a crime
(Duowei News) source from Chinese high level official, when Jiang Zemin determined to ban Falun Gong, he spoke viciously “I don’t believe that we can not punish Falun Gong for crimes”. According to Lain He Bao (United Press), Jiang decided to punish Falun Gong but due to the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Kosovo, he had to postpone his plan. The Chinese government had been preparing its ban for a long time.
According to Lian He Bao, when Jiang had attended a farewell dinner with pre-Ambassador of US, the main topic was about Falun Gong. In this way, Jiang investigated the potential effect of his banning Falun Gong, and thought in this way he had notified the US government of his plan to ban Falun Gong.
10.1.11 Ambassador Li Zhaoxing in US attacking Falun Gong in a business symposium
Message received: November 5, 1999
Victims: all Falun Gong practitioners
Location of incident: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Abstract:
The Chinese Ambassador Li Zhaoxing came to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to attend a symposium focused on “Politics of Doing Business in China”. During lunchtime, Li shocked his guests by spending over 5 minutes talking about Falun Gong in his half-hour speech on a symposium fully dedicated to Sino-US trade relations. He said: “Falun Gong is neither truthful, nor benevolent, nor tolerant. 1,400 people died from not taking medicine due to their practice of Falun Gong. Falun Gong practitioners don’t allow other people to criticize them. Therefore, they infringe on other people’s basic human right of freedom of speech”.
In the question-answer period that followed, one practitioner commented: “ Ambassador, nowhere in the Falun Gong books can you find prohibitions from taking medicine. Besides, it is a tough call whether those 1,400 people are truly Falun gong practitioners. However, the Chinese government has never mentioned a single word about the fact that millions of people have attained health and eliminated their illnesses through practicing Falun Gong.” A female reporter, holding a picture showing Falun Gong practitioners’ being tortured, asked the Ambassador:” What about this? How do you explain this?” The Ambassador told her in front of the whole audience: “These are totally fabricated. Don’t believe them”.
10.1.12 Chinese Ambassador Li Zhaoxing in US spread fabricated stories in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Date: November 4, 1999
Source: Jeff Chen, North Carolina
Location of incident: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Description:
When giving a 30-minute keynote speech at a seminar entitled “Politics of Doing Business in China” at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Ambassador Li Zhaoxin spent more than 5 minutes slandering Falun Gong.
He branded Falun Gong as ‘nothing but an evil cult’. He spread fabricated stories or lies such as,
“Falun Gong caused 1,400 people’s death.”
“Falun Gong practitioners went to besiege a magazine’s publishing house just because they had an article criticizing Falun Gong. That’s violation of other people’s freedom of speech. (NOTE by Jeff Chen: That was in fact Falun Gong practitioners’ appealing to the magazine telling them about the untruthful parts of their article. There is nothing wrong with doing that.)
Some U.S. Congressmen said the Chinese government is persecuting Falun Gong. That is not true. We’re not persecuting them.
They said they were not given a single chance to defend themselves. That’s not true. They have been given plenty of chances to do that.
The torture pictures they showed you are all fake. Don’t believe them.”
10.1.13 Chinese Diplomat in US defends the Falun Gong ban and defames the founder of Falun Gong
Date of report: November 3, 1999
Source: Associated Press (AP)
Title: Diplomat Defends Falun Gong Ban
Author: George Gedda
Abstract:
Chinese Embassy spokesman Yu Shuning summoned reporters to talk about the movement in an attempt to counter widespread publicity in the U.S. media regarding China’s attempts to abolish the group. The diplomat said Tuesday that China decided to ban the spiritual movement after its leaders caused the deaths of 1,400 practitioners by brainwashing them into refusing medical treatment. Yu also sought to debunk the notion that Falun Gong is nonviolent, alleging that 10,000 members mobilized last April in a bid to seize a Communist Party compound in China.
Yu also had harsh words for Li Hongzhi, the Falun Gong leader who lives in exile in New York. He charged that Li has “brainwashed his people so they can’t tell right from wrong.” He also has used doomsday prophecies “to frighten his disciples into obedience,” Yu said. By “swindling” practitioners, Li has been able to build up an “extravagant lifestyle” that includes “many luxury residences,” Yu added.
