(Minghui.org) Tianjin Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Yang Yan and her husband were intercepted on March 12, around 11 a.m., by men and women dressed in plainclothes, claiming to be police officers from the State Security Department. They illegally arrested Ms. Yang and threatened her husband, Mr. Wu.
Reportedly, officials from the State Security Department phoned Mr. Wu a few days previously, requesting a face-to-face meeting. This form of harassment has placed Mr. Wu under tremendous mental pressure. Family as well as friends are also quite worried about the couple's safety, and call upon the international community to pay attention to this matter.
Persecuted for Practicing Falun Gong
Ms. Yang is 38 years old. Her mother taught school for over 30 years and was once awarded special grade teacher. Due to years of stress and overwork, her mother's health declined and she had symptoms of arthritis, heart disease and high blood pressure. Less than a year after she began practicing Falun Gong, these symptoms disappeared and she became healthy. Amazed by the miracles that happened to her mother, and the benefits brought by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, in 1995 Ms. Yang also began to practice.
After the Communist regime started to persecute Falun Gong in 1999, Ms. Yang Yan was illegally sentenced to two years of forced labor. She was tortured during her detention at the Banqiao Forced Labor Camp in Tianjin and subsequently released on medical parole. Her elderly parents were already traumatized by the death of their older son from sickness. Ms. Yang's arrest was a shock and added to their loneliness, leading to their passing away one after another in 2003 and 2005.
Excellent and Successful Business Person
Ms. Yang married a man from Taiwan in 2008 and went with her husband to live there. When she learned of her husband's plans to start a business with a friend in Taiwan, she immediately thought of her hometown in Tianjin. The other shareholder in the business trusted the couple and accepted Ms. Yang's advice, putting in funds to open a shop in Tianjin. Ms. Yang was glad that she could give something back to her hometown and help out by creating jobs.
For many years, Ms. Yang conducted herself and her business in accordance with the teachings of Falun Gong. Along with her professional skills, she soon became a great help to her husband both at home and at work. She now looks after the management side of the business. She treats everyone with kindness and sincerity, and does things carefully and honestly; hence her clients trust her completely and her colleagues respect her.
Unexpected Visit by CCP Agents
On March 11, 2013 which was a day that the office is usually closed for business, around 10 a.m., five people--three men and two women dressed in plainclothes claiming to be from the State Security Department-- knocked abruptly on the main door of Mr. Wu's home. They told him they were sent to find Yang Yan. When Mr. Wu went downstairs to see them, another older man dressed in plainclothes came out of a black car. It was learned afterwards that this man was named Chen.
During the conversation, a Mr. Wang and Chen told Mr. Wu that they suspected Ms. Yang of propagating Falun Gong materials on the Internet. They told Mr. Wu to assist them in luring Ms. Yang to a certain place and hand her over to them. Mr. Wu questioned them: “You are law enforcers, do you know what you are doing? She is my wife and has not done anything harmful. You are asking me to do something unjust to my wife, which will create a rift in our relationship and break up our family!” They did not say anything more and told Mr. Wu not to disclose the incident to anyone, including Ms. Yang.
Around 5 p.m. that day, Mr. Wu received another phone call from Wang. Mr. Wu told Wang he had not seen his wife yet and he would let her know about the meeting, seek her opinion then let them know. However Wang threatened to use forceful methods if Mr. Wu refused to cooperate and demanded a reply by Tuesday, the next day. That night after a discussion, the couple decided that it was too late and inconvenient to contact the police. They planned to contact the State Security Department the next morning so they could understand more about the situation.
Arrested on Her Way to Work
Unexpectedly, the next day at around 11 a.m, while the couple was driving to work they were intercepted near their house by a man who pretended to ask for directions. Then a black car drove up and blocked their car from the front and approximately, 10 plainclothes men and women came out. Two men and two women abducted Ms. Yang into the black car. When her husband stepped forward to stop them and question them he was shoved away. No explanations were given and the black car sped away.
The black car drove in the direction of Hongqi road in the Nankai District, Tianjin for around 40 minutes and stopped at a detention center. Ms. Yang was taken into an interrogation room and bound to a chair. Three men and one woman came in. Two of them were Chen and Wang, whom Mr. Wu met at his home earlier. Ms. Yang told her interrogators the benefits she experienced from practicing Falun Gong.
Released on Bail
Mr. Wu was extremely worried for his wife's safety and kept ringing the State Security Department, requesting to see her. The police said he could bring Ms. Yang home if he allowed them to search the couple's computer but Mr. Wu refused. Finally around midnight, Mr. Wu was allowed to see his wife. Before they left, the police demanded that Mr. Wu sign documents claiming that they had released his wife on bail. There were clauses restricting his wife's movements: She had to report to them if she wanted to leave the country, and the couple would have to report whenever they were summoned. Mr. Wu refused to sign the document. When the couple left the detention center, it was already past midnight.
Family Worried Due to CCP Agents' Harassment
This is the busiest time at work for Mr. Wu and his wife and they were already experiencing tremendous pressure. Furthermore, while he was overseas, Mr. Wu learned about the tactics used by the Communist regime to persecute Falun Gong practitioners. Consequently, he and his family as well as friends are all very anxious. They do not know what the officials from the CCP's State Security Department will do to monitor and harass them. On March 27 while having dinner with friends, Mr. Wu received a phone call from the State Security Department again, requesting to meet with him on March 29th at 2 p.m.
Mr. Wu grew up in Taiwan and he only set up a business in Tianjin because his wife asked him to. Currently he is extremely worried that laws under the Communist regime are simply worthless pieces of paper. Who knows what these officials will do to him and his wife? His family and friends are also watching the progress of the incident and call upon the international community to follow the matter closely.
Contact numbers of State Security Department police officers Wang and Tan: 00886-13920683091 00886-13821217622
