Editor’s note: This article is based upon an exclusive interview given
to The Epoch Times by Mr. Hao Fengjun.
James Burke, with reporting from Melbourne’s
The Epoch Times
A fugitive Chinese security agent hiding in Melbourne
has been inspired by the recent defection of Chinese diplomat Mr Chen Yonglin
and The Epoch Times’ Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, to reveal information
about the massive human rights abuses inside China, especially those against Falun
Gong practitioners, and Chinese spy activities in Australia.
After leaving
a tourist group in Australia in February, 32-year-old Mr Hao Fengjun sought political
asylum, and in an interview with The Epoch Times on Monday June 6, said he belonged
to the Tianjin province’s “610 Office”.
The 610 office is a Chinese
security agency which was established to oversee the persecution of Chinese people
who practice Falun Gong or belong to other spiritual groups.
“Originally
the 610 office was specifically dealing with Falun Gong, but after April 2004
the government included other religious groups which the Chinese government calls
an “evil cult” into the 610 office. Besides Falun Gong there are 14
other religious groups and also there are 14 other ‘harmful’ qigong organisations,”
Mr Hao said.
When asked why he left China and has sought asylum in Australia
he said, “First of all I think I cannot bear what they’ve done to Falun Gong
and other religious organisations because that’s not something I want to do.”
Falun
Gong is an exercise and meditation practice that advocates the three principles
of truthfulness, compassion and forbearance. It was widely practised throughout
China until the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) banned it in 1999 and instigated
a campaign of brutal persecution. Mr Hao witnessed Falun Gong practitioners being
tortured by authorities for their beliefs in China.
Mr Hao admired how
Chinese diplomat Mr Chen Yonglin publicly stood up to the Chinese government’s
persecution of democracy advocates and Falun Gong practitioners. At a public rally
commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, Mr Chen publicly declared he
could no longer partake in his official duties of harassing and monitoring Chinese
dissidents and revealed an extensive Chinese spy network operating in Australia.
“Chen Yonglin is a diplomat and he stepped forward to speak clearly for Falun
Gong and democratic activists. I think as a policeman I have a responsibility
to do the same,” Mr Hao said.
“I became a policeman in 1994 and
at that time I liked the job very much but in 2000 I was transferred to the 610
office of the National Security Bureau and I found that that job was not something
that I wanted and it was different from what a policeman should do.”
“Initially
I thought it was ok, but in October 2000 the original work unit sent a special
case, code name ‘103’ and they arrested more than 70 Falun Gong practitioners.
There is one practitioner, to the 610 office she is considered number one among
Falun Gong practitioners, and her name is Sunti.”
Torture
Mr
Hao said Sunti was being tortured. “One day I received orders to go to Nankai
police bureau with another female officer. When we arrived we saw that Sunti was
in the interrogation room. The guy who interrogated Sunti is the head of the second
division of the 610 office. At the time he had about a half-meter long iron bar
in his hand. When we entered the interrogation room, the woman officer found that
Sunti’s back was all blue and black and there were two cuts more than 20cm long.”
“Sunti
has a 14-year-old daughter. To me Sunti is not like a criminal. So I was not happy
about the man who beat Sunti. From that incident, I changed my attitude towards
being a policeman…After that, one officer and I applied medicine to Sunti
for almost a month. Every time the head of the 610 office asked us not to say
anything outside about this case. This incident was a turning point.”
“Sunti
spoke to me about Falun Gong. She said that ‘We are not like what they told you.
Falun Gong practitioners just want to be good people and are not criminals, like
what the 610 office describes.’ This touched me greatly and I think that Falun
Gong practitioners should not be considered as criminals.”
Mr Hao’s
story of torture and human rights abuses refute the claims made by Chinese ambassador
Fu Ying who on Monday June 6 said the Chinese government had moved on from the
1970s, and that there were many misconceptions about modern China in regards to
human rights. Mr Hao’s experience as a 610 officer also refutes all official Chinese
Government statements that claim that they do not mistreat Falun Gong practitioners.
Mr Hao also described the widespread use of torture in the extensive re-education
through labour camp system throughout China. “It’s pretty common in forced
labour camps to use torture methods…Almost every forced labour camp uses
torture methods.”
“As for the number of forced labour camps,
I don’t really know country wide, but for Tianjin there are seven.”
“There
are no human rights whatsoever in these forced labour camps. These people have
to work from six in the morning to nine in the evening. They all work in processing
jobs like making cardboard boxes, but the government or the forced labour camp
will not pay the workers anything.”
Mr Hao went into detail of how
the Chinese authorities send Falun Gong practitioners to brainwashing centres
and labour camps. “The process for dealing with Falun Gong is that first
you will be sent to a brainwashing centre and if they are not reformed there they
are sent to forced labour camps. In labour camps they are only kept for three
years. If after that they are still not “reformed” they will be sent
back to the brainwashing centre and then if still not reformed will be sent for
a second time to the forced labour camp,” he said.