He said China is continuing to seek Li’s arrest but has received little cooperation either from the United States or Interpol, the international police force based in France. There is virtually no prospect that the United States will deport Li to China because the two countries do not have an extradition treaty.
Outside the Chinese Embassy, located in a residential section north of the downtown Washington DC area, more than a dozen Falun Gong demonstrators appealed Chinese harassment of the group. They passed out leaflets accusing Chinese authorities of subjecting its members to arrest and torture. They also denied that adherents are forbidden to receive medical treatment.
One large banner proclaimed: “Millions of people are tortured because they want to be good.” Another stated: “When will the world act?”
10.1.14 Chinese Embassy says Falun Gong is destabilizing the society while practitioners talk about the benefits they received
Date of report: November 3, 1999
Source: Reuters
Title: Chinese Embassy Says Falun Gong Destabilizing
Abstract:
China’s embassy on Tuesday accused the Falun Gong spiritual movement of destabilizing the fabric of Chinese society and the group’s leader of causing the deaths of members by preaching against medical help. “This is a cult which endangers the health and mental fitness of the practitioners and disrupts social order and stability, so that’s why the government has taken measures against it,” he said at an embassy news conference to discuss Falun Gong.
He sought to draw similarities between the group and the Branch Davidians which held a 51-day armed standoff with federal agents near Waco, Texas, in 1993, and the Aum Shinri Kyo in Japan accused of a 1995 nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway. But when pressed for examples of violent activities by the Falun Gong, Yu said: “Of course up to now we have not found any evidence showing that they are trying to resort to violence.”
Across the street from the Chinese embassy about 15 Falun Gong practitioners appealed China’s policies toward the group by standing silently in meditative poses. One woman, Lin Fang of Atlanta, Georgia, said she had traveled to New York and Washington to participate in such appeals. She said the Chinese government is afraid of Falun Gong “because we have too many people in China.” She credited the spiritual movement with helping her physical health, which in turn enabled her to have a child. “I married seven years back and couldn’t have a baby. I have many allergies, tried many medicines,” Lin said. “Since I practice (Falun Gong), after six weeks I stopped all medicines and got pregnant,” she said.
10.1.15 Chinese diplomats in US seek to dis-credit Falun Gong
Date of report: November 3, 1999
Source: CNN Title: Chinese diplomats seek to discredit Falun Gong
Author: Andrea Koppel
Abstract:
Washington (CNN) -- As Falun Gong practitioners staged a peaceful demonstration outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington on Tuesday, Chinese diplomats inside held a news conference to discredit the group that their government labels a cult.
Trials are expected to begin soon in China for dozens of practitioners of the outlawed movement as government officials defend the crackdown on the group, which Beijing claims has about 2 million practitioners.
Privately, Chinese diplomats say stopping the Falun Gong has become an all-consuming issue for President Jiang Zemin -- a prime reason for holding the rare news conference.
Chinese diplomats in Washington charged the move-ment’s leader, Li Hongzhi, with contributing to the deaths of 1,400 people, claiming he kept them from medical treatment.
“After they followed the so-called instructions of Li Hongzhi, they refused to go to the hospital and, as a result, their cases worsened very quickly and they died,” said Chinese Embassy spokesman Yu Shuning.
However, Dana Cheng, a computer programmer who said she has been a Falun Gong follower in the United States for two years, rejects that charge.
“If you feel you need doctor, go to doctor. Even Master Li says so,” said Cheng.
Practitioners say Falun Gong, first introduced in China in 1992, promotes health and spiritual fulfillment through traditional exercises and meditation.
The Chinese government claims Falun Gong is a danger to national security.
“There are cases recently revealed during the investigation that some Falun Gong members have stolen 59 secret documents,” Shuning told reporters.
Analysts say the reason the Chinese government has reacted so strongly in recent months, banning the group and arresting its top leaders, is because it is worried.
“Falun Gong is saying to the Communist Party, ‘You’re the emperor with no clothes. We don’t have any reason to believe you any more,’ and the party feels this is very threatening,” said Martin Whyte of George Washington University.
