TOGETHER AGAIN: Ziwei Yang, back left, his wife Yanchen He, Hanweng He and little Peter are ecstatic to have Sanpu He re-united with them. Photo: Amelia Jacobsen
It could be a family portrait among thousands of others.
But for this east and bays family, it represents a reunion that nearly didn’t happen and a victory for their enduring hope.
In November 2006 the East & Bays Courier featured the story of a migrant family who feared for the life of their husband, father and grandfather-to-be Sanpu He.
His wife Hanweng told chilling stories of her torture in her homeland of China’s "re-education camps" for practitioners of Falun Gong.
Followers of the system believe in living according to the principles of truth, forbearance and compassion, and practise a series of exercises they claim boost their immune system and keep them healthy.
Mrs He spoke of being stripped of her clothes and tied on iron chairs. She showed where her teeth had been gouged from her mouth by guards force-feeding her.
Her daughter Yanchen He and son-in-law Ziwei Yang were expecting their first child and while they had fled the country of their ancestry, Mr He was still being held captive there.
Three years on, Mr He has been re-united with his wife, daughter and son-in-law.
His tears are eloquent.
Now Mr He is recounting his experiences and sharing what gave him strength, and what carries him forward.
"When China outlawed Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, it was something measurable. Now, the government says it is not illegal, but the persecution of practitioners continues and has instead gone underground. This makes it even more dangerous," he says, through an interpreter.
He says Western people may find the level of brainwashing that occurs in his homeland unimaginable.
"Because of the level of fear and the conditioning from so young an age, they even report on their own family members."
Mr He says he was repeatedly arrested and detained for his beliefs.
A timeline reveals he was removed from his job in August 1999 and spent four months in captivity.
When he was released he was given a job that reduced his salary by three quarters. In May 2000 he was arrested while exercising on the street and again in July at his workplace.
He was detained for 34 days in crowded conditions, allowed only to wear his underpants.
In that time he lost 15kg and developed sores on his buttocks.
He says he was not allowed to earn a salary, forcing his family to pay fines of several hundred dollars incurred for following Falun Gong. A month after being released, in August 2000, Mr He says he was sentenced to two years in a labour camp, "without a trial".
"In this place, my head and neck were burned by a high voltage electric shock baton. This baton was even used on some of the practitioners genitals," Mr He says.
Two months after being released from the camp, Mr He was again arrested, this time while he was asleep at home.
"My family and I could never be safe. This made me homeless, we had nowhere we could go, we hid on the streets."
They fled their family home and have not returned since 2003, nor have they had contact with their extended family for fear of getting them in trouble, or even being reported by them.
In July 2005 Mr He was once again arrested, detained and sentenced for another two years and two months. He says he was not allowed to read, write or speak to anyone.
Ad Feedback His only contact with people was with the guards, who would regularly torture him.
It was while he was in prison that his wife, daughter and son-in-law fled to New Zealand.
He tells of being tied to an iron chair for 60 hours at a time and being deprived of sleep.
"They did all this to make me give up my belief," Mr He says.
"I spoke to them. I tried, with the time I had, to show them what I could, that what they did was hurting me. I tried to teach them compassion.
"I understand that they are doing what they have been told because they think this is right. They have never been taught compassion," he says.
While in captivity, he was boosted spiritually by seeing the pattern on his cell window. It was of a very rare flower that is rumoured to bloom only once every 3000 years. He held on to that as a sign of hope.
"Some day, I will see my country with people who are free, who have choice. It is not something I believe, it is something I know. And I know that because righteousness always wins over evil."
After months of careful planning he managed to escape before the detention centre’s security was upgraded.
He arrived in New Zealand in July and spent two weeks at the Mangere Refugee Centre before being reunited with his family.
Traces of the past still haunt him. He weeps at the depth of love he has for his country despite what he and his family have endured, and its people who continue to suffer. He longs to see his 90-year-old mother-in-law.
But waking up every day in New Zealand with his family is still like a dream to him.
Being free to follow his faith, and things like having tea with his wife and being part of his children and grandson’s lives, brings tears of joy.
"We are going to English classes and want to learn how to be the best citizens here. We want as soon as possible to join the workforce. We will show our gratitude for being here in our hard work." [rc]
© 2009 Fairfax New Zealand Limited
August 7, 2009
NEW ZEALAND: It could be a family portrait among thousands of others
.