Mr Hao himself
had also been subject to persecution when his comments about the state run media’s
fabrication of stories against Falun Gong were heard. “When they arrested
a practitioner from Hebei I saw the CCTV film crew was making false stories…
I said that it was a lie, it was fabrication and I didn’t know that a reporter
was next to me and I was in trouble. I was sent to solitary confinement in the
Tianjin detention centre for more than 20 days.”
When Mr Hao was asked
if many other Chinese people were like himself and Mr Chen in having concerns
about human rights and the persecution of innocent people in China he said there
were. “I think there must be many people like me. Some of my colleagues have
the same thought as I did but not everyone will step forward to do this. They
are doing what they really don’t want to do.”
In regards to Mr Chen’s
statements about Chinese officials extending the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners
outside of China he agreed. He was also not surprised about Mr Chen’s claims of
a thousand Chinese agents working undercover in Australia.
“I think
this figure is true. I know this. Also I know that the Chinese spies are not only
in the Chinese consulate and embassy but also in businesses and overseas Chinese
organisations.”
Mr Hao said there were different channels in which
Chinese agents would come into Australia; some come as investors, some as technical
personal. “Some were sent in by the national security bureau and others by
the military,” he said.
He stated that this was not only occurring
in Australia and said spies working for the CCP were everywhere. “They are
countless. Where ever there are Chinese communities or not, there are Chinese
special agents.”
Since being here in Australia Mr Hao has read the
Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party published by Dajiyuan, the Chinese language
version of The Epoch Times which is one of the largest independent Chinese language
papers in the world.
“I have read through the Nine Commentaries since
I came to Australia. It touched me deeply. It mentioned lots of articles and stories.
I have seen some of them in China (due to my job), … It described the dark
side of China, yet all of them are true. After reading Nine Commentaries, I have
a strong will to come and speak out the truth. Yet due to my worries about my
family, my child, I hesitated, because they are still in China now.”
The
Nine Commentaries have been steadily circulating throughout China and has inspired
over 2 million people to withdraw from the Party. In December, The Epoch Times
established a website dedicated to the withdrawals. The Chinese diplomat Mr Chen
and his wife both withdrew their membership from the CCP on Saturday June 4, the
16th commemoration of the Tiananmen Square Massacre.
Text of Interview with Mr. Hao Fengjun
610 Official Who Has Applied
for Asylum in Australia
Q: Can you tell me your full name, age and
the position you held in China?
A: My name is Hao Fengjun, I am 32 years
old and originally I am from the 610 Office of Tianjin.
Q: How long
have you been in Australia?
A: I left Hong Kong on February 14th and
arrived in Australia on February 15th this year.
Q: What made you choose
this time now, three months down the track to bring your story out to the Australian
public?
A: After I came here I applied for political protection, but
I still worry about my family because my family is still in China. That is why
I did not make my story public. But on June the 4th, when the Diplomat in Sydney
made his public statement, I decided to come forward.
Q: Have you read
The Epoch Times "Nine Commentaries on the Chinese Communist Party"?
A.:
I have read through the "Nine Commentaries" since I came to Australia.
It touched me deeply. It mentioned lots of articles and stories. I have seen some
of these things mentioned in China (due to my job). Yet I definitely know that
in China, ordinary people will never get a chance to read them. It describes the
dark side of China, yet all of them are true. After reading the "Nine Commentaries,"
I had a strong desire to come and speak out the truth. Yet due to my worries about
my family, my child, I hesitated. Because they are still in China now.
Q:
How long were you a policeman in China?
A: I became a policeman in 1994
and at that time I liked the job very much but in 2000 I was transferred to the
610 office of the National Security Bureau and I found that that job was not something
that I wanted and it was different from what a policeman is doing.
Q:
Can you describe what the 610 office is and what role did you play within it?
A:
The 610 office was created from the very top headed by Luo Gan, one of the members
of the politburo. In every province and municipality there is a 610 office in
the Public Security Bureau and also in almost every level of the government organisations
and its main task is to deal with the issue of Falun Gong or to persecute Falun
Gong and also some other organisations that have been named as a cult by the CCP.
Q: Why do you think the crackdown on Falun Gong has been so much more
severe than other groups targeted by the CCP?
A: I think it really is
about the number of practitioners. In 1999 I was still in the unit of the police
department and every time Jiang Zemin mentioned that if he wanted to mobilize
an army it would take him 48 hours but for Falun Gong it needed less than 24 hours
so he was very much shocked-and maybe from his own personal interests and personal
reasons he began the crackdown.
Q: So what made you leave China to come
to Australia?