10.1.16 Chinese President Jiang Zemin labeled Falun Gong an “evil cult” before the government official statement
Date of report: October 25, 1999
Source: Xinhua News Agency
Victims: all Falun Gong practitioners
Location of incident: France
Description:
(Xinhua News Agency) French newspaper Le Figaro interviewed Chinese President Jiang Zemin before his official visit to France. Jiang referred to Falun Gong as an “ evil cult” during the interview.
10.1.17 Chinese President Jiang Zemin gave US President Clinton an unusual gift
Date of report: September 12, 1999
Source: AP News (http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World)
Title: Jiang gives Clinton book on banned meditation group
Abstract:
In Auckland, New Zealand, as China and the United States sought to mend recently damaged ties, President Jiang Zemin gave President Clinton an unusual gift: a book defending China’s ban on a popular meditation sect. During their hour long summit Saturday, Jiang handed Clinton a book purporting to expose the crimes committed by Li Hongzhi, founder of Falun Gong, the popular group that China’s communist government outlawed in July.
Titled “Li Hongzhi and His ‘Falun Gong’: Deceiving the Public and Ruining Lives”, the book’s 150 pages in English is a relentless barrage of propaganda from China’s entirely state-run media. Far from an academic exercise, Jiang’s gift seemed intended to head off a new human rights dispute.
10.2 Chinese Interference with and Harassment of Independent Journalists
10.2.1 China State Security Bureau interferes with the communication link of Information Center of Human Rights & Democratic Movement in China
Date of report: December 16, 1999
Source: Reuters
Victim: Lu Siqing (Frank Lu)
Title: HK Human Rights Group Says Lines Jammed by China
Location of incident: Hong Kong
Abstract:
A Hong Kong Human Rights Group said Chinese authorities had jammed its telecommunications services with crank calls to prevent it receiving information. “China’s State Security Bureau has recently been inter-fering with the telephone and fax lines and pager of the information center non-stop 24 hours a day,” Frank Lu, the founder of the Information Center of Human Rights & Democratic Movement in China, said in a statement. The center collects stories about the abuse of human rights in China and releases them to the media, including international news agencies.
Lu said frequent calls to his pager showed a number in Guangzhou in southern China, he had tracked this number to a person with connections to the State Security Bureau. The center’s telephone and fax had each been receiving about 100 crank calls daily since May, rising to 1,000 since late October when it started reporting on Beijing’s crackdown on the Falun Gong spiritual movement. He had filed a report to the Hong Kong police.
10.2.2 Chinese interference and harassment to independent journalists in Beijing
Silence! China tell reporters to stop covering Falun Gong
Date of report: November 11, 1999
Source: ABCNEWS: Silence!
Title: Silence! China Tells Reporters to Stop Covering Falun Gong
Author: ABCNEWS Beijing producer Chito Romana and Reuters
Excerpt:
On November 11, Beijing. Chinese authorities have been warning journalists from international news organizations to stop reporting on the Falun Gong spiritual movement.
The Foreign Ministry reportedly called in representatives from Reuters on Wednesday, The Associated Press and AP Television today, and has asked to speak with CNN on Friday and The New York Times on Saturday.
Journalists Protest
The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China issued a letter Wednesday protesting what it called official “intimidation and harassment” linked to coverage of the Falun Gong spiritual movement.
“Our members have been followed, detained, interrogated and threatened,” said the letter sent to the Foreign Ministry and the Cabinet spokesman. “Such harassment is completely out of line with international practice. It impedes our legitimate journalistic work and violates the private lives of our members and their families.”
The letter also complained of interference with television satellite transmissions, which must be routed through China Central Television and delays in shipping videotapes.
ABCNEWS’ Mark Litke, who reported on the Falun Gong for World News tonight, carried his piece by hand to Tokyo, where it was transmitted to New York for broadcast.
Hard to Stop
But the group, which claims 100 million practitioners worldwide, has not been shut down. Instead, members have staged sudden appeals in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square and outside the Zhongnanhai leadership compound. The group even organized a ”secret” news conference on October 28 to show off wounds members say resulted from torture and beatings at the hands of Chinese authorities.
The news conference is said to have particularly angered Chinese authorities. The Foreign Ministry and security forces maintain that foreign journalists who covered the event had engaged in “illegal reporting.”