AUCKLAND, New Zealand / East & Bays Courier / August 7, 2009
Safe in Auckland
By Karen Kotze - East And Bays Courier
TOGETHER AGAIN: Ziwei Yang, back left, his wife Yanchen He, Hanweng He and little Peter are ecstatic to have Sanpu He re-united with them. Photo: Amelia Jacobsen
It could be a family portrait among thousands of others.
But for this east and bays family, it represents a reunion that nearly didn’t happen and a victory for their enduring hope.
In November 2006 the East & Bays Courier featured the story of a migrant family who feared for the life of their husband, father and grandfather-to-be Sanpu He.
His wife Hanweng told chilling stories of her torture in her homeland of China’s "re-education camps" for practitioners of Falun Gong.
Followers of the system believe in living according to the principles of truth, forbearance and compassion, and practise a series of exercises they claim boost their immune system and keep them healthy.
Mrs He spoke of being stripped of her clothes and tied on iron chairs. She showed where her teeth had been gouged from her mouth by guards force-feeding her.
Her daughter Yanchen He and son-in-law Ziwei Yang were expecting their first child and while they had fled the country of their ancestry, Mr He was still being held captive there.
Three years on, Mr He has been re-united with his wife, daughter and son-in-law.
His tears are eloquent.
Now Mr He is recounting his experiences and sharing what gave him strength, and what carries him forward.
"When China outlawed Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, it was something measurable. Now, the government says it is not illegal, but the persecution of practitioners continues and has instead gone underground. This makes it even more dangerous," he says, through an interpreter.
He says Western people may find the level of brainwashing that occurs in his homeland unimaginable.
"Because of the level of fear and the conditioning from so young an age, they even report on their own family members."
Mr He says he was repeatedly arrested and detained for his beliefs.
A timeline reveals he was removed from his job in August 1999 and spent four months in captivity.
When he was released he was given a job that reduced his salary by three quarters. In May 2000 he was arrested while exercising on the street and again in July at his workplace.
He was detained for 34 days in crowded conditions, allowed only to wear his underpants.
In that time he lost 15kg and developed sores on his buttocks.
He says he was not allowed to earn a salary, forcing his family to pay fines of several hundred dollars incurred for following Falun Gong. A month after being released, in August 2000, Mr He says he was sentenced to two years in a labour camp, "without a trial".
"In this place, my head and neck were burned by a high voltage electric shock baton. This baton was even used on some of the practitioners genitals," Mr He says.
Two months after being released from the camp, Mr He was again arrested, this time while he was asleep at home.
"My family and I could never be safe. This made me homeless, we had nowhere we could go, we hid on the streets."
They fled their family home and have not returned since 2003, nor have they had contact with their extended family for fear of getting them in trouble, or even being reported by them.
In July 2005 Mr He was once again arrested, detained and sentenced for another two years and two months. He says he was not allowed to read, write or speak to anyone.
Ad Feedback His only contact with people was with the guards, who would regularly torture him.
It was while he was in prison that his wife, daughter and son-in-law fled to New Zealand.
He tells of being tied to an iron chair for 60 hours at a time and being deprived of sleep.
"They did all this to make me give up my belief," Mr He says.
"I spoke to them. I tried, with the time I had, to show them what I could, that what they did was hurting me. I tried to teach them compassion.
"I understand that they are doing what they have been told because they think this is right. They have never been taught compassion," he says.
While in captivity, he was boosted spiritually by seeing the pattern on his cell window. It was of a very rare flower that is rumoured to bloom only once every 3000 years. He held on to that as a sign of hope.
"Some day, I will see my country with people who are free, who have choice. It is not something I believe, it is something I know. And I know that because righteousness always wins over evil."
After months of careful planning he managed to escape before the detention centre’s security was upgraded.
He arrived in New Zealand in July and spent two weeks at the Mangere Refugee Centre before being reunited with his family.
Traces of the past still haunt him. He weeps at the depth of love he has for his country despite what he and his family have endured, and its people who continue to suffer. He longs to see his 90-year-old mother-in-law.
But waking up every day in New Zealand with his family is still like a dream to him.
Being free to follow his faith, and things like having tea with his wife and being part of his children and grandson’s lives, brings tears of joy.
