Insurance Employee in Heilongjiang Taken to Brainwashing Center

(Minghui.org) The family of Ms. Tan Xiumei (谭秀梅), a treasurer at the Daqing Chengfeng Insurance Agency, learned that she was taken by police while at work on October 17. The family was later informed that Ms. Tan had been taken to the Qiqihar Brainwashing Center because of her belief in Falun Gong.

The 610 Office of the state-owned Daqing Petroleum Group has been pressing the Chengfeng Insurance Agency and its parent entity, Daqing Oil Field Social Insurance Center, to “transform” Ms. Tan, or force her to give up her practice of Falun Gong. The 610 Office Deputy Director Liu Xiping (刘希平) personally demanded that Ms. Tan write a “guarantee statement” renouncing her beliefs.

The Qiqihar Brainwashing Center, officially labeled as a drug detoxification center, is mentioned in the 2014 Annual Report released by the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China on October 9.

The report identified the facility as a replacement for the “legal education center” in Jiansanjiang, Heilongjiang. The latter was shut down as a result of international attention on the detention and torture of four human rights lawyers who sought the release of Falun Gong practitioners being held there.

Ms. Tan, about 50, has worked at the Chengfeng Insurance Agency for over a decade and received positive performance reviews from her supervisors. She resumed her practice of Falun Gong in 2003 when she was diagnosed with an unknown vascular disease. Her legs were itchy and swollen, and she had difficulty walking due to the severe pain.

Doctors gave her two options: amputation or completely removing and replacing her blood once a year, which she couldn't afford. The hospital gave her a pair of special stockings and told her to prepare for amputation when the stockings could no longer control her symptoms.

Ms. Tan thought of a third option: Falun Gong. She said that she knew Falun Gong was good but stopped practicing after the persecution started. She reported significant improvement within a few days of reading the main Falun Gong book Zhuan Falun again.

Ms. Tan is a single mother. She says practicing Falun Gong also healed the mental scar from her divorce. Her father, who is over 70, and her son worry that she might be tortured in the brainwashing center but don't know how to seek justice for her.

Xiao Shujun (肖淑君), Liu Xiao (刘晓) and Jiang Xufeng (姜旭峰), all employees of the Daqing Oil Field Social Insurance Center, carried out the order to take Ms. Tan away while she swept the floor in the morning.

Parties directly involved in persecuting Ms. Tan:

• Liu Xiping (刘希平), deputy director of the 610 Office, also known as Daqing Oil Field Service Center for Stability Maintenance: [phone] (Office), [phone] (Home), [phone] (Mobile), [e-mail] (Email)
• Home address: #102, Unit 4, Building 38, Leyuanxiaoqu, Ranghulu, Daqing, Heilongjiang Province, China 163000 (让胡路区乐园小区38号楼4单元102门)
• Qu Xifang (曲锡芳), Liu's wife, [phone] (Mobile)

Daqing Oil Field Social Insurance Center:

• Liu Xiao (刘晓): [phone] (Office), [phone] (Mobile), [phone] (Mobile)
• Xiao Shujun (肖淑君): [phone](Office), [phone] (Mobile), [phone] (Mobile)
• Jiang Xiaofeng (姜旭峰), head of the Chengfeng Insurance Agency, [phone](Office), [phone] (Mobile)