Journalists from a number of news organizations, including Reuters, AP and The New York Times, were questioned at length by police, obliged to sign a confession of wrongdoing and had their work and residence papers temporarily confiscated.
Several of those reporters are now under heavy police surveillance.
(http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/dailynews/Fal un Gong991111.html )
Beijing warns foreign journalists against Falun Gong coverage
Date of report: 11/04/1999
Source: Agence France Presse
Title: Beijing Warns Foreign Journalists Against Falun Gong Coverage
Abstract:
Detail story extracted from Agence France Presse. The Chinese government Thursday warned foreign journalists against covering activities by members of the spiritual Falun Gong group, a day after confiscating five journalists’ documents for attending a secret press conference by practitioners. The five journalists from various media agencies were called in for questioning, interrogated about the secret press conference on October 28, and had their residence permit as well as journalist accreditation card taken away from them. Police on Thursday returned documents to three of the journalists, but the two others still had no word when they would receive their cards, which they need to work in Beijing. Asked at news briefing how long it would take for the two remaining journalists to get their documents back, foreign ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue declined to comment and told reporters to direct the question at police.
China seizes documents from 5 western reporters over Falun Gong news conference
Date of report: November 4, 1999
Source: New York Times (www.nytimes.com)
Title: China Seizes Documents from 5 Western Reporters Over sect News Conference
Abstract:
The Chinese police called in at least five Western reporters on Wednesday for questioning about a clandestine Falun Gong news conference that they attended on October 28 and temporally seized the reporters’ accreditation cards and residence permits. The officials warned the reporters that because Falun Gong was banned in July, interviewing members of the spiritual movement is illegal. The officials also sought information about the Chinese participants in the news conference.
Foreign journalists in Beijing detained for Falun Gong press conference
Date of report: November 3, 1999
Source: Agence France Presse
Title: Foreign Journalists In Beijing Detained For Falun Gong Press Conference
Abstract:
Several Beijing-based foreign correspondents were intimidated and interrogated Wednesday by Chinese police for attending a press conference by the banned Falun Gong spiritual group. At least five of them had their residence permits and journalist accreditation cards taken away. “I was left with the impression that if I went to another press conference like that then I would not be allowed to work in China,” one of the journalists told AFP. During that press conference about 20 practitioners explained their attempts to persuade China’s leaders that the ban was misguided and irrational. The group, which practices traditional Chinese meditation and breathing exercises and advocates high moral values, has been branded the biggest threat to China’s political stability since 1989 democracy appeals were brutally crushed on Tiananmen Square.
Police “harass” foreign journalists in Beijing
Victims: Members of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China in Beijing
Location of incident: Beijing, China
Abstract:
Journalists from a number of news organizations, including Reuters, the New York Times and the Associated Press, attended a news conference on October 28, 1999 by members of Falun Gong and after that they have been followed, detained, interrogated and threatened by police. The Foreign Ministry and security forces of China maintained that foreign journalists who covered the event had engaged in “illegal reporting”. They were further obliged to sign a confession of wrongdoing and had their work and residence papers temporarily confiscated.
10.2.3 Chinese official trying to buy control of Chinese-language media
Date of report: February 9, 2000
Source of news: The Globe and Mail Title: CSIS warned Ottawa of Beijing media plot - China tried to manipulate news outlets to muzzle criticism in Canada, agents say
Author: ANDREW MITROVICA and JEFF SALLOT
Abstract:
Federal counterintelligence officers say they uncovered a well-financed Chinese government plot to muzzle criticism of Beijing’s human-rights record in Canada’s Chinese-language news media.
The plot, involving proxy investors trying to buy control of Chinese-language media outlets, appears to have had little success, judging by the independent coverage in most of those newspapers and broadcasters, counterintelligence sources said.
Nevertheless, the officers said wiretaps and informants revealed a detailed and worrisome picture of a foreign power trying secretly to manipulate political debate among Canadians of Chinese heritage.
