FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - September 18, 2002 [ http://www.faluninfo.net/ ]

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As of September 16, the Tianjin "Tonight" news website still claims Ms. Yanying Wu renounced Falun Gong and enjoyed excellent care under the Communist Party. The story was fabricated, and Ms. Wu's brother still remains in detention for his beliefs.

NEW YORK, September 18, 2002 (Falun Dafa Information Center) -- According to a February 2001, Chinese state-run media report, Ms. Yanying Wu and her brother had quickly "renounced" Falun Gong under the "care" of the Chinese Communist Party and moved on to become "rich" grape farmers.

Ms. Wu begs to differ, saying she suffered in a Chinese labor camp for her beliefs from January, 2001 until early September, 2002.

A February 10, 2001 report in the Tianjin Tonight Newspaper entitled "Abandoning Falun Gong, Stepping on the Road to Making a Fortune" claims that Ms. Wu and her younger brother, Zhanzhong Wu, were once "obsessed" with Falun Gong but with the "care" and "help" of the Chinese Communist Party and local government officials, both had "renounced" Falun Gong and went on to make a fortune growing grapes. After "conversion" away from Falun Gong, the article claims, the sister and brother concentrated all their efforts on running their business, and were "sincerely grateful" for the "care" from the Chinese Communist Party.

As of September 16, 2002, the article still appears on the Tianjin "Tonight" news website (http://www.jwb.com.cn/gb/content/2001-02/10/content_8154.htm).

According to Ms. Wu, however, she and her brother were detained in January of 2001. On February 10, 2001--the day the Tianjin Tonight article was published--Ms. Wu and her brother were still in police custody. The two remained in custody and in September 2001, Ms. Wu's family learned that she had been sentenced to two years in the Jianxin Labour Camp in Hexi District of Tianjin City.

Ms. Wu says she neither renounced Falun Gong nor was released at any time; much less did she embark on a new career of growing grapes. "The article is completely fabricated for the purpose of persecuting Falun Gong and deceiving the public," Ms. Wu says.

Under the pressure from an on-going nationwide rescue campaign in Canada, initiated by Wu's sister in Toronto, Ms. Wu was released from the labor camp earlier this month -- about six months ahead of her scheduled term. Her brother remains in detention. His relatives believe he is being held in the Beichen District Shuangkou Labor Camp in Tianjin City.

"Fabricated news is commonplace in Jiang's persecution against Falun Gong," comments Falun Dafa Information Center spokesperson Erping Zhang. "The state-run media in China is utilized to bend the minds of the public against Falun Gong and in favor of Jiang's campaign. There are thousands of stories like Ms. Wu's where 'news' is fabricated to support Jiang's policy."

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Background

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a practice of meditation and exercises with teachings based on the universal principle of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance." It is a practice that was taught in private for thousands of years before being made public in 1992 by Mr. Li Hongzhi. Falun Gong has roots in traditional Chinese culture, but it is distinct and separate from other practices such as the religions of Buddhism and Taoism. Since its introduction in 1992, it quickly spread by word of mouth throughout China, and is now practiced in over 50 countries.

With government estimates of as many as 100 million practicing Falun Gong, China's President Jiang Zemin outlawed the peaceful practice in July 1999, fearful of anything touching the hearts and minds of more citizens than the Communist Party. Unable to crush the spirit of millions who had experienced improved health and positive life changes from Falun Gong, Jiang's regime has intensified its propaganda campaign to turn public opinion against the practice while quietly imprisoning, torturing and even murdering those who practice it.

The Falun Dafa Information Center has verified details of 479 deaths since the persecution of Falun Gong in China began in 1999. Government officials inside China, however, report that the actual death toll is well over 1,600. Over 100,000 have been detained, with more than 20,000 being sentenced to forced labor camps without trial.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE FALUN DAFA INFORMATION CENTRE- Contacts: Gail Rachlin 917-501-4441, Erping Zhang 646-533-6147, Levi Browde 914-720-0963, or Feng Yuan 917-941-1097. Email: faluninfoctr@nycmail.com, Website: http://www.faluninfo.net/