HONG KONG (AP)–An Australian member of the Falun Gong meditation sect
accused mainland Chinese police Friday of locking her up in several hotels
in southwestern China for more than a week and interrogating her as if she
were “a spy.”
The Sydney woman – who identified herself as Nancy Chen, but said she wasn’t
using her real surname – was released Thursday and flew to Hong Kong. She
said she would return to Australia soon.
Chen, 35, claimed police arrested her Jan. 22 in Chengdu, the capital of
Sichuan province, and detained her in various hotels in Sichuan until her
release.
Officials repeatedly asked who sent her there, and what her relationship was
with the New York-based Falun Dafa Information Center, she said. Falun Dafa
is another name for Falun Gong.
“They treated me as if I was a high-level spy,” Chen told The Associated
Press over the phone. “I was not allowed to leave the hotel room or to make
any phone calls. They confiscated all my stuff.”
Chen said before her arrest, she sought the help of the U.S. Consulate in
Chengdu, but was declined refuge. Australia doesn’t have a consulate in
Chengdu.
Falun Gong was branded an xxx and outlawed by China in 1999. Since
then, authorities have conducted a harsh crackdown of its practitioners.
Phone calls were unanswered Friday at public security bureaus in Chengdu.
Many offices in China closed early Friday, ahead of the Lunar New Year
holiday Saturday.
An Australian Embassy spokesman confirmed Thursday that Chen was released,
but said he had no information on why she was detained and couldn’t confirm
the length of her detention.
Over the past year, Chinese followers of Falun Gong have broken into cable
and satellite television broadcasts throughout China to show videos
protesting the ban and claiming the group has good intentions.
Posting date: 01/Feb/2003
Original article date: 31/Jan/2003
Category: Media Reports