CSIS’s concerns about Beijing’s attempts to control Chinese-language media are well founded, according to several prominent members of the Canadian Chinese community. Michael To, the Canadian representative of the World Council of Chinese
Pro-democracy Organizations, points to the case of two senior journalists at a Chinese community newspaper in Ottawa who were forced to resign after the Chinese embassy complained about articles that criticized Beijing’s human-rights record.
The top-secret 1994 report was the product of years of work by CSIS’s China desk and involved a small team of officers in Ottawa and several other cities. CSIS gathered information from human sources, examined bank records and conducted wiretaps. The officers were satisfied they had proof that Beijing used myriad surrogate companies and wealthy Chinese expatriates to try to engineer control of the media operations, the counterintelligence sources said.
The report included “irrefutable evidence, including banking records, that they [Beijing’s agents] were heavily involved in buying up [Chinese-language] media in Canada,” one veteran of the investigation said.
The investigation was so sensitive that the lives of the agency’s informants were often at risk during the lengthy probe, sources said.
10.3 The Hacking of Falun Gong Web-sites in the West
10.3.1 Email redirected from China to send fake Mr. Li Hongzhi’s article to Internet users in China
Date of report: March 4, 2000
Victims: Minghui website and Mr. Li Hongzhi
The fake email header: (the receiver’s name is omitted and replaced by ***)
Received: by mh (mbox ***) (with Cubic Circle’s cucipop (v1.31 1998/05/13) Tue Feb 29 02:26:30 2000)
X-From_: editor@minghui.ca Mon Feb 28 23:48:11 2000
Delivered-To: ***@bj.col.com.cn Received: from magoo.nebula.on.ca
(magoo.nebula.on.ca [207.176.217.2]) by mh.bj.col.com.cn (Postfix) with ESMTP id
DD1D3C3F3A for <***@mh.bj.col.com.cn>; Mon, 28 Feb 2000
23:46:49 +0900 (CDT) Received: from a ([202.106.227.134]) by magoo.nebula.on.ca (Post.Office MTA v3.5 release 215 ID# 0-52033U200L100S0V35) with SMTP id ca; Mon, 28 Feb 2000 11:45:40 -0500 Message-ID:
<001801bf8202$4e88d900$86e36aca@zb.bj> From: “editor” <editor@minghui.ca>
This is a fake email message, and is seen at two places.
1. the sender’s IP address: 202.106.227.134, it not from
USA, but from Beijing. to verify this, visit http://www.apnic.net/apnic-bin/ whois.pl?search=202.106.227.134.
2. the message-ID ends with “zb.bj”, which means it’s from Beijing, China.
“Whois” Search results for ‘202.106.227.134’... Links to other registries are highlighted. inetnum: 202.106.0.0 - 202.106.255.255 netname: CHINANET-BJ descr: CHINANET Beijing province network descr: Data Communication Division descr: China Telecom country: CN admin-c: CH93-AP tech-c: SY21-AP mnt-by: MAINT-CHINANET mnt-lower: MAINT-CHINANET-BJ changed: hostmaster@ns.chinanet.cn.net 20000101 Source: APNIC person: Chinanet Hostmaster address: A12,Xin-Jie-Kou-Wai Street country: CN phone: +86-10-62370437 fax-no: +86-10-62053995 e-mail: hostmaster@ns.chinanet.cn.net nic-hdl: CH93-AP mnt-by: MAINT-CHINANET changed: hostmaster@ns.chinanet.cn.net 20000101 Source: APNIC person: sun ying address: Beijing Telecommunication Administration address: TaiPingHu DongLi 18, Xicheng District address: Beijing 100031 country: CN phone: +86-10-66198941 fax-no: +86-10-68511003 e-mail: suny@publicf.bta.net.cn nic-hdl: SY21-AP mnt-by: MAINT-CHINANET-BJ changed: suny@publicf.bta.net.cn 19980824 Source: APNIC
10.3.2 Chinese government attacked Falun Gong web sites
Date of report: October 11, 1999
Victims: Falun Dafa Web sites
Source of news: Newsweek International
Title: The Great Firewall of China
Author: Melinda Liu
Abstract:
The crackdown was just as sweeping. Stunned party bosses ordered the arrest and prosecution of Falun Gong leaders and members, and blocked access to the Falun Gong Web sites. They dispatched censors to screen all Chinese Web forums and bulletin boards and erase any favorable remarks about guru Li, whom they denounced as a charlatan and doomsayer. They even ordered one Internet service provider to suspend e-mail service for two days, after dramatic accounts of the clampdown began circulating in cyberspace.