A: First of all I think I cannot bear what they’ve done
to Falun Gong and other religious organisations because that’s not something I
want to do. Secondly I came to Australia because I want to say something for these
organisations because the government doesn’t treat them fairly.
Q: Mr
Chen spoke out recently on June 4, has that given you courage to speak up? Do
you still hold fears for your family and your own safety?
A: Chen Yonglin
is a diplomat and he stepped forward to speak clearly for Falun Gong and democratic
activists. I think I am a policeman so I have a responsibility to do the same.
Most of my family are still in China and I do really worry about them.
Q:
How do you feel about your safety here in Australia?
A: I’m not surprised
by what Mr Chen said about 1000 spies in Australia. I think this figure is true.
I know this. Also I know that the Chinese spies are not only in the Chinese consulate
and embassy but also in businesses and overseas Chinese organisations.
Q:
So how do these people enter Australia and form part of this spy network to monitor
for the CCP?
A: There are several different channels; some come as investors,
some as technical personal. Some were sent in by the national security bureau
and others by the military.
Q: What kind of techniques do these spies
use to monitor Australians?
A: The spies you mention, actually in China
we put them into 3 different categories, described as "secret force."
1.
Special agent. These people appear as a business man, but they are sent over by
the national security bureau.
2. Secret cadres or friends just graduated
from the police academy, they do not wear uniforms. The other type is friends.
The other types are public security bureau members who make friends.
3.
Working relations. These types are individual business men sent in by the Chinese
government to work in the Chinese communities. Their main task is to follow and
kidnap those dissidents outside of China. They also collect information from the
business circles and also military information.
Q: So obviously this
isn’t just happening in Australia. How long has this been happening for and how
widespread are these spies?
A: They are countless. Wherever there are
Chinese communities or not there are Chinese special agents.
Q: Where
does the money come from to fund these spies and such an extensive persecution?
How much is …
A: The funds are provided by the actual unit who sends
this agent out so whoever sends the agent out will pay for the agent. As for the
actual figures, I don’t really know because different provinces and municipalities
have different funds. As far as the three municipalities are concerned, Shanghai,
[the amount] roughly spent on special agents is 7 million. Tianjin is a lot less
[at] 250,000 but for Beijing it is about 6-7 million Chinese Yuan annually.
Q:
China is also said to have a wide network of labour camps.
A: As for
the number of forced labour camps, I don’t really know country-wide, but for Tianjin
there are 7 forced labour camps.
Forced labour is illegal because forced
labour doesn’t require any legal proceedings. The police bureau decides and the
terms are between 6 months and 3 years.
There are no human rights whatsoever
in these forced labour camps. These people have to work from 6 in the morning
to 9 in the evening.
They all work in processing jobs like making cardboard
boxes, but the government or the forced labour camp will not pay the workers anything.
Q: There are a lot of allegations of torture at these labour camps.
Have you been witness to that?
A: It’s pretty common in forced labour
camps to use torture methods, something like handcuffing behind the back is considered
very normal inside forced labor camps. Almost every forced labour camp uses torture
methods.
Q: What was the turning point to make you decide to leave your
work for the CCP?
A: After my graduation I was assigned to go to the
bureau to be a police officer. I think that the job of a policeman is to safeguard
justice, peace and to help the weak so that’s the job I like. But in 2000 I was
transferred to the 610 Office of the national security bureau of Tianjin municipality.
In the beginning I thought it was ok, but in October 2000 the original
work unit sent a special case, code named "103" and they arrested more
than 70 Falun Gong practitioners. There is one practitioner, the 610 office considered
her number one among Falun Gong practitioners, and her name is Sunti.
One
day I received orders to go to Nankai police bureau with a female officer. When
we arrived we saw that Sunti was in the interrogation room. The guy who interrogated
Sunti is the head of the second division of the 610 office. At the time he had
about a half meter long iron bar in his hand. When we entered the interrogation
room, the woman officer found that Sunti’s back was all blue and black and there
were 2 cuts more than 20cm long.
Sunti has a 14 year old daughter. To me
Sunti is not like a criminal. So I was not happy about the man who beat Sunti.
From that incident, I changed my attitude towards being a policeman.
The
image changed. After that, one officer and I applied medicine to Sunti for almost
a month. Every time the head of the 610 office asked us not to say anything outside
about this case. This incident was a turning point.
Sunti spoke to me about
Falun Gong. She said that "We are not like what they told you. Falun Gong
practitioners just want to be good people and are not criminals, like what the
610 office describes." This touched me greatly and I think that Falun Gong
practitioners should not be considered as criminals.
Q: You were actually
a witness to the incident in Tianjin that sparked off the Zhongnanhai incident.
Were you aware that this would lead to a full-blown genocide in such a short time?