"We are going to English classes and want to learn how to be the best citizens here. We want as soon as possible to join the workforce. We will show our gratitude for being here in our hard work." [rc]
© 2009 Fairfax New Zealand Limited
TOGETHER AGAIN: Ziwei Yang, back left, his wife Yanchen He, Hanweng He and little Peter are ecstatic to have Sanpu He re-united with them. Photo: Amelia Jacobsen
It could be a family portrait among thousands of others.
But for this east and bays family, it represents a reunion that nearly didn’t happen and a victory for their enduring hope.
In November 2006 the East & Bays Courier featured the story of a migrant family who feared for the life of their husband, father and grandfather-to-be Sanpu He.
His wife Hanweng told chilling stories of her torture in her homeland of China’s "re-education camps" for practitioners of Falun Gong.
Followers of the system believe in living according to the principles of truth, forbearance and compassion, and practise a series of exercises they claim boost their immune system and keep them healthy.
Mrs He spoke of being stripped of her clothes and tied on iron chairs. She showed where her teeth had been gouged from her mouth by guards force-feeding her.
Her daughter Yanchen He and son-in-law Ziwei Yang were expecting their first child and while they had fled the country of their ancestry, Mr He was still being held captive there.
Three years on, Mr He has been re-united with his wife, daughter and son-in-law.
His tears are eloquent.
Now Mr He is recounting his experiences and sharing what gave him strength, and what carries him forward.
"When China outlawed Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, it was something measurable. Now, the government says it is not illegal, but the persecution of practitioners continues and has instead gone underground. This makes it even more dangerous," he says, through an interpreter.
He says Western people may find the level of brainwashing that occurs in his homeland unimaginable.
"Because of the level of fear and the conditioning from so young an age, they even report on their own family members."
Mr He says he was repeatedly arrested and detained for his beliefs.
A timeline reveals he was removed from his job in August 1999 and spent four months in captivity.
When he was released he was given a job that reduced his salary by three quarters. In May 2000 he was arrested while exercising on the street and again in July at his workplace.
He was detained for 34 days in crowded conditions, allowed only to wear his underpants.
In that time he lost 15kg and developed sores on his buttocks.
He says he was not allowed to earn a salary, forcing his family to pay fines of several hundred dollars incurred for following Falun Gong. A month after being released, in August 2000, Mr He says he was sentenced to two years in a labour camp, "without a trial".
"In this place, my head and neck were burned by a high voltage electric shock baton. This baton was even used on some of the practitioners genitals," Mr He says.
Two months after being released from the camp, Mr He was again arrested, this time while he was asleep at home.
"My family and I could never be safe. This made me homeless, we had nowhere we could go, we hid on the streets."
They fled their family home and have not returned since 2003, nor have they had contact with their extended family for fear of getting them in trouble, or even being reported by them.
In July 2005 Mr He was once again arrested, detained and sentenced for another two years and two months. He says he was not allowed to read, write or speak to anyone.
Ad Feedback His only contact with people was with the guards, who would regularly torture him.
It was while he was in prison that his wife, daughter and son-in-law fled to New Zealand.
He tells of being tied to an iron chair for 60 hours at a time and being deprived of sleep.
"They did all this to make me give up my belief," Mr He says.
"I spoke to them. I tried, with the time I had, to show them what I could, that what they did was hurting me. I tried to teach them compassion.
"I understand that they are doing what they have been told because they think this is right. They have never been taught compassion," he says.
While in captivity, he was boosted spiritually by seeing the pattern on his cell window. It was of a very rare flower that is rumoured to bloom only once every 3000 years. He held on to that as a sign of hope.
"Some day, I will see my country with people who are free, who have choice. It is not something I believe, it is something I know. And I know that because righteousness always wins over evil."
After months of careful planning he managed to escape before the detention centre’s security was upgraded.
He arrived in New Zealand in July and spent two weeks at the Mangere Refugee Centre before being reunited with his family.
Traces of the past still haunt him. He weeps at the depth of love he has for his country despite what he and his family have endured, and its people who continue to suffer. He longs to see his 90-year-old mother-in-law.
But waking up every day in New Zealand with his family is still like a dream to him.
Being free to follow his faith, and things like having tea with his wife and being part of his children and grandson’s lives, brings tears of joy.
"We are going to English classes and want to learn how to be the best citizens here. We want as soon as possible to join the workforce. We will show our gratitude for being here in our hard work." [rc]
© 2009 Fairfax New Zealand Limited