10.3.3 The Chinese government launches attacks on the Internet communication of Falun Gong practitioners and their web sites
Date of report: September 9, 2000
Source: New York Times
Victims: Falun Gong Practitioners
Location of incident: Internet
Description:
Chinese government used many ways to disrupt Computer network against Falun Gong. The September 9th edition of the New York Times gave some examples about this issue. Among them there was one, which was related to the Ministry of Public Security of P. R. China. In China, the government destroys the communication channels of Falun Gong practitioners openly and effectively, like examining emails randomly, locking email accounts, and blocking Falun Dafa web pages. Outside China, one practitioner in the US kept receiving huge emails until his email box was destroyed. Some Falun Dafa web pages received continuously visiting requests from IP addresses that never existed, which made other users have no way to visit the web pages. A practitioner in Canada had to transfer her web page to an Internet service company in order to get better protection. The Falun Dafa web pages in Belgium and Australia also had similar experiences. Falun Dafa web pages also experienced attacks from hackers. These hackers were from Xinan Information Service Center in Beijing, which belongs to the Ministry of Public Security of China.
10.3.4 China blocks internet access
Date of report: September 1, 1999
Source: www.buhuo.net
Title: Email Safety
Author: Qiwen
Abstract:
Detail story extracted from buhuo.net. Falun Gong event represents one of the tragic milestones in the history of China Internet development.
During this event, China efforts to block internet access were unprecedented: Capital hotline 263, Guangzhou telecommunication 163, and Beijing nettrading yearh.net as well as some of the biggest free e-mail websites have been forced to close for two days under the order of the National Public Security Department. Among those Capital hotline 263 and Guangzhou telecommunication 163 have 1.2 and 1.1 million registered members respectively. Based on a survey conducted in June of 1999, China had a total of 4 million registered Internet users. Because most of the IP addresses were blocked through a sieving process by some passages, the commercial web-sites located in China can’t be visited by customers abroad.
10.3.5 The attack on the Falun Dafa Canada Web Site
Date of report: August 5, 1999
Source: Jason Xiao, an editor of Falun Dafa Canada Web Site (www.falundafa.ca)
Location of incident: Toronto, Canada
Abstract:
Falun Dafa Canada Web Site (www.falundafa.ca) has been attacked many times since July 20, 1999. Identified by IP addresses, most hackers were from China. Even the ISP’s web servers were destroyed a few times. It had to be switched to another ISP (Internet Server Provider, Phone No. 905-528-4638) whom has better preventive technology from hackers and attackers. Even for the new ISP, there is one hacker (from China) who kept attacking this web site. About 60 hours were spent on the recovery from the damage of this web site. The readers in China could not access web sites through the Internet.
10.3.6 Technical report of where the web site attacks came from
Date of report: July 30 - August 6, 1999
Source: Associate Press, ABCNEWS.com
Victims: Falun Dafa Web sites
Location of incident: Maryland, USA
Abstract:
McWee’s Web server was undergoing a continuous “denial-of-service” attack, in which the attacker sends repeated connection requests to the server from phony addresses. Because the addresses were false, McWee’s servers were unable to respond and the flood of requests tied up his server, preventing it from responding to valid requests. As a result, no one could access his Web site and the server continually crashed. With requests coming in at a rate of 20 per second, his site was down from July 21 through July 23, until he blocked the attacks.
In addition, someone tried to gain access to the server, pretending to be a legitimate webmaster, and in the process left an Internet address. The address is registered with the Asia Pacific Network Information Centre, a public registry service for Internet addressees. According to the service, there are two phone numbers in Beijing listed with that address.
When The Associated Press called the numbers, a person who answered the phone identified them as belonging to the Public Security Ministry. A telephone operator at the ministry said they belonged to its Internet Monitoring Bureau.
Yu Shuning, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, says he is aware of the complaints that Falun Gong sites had been attacked, but does not know who was responsible. “About so-called hacking, I have no knowledge,” he says.