A:
At that time I was still working at the Heping police security bureau. That appeal
happened in the Heping district so all of the policemen were present. At that
time I didn’t think it would lead to the genocide happening today. I think a lot
of things were actually orchestrated by the government. At that time when Falun
Gong practitioners gathered in front of the education building and officers of
the Tianjin municipality came out and told them that you cannot solve this matter
here, so if you want to have this matter solved, you will have to go to Beijing.
So I think this incident is made by the Tianjin municipality so that it is expanded
to Beijing.
On 22 April 1999, the government set a lot of cameras on top
of the education institute and buildings around the area and around the building
and later on used the footage to print out photos and send out to grassroots police
stations to do investigations. Then they found out the number of Falun Gong practitioners
and also the names and addresses, a whole lot about these practitioners. They
established a database on Falun Gong practitioners based on that footage.
Q:
Is the information collected about Falun Gong practitioners outside of China as
detailed as that collected about those inside of China?
A: I think more
or less the same because every day we have work reports and we collect all the
information sent in from all over the world.
For example, in a certain
country someone went to buy something and it was reported back, even this kind
of small detail. So China relies on these spies to collect information on Falun
Gong practitioners and also these dissidents. I also have to mention that within
Falun Gong and other democratic organizations there are all special agents from
China.
Q: Do you have name lists of those agents?
A: I don’t
have the name list. These agents all use code numbers, like 74, 76 or 24, etc.
But if I tell you the incident, people who know the incident can tell who the
spies are.
Q: What evidence do you have to back up these claims?
A:
I have evidence for that. I think this evidence should be true evidence because
they are all collected by special agents around the world so I think that the
evidence must be the truth.
Q: It seems like your conscience was awakened.
Do you think there are many more people like you inside China and like Mr Chen
outside of China?
A: I think there must be many people like me. Some
of my colleagues have the same thought as I did but not everyone will step forward
to do this. They are doing what they really don’t want to do.
Q: Are
you aware of any persecution that is happening outside of China by Chinese agents?
A:
I think outside of China that persecution of Falun Gong practitioners exists.
Things like they tell these Chinese community organisations not to hire or give
jobs to Falun Gong practitioners. So this kind of thing really happens.
Q:
You mentioned other dissident groups that are persecuted by the CCP …
A:
Originally the 610 office was specifically dealing with Falun Gong, but after
April 2004 the government included other religious groups which the Chinese government
calls an evil cult into the 610 office. Besides Falun Gong there are 14 other
religious groups and also there are 14 other "harmful" qigong organisations.
The Chinese government uses the same methods to deal with the 14 labeled as evil
cults and the 14 other groups.
Q: Are Christians, say, the Catholic
Church, considered an evil cult by the CCP?
A: China has no diplomatic
relations with the Vatican. Although China has Christians and Catholics, these
are patriotic organisations. Actually, for these organisations you have to be
loyal to the Communist Party otherwise these organisations cannot be registered.
Q: The CCP has categorised many groups under the term "evil cult."
A: There is no clear definition for evil cult in China. Actually there
is no document to give a definition as to what is an evil cult. As I understand
it, any people the Communist Party doesn’t like will be categorised as an evil
cult. So only when you are loyal or you listen to what the party says, will you
be a good organisation, or if you don’t listen to the party you will be an evil
cult.
Q: Do you find that Falun Gong is treated more severely than other
groups?
A: I think the government persecutes Falun Gong more severely
than other groups. Because of Falun Gong the government worked out 300 articles
of criminal law. As for other religious groups, when discovered by the police
department they will not necessarily be detained and arrested, but for Falun Gong
practitioners, whenever they find one, one will be arrested and will be reformed
otherwise they will not be released.
The process for dealing with Falun
Gong is that first you will be sent to a brainwashing centre and if they are not
reformed there they are sent to forced labour camps. In labour camps they are
only kept for 3 years. If after that they are still not "reformed" they
will be sent back to the brainwashing centre and then if still not reformed will
be sent for a second time to the forced labour camp.
Q: You have also
been persecuted, can you tell us a bit about your experience?
A: When
they arrested a practitioner from Hebei, I saw the CCTV film crew was making false
stories. I said something and it was heard by the reporter by CCTV. The point
of this-I was asked to confess and I was held at the Tianjin detention centre.
I was next to a reporter and my boss was telling the actor what to say. I said
that it was a lie, it was fabrication and I didn’t know that a reporter was next
to me and I was in trouble. I was sent to solitary confinement in the Tianjin
detention centre for more than 20 days.
http://english.epochtimes.com/news/5-6-7/29362.html
To read the Nine
Commentaries and review the full transcript of the interview see http://www.theepochtimes.com
Posting
date: 8/Jun/2005
Original article date: 8/Jun/2005
Category: Media Report