“We are just volunteers maintaining our own private site.” says one practitioner who operates www.falundafa.ca and www.minghui.ca, which were attacked and inaccessible for a week. “Isn’t it quite unfair if the big government uses its full strength to destroy our site? ”
References:
Technical route trace of where the attacks came from
Source: www.minghui.ca
Victims: Falun Dafa Web Sites
Author: Bob McWee, Web administrator
Abstract:
Please note the IP address below 202.106.133.101 Jul 27 04:22:18 ns rshd[2049]: Connection from
202.106.133.101 on illegal port Jul 27 04:22:52 ns rlogind[2053]: Connection from
202.106.133.101 on illegal port Jul 27 04:22:53 ns identd[2054]: Connection from
202.106.133.101
Jul 27 04:22:53 ns identd[2054]: from: 202.106.133.101
(202.106.133.101) EMPTY REQUEST Jul 27 04:23:16 ns sshd[2057]: connect from
202.106.133.101
Jul 27 04:23:16 ns sshd[2057]: log: Connection from
202.106.133.101 port 3983 Jul 27 04:23:17 ns sshd[2057]: log: Could not reverse map address 202.106.133.101.
Jul 27 08:25:44 ns ftpd[2060]: ANONYMOUS FTP
LOGIN FROM 202.106.133.101 [202.106.133.101], See below the trace route to the IP address 1 208.232.157.9 (208.232.157.9) 9.750 ms 0.595 ms
2.886 ms 2 208.232.157.65 (208.232.157.65) 3.404 ms 2.617 ms
2.472 ms 3 208.244.234.165 (208.244.234.165) 15.144 ms 8.294 ms 7.892 ms 4 606.Hssi3-0-0.GW1.EWR1.ALTER.NET (157.130.9.37) 14.792 ms 13.047 ms 12.699 ms 5 104.ATM2-0.XR1.DCA1.ALTER.NET
(146.188.161.18) 20.256 ms 24.539 ms 14.095 ms 6 295.ATM3-0.TR1.DCA1.ALTER.NET
(146.188.161.138) 14.665 ms 29.582 ms 35.083 ms 7 101.ATM6-0.TR1.SEA1.ALTER.NET
(146.188.136.230) 79.871 ms 123.432 ms 82.078 ms 8 299.ATM7-0.XR1.SEA1.ALTER.NET
(146.188.200.109) 87.239 ms 102.068 ms 95.871 ms 9 195.ATM10-0-0.GW5.SEA1.ALTER.NET
(146.188.201.65) 72.884 ms 106.255 ms 78.625 ms 10 internapsea-gw.customer.ALTER.NET
(157.130.178.34) 330.266 ms 329.950 ms 329.589 ms 11 border3bs.fe0-1-fenet2.sea.pnap.net
(206.253.192.203) 81.941 ms 83.632 ms 74.707 ms 12 usei-1-gw.h0-0.border3bs.sea.pnap.net
(206.191.144.106) 115.529 ms 92.339 ms 89.764 ms 13 Chinanet-2.usei-gw.sea.pnap.net (206.191.144.110)
642.679 ms 630.235 ms 634.164 ms 14 * * * 15 * * * 16 * * * 17 * * * 18 202.97.9.193 (202.97.9.193) 476.892 ms 473.841 ms 452.082 ms 19 202.97.9.202 (202.97.9.202) 924.723 ms 934.485 ms 937.800 ms 20 202.106.133.101 (202.106.133.101) 807.262 ms
794.904 ms 770.079 ms Please note I have nothing against the two networks you are about to see. Only the above IP address 202.106.133.101 who has tried to break into my machine and also who I feel is syn_attacking my server. I would hope that China would find out who owns this IP address and disconnect them from the network. What they are doing is illegal in the US.
Now find out who and where it belongs to: Whois Search results for ‘ 202.97.9.193’... Links to other registries are highlighted. inetnum: 202.97.8.0 - 202.97.31.255 netname: CHINANET-BB descr: Multimedia Communication Division descr: China Telecom descr: Erlong Road 33,Xicheng District descr: Beijing 100032 country: CN admin-c: DK26-AP tech-c: DK26-AP mnt-by: MAINT-CHINANET changed: dmkou@publicf.bta.net.cn 19990521 Source: APNIC person: Dongmei Kou address: A12,Xin-Jie-Kou-Wai Street, address: Beijing,100088 country: CN phone: +86-10-62370437 fax-no: +86-10-62053995 e-mail: dmkou@publicf.bta.net.cn nic-hdl: DK26-AP mnt-by: MAINT-NEW changed: dmkou@publicf.bta.net.cn 19990402 Source: APNIC
Here is the final site the IP address belongs to:
Whois APNIC Search results for ‘ 202.106.133.101’... Links to other registries are highlighted. inetnum: 202.106.133.0 - 202.106.133.255 netname: ISCXA descr: Information Service Center of XinAn Beijing country: CN admin-c: WH42-AP tech-c: HJ36-AP changed: suny@publicf.bta.net.cn 19990716 Source: APNIC person: Wang HuiLin address: Dong Chang An Jie 14 Beijing 100741 phone: +86-10-65203827 fax-no: +86-10-65203582 nic-hdl: WH42-AP changed: suny@publicf.bta.net.cn 19990716 Source: APNIC person: He Jian address: Dong Chang An Jie 14 Beijing 100741 phone: +86-10-65203789 fax-no: +86-10-65203582 nic-hdl: HJ36-AP changed: suny@publicf.bta.net.cn 19990716 Source: APNICIt was approved that the phone number was belonging to China Public Safety Bureau.
10.3.7 The attacks forged the U.S. Department of Transportation’s return addresses
Date of report: July 30 - August 6, 1999
Source: Associate Press, ABCNEWS.com
Location of incident: USA, Canada
Victims:
1. The U.S. Department of Transportation
2. Falun Gong Web sites
Description:
A U.S. government agency saw an indirect sign of the attacks. A network engineer at the U.S. Department of Transportation contacted McWee when they noticed his server was contacting one of their computers unasked, according to Everett Dowd, deputy director of telecommunications of the Information Technology Operation at the department.
One of the phony return addresses the attackers used happened to be the IP address of a U.S. Department of Transportation server. As a result, the Falun Gong sites tried to send acknowledgement messages to the DOT server, McWee says. When DOT officials saw the unauthorized messages coming from sites such as www.falunusa.net, www.falundafa.ca and www.falundafa.org, it contacted the operators of the sites to find out why they were being sent, according to McWee and other Webmasters. Bill Adams, a spokesperson for the Transportation Department, says the department won’t answer questions or confirm what happened “for security reasons.”
10.3.8 Falun Dafa Europe Web site hacked by Chinese government
Date of report: August 6, 1999
Source: ABCNEWS.com
Victims: www.yuanming.org.uk
Location of incident: Ireland
Title: China ate my Web site
Author: Jonathan Dube
Description:
Zhu Bao, a Falun Gong practitioner in Dublin, Ireland, says the site he ran, www.yuanming.org.uk, came under continuous attack from July 23 to July 26. At first the attackers jammed the server so that no one could access the site. Then they hacked in, deleted all the files and replaced them with an article, a negative biography of Falun Gong founder in Chinese that had previously been distributed by the Chinese government with a forged name of Falun Dafa Research Society.
10.3.9 A Chinese official hacker left forged Research Society of Falun Dafa’s name on the web
Date of report: August 6, 1999
Source: Zhu Bao, an editor of www.yuanming.org.uk
Victims: The Research Society of Falun Dafa
Location of incident: Ireland
Description:
During the July attack of an overseas Falun Gong website, a Chinese official into a Falun Gong European website, deleted all the files and replaced them with an article in Chinese, a negative biography of Falun Gong founder, that had previously been distributed by the Chinese government.
10.3.10 Chinese “government propaganda” placed on Falun Gong Web page while others were deleted
Date of report: July 30, 1999
Source: Associate Press
Victims: Falun Gong Web in UK
Location of incident: Nottingham, Britain
(NYT_INLINETABLE) Li Shao, in Nottingham, Britain, said the site he maintains was hacked into Monday. What he called Chinese “government propaganda” was placed on some pages, while others were deleted.
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