NEW YORK – The Falun Dafa Information Center has obtained a The recording was made on Thursday May 22 by an undercover During the four days of harassment and violence, several “We were surrounded by hundreds of people yelling and cursing Falun Dafa Information Center spokesperson, Ms. Gail Rachlin During the recorded conversation, Consul General Peng Since the Chinese Communist regime banned Falun Gong in China Similar mobs have appeared alongside human rights rallies in This most recent violence is part of a larger pattern of In February 2006, Mr. Yuan Li, a computer engineer actively In 2003 the U.S. Congress passed House Congressional The Falun Dafa Information Center is calling upon federal and To listen to the recorded conversation with Consul General An English translation of the transcript is available here. ### NEWS – May 23, 2008 Background FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE FALUN DAFA
Assailants Arrested as Mob Surrounds, Assaults Falun Gong
recorded phone conversation with New York City's Chinese Consul General, Mr.
Peng Keyu, in which he confirms his role in organizing a mob of several-hundred
Chinese immigrants to assail Falun Gong practitioners in Flushing, New York,
over the past four days.
investigator and lasts for 5 minutes and 7 seconds. During the conversation,
Peng appears to boast of his involvement, saying “Oh indeed, we have done it.”
“They [overseas
Chinese community leaders] came over after they fought with
Falun Gong and I shook hands with them one by one and thanked
them.”
— Keyu Peng, New York Consul General for the People's
Republic of China
Consul General Peng continues, offering some details of the event: “I went there
[the site in Flushing where the mob was harassing Falun Gong practitioners] the
day before yesterday, and also three days ago, because we have to be very
careful with this kind of thing!,” Peng told the investigator, whom he
apparently believed to be an admirer. “Otherwise, people will say the Chinese
consulate is behind it, agitating people. Some [Chinese community leaders] were
among the crowd and they talked to me afterwards… Because I showed up at the
scene, everyone was very excited.”
adherents of Falun Gong, including U.S. and Canadian citizens were physically
assaulted by the pro-communist crowds. Others received direct threats on their
lives. (news) At least two arrests have been made by Queens
police, who also arranged a police van to safely transport Falun Gong adherents
from the area on Wednesday for fear they would be followed by members of the
mob.
at us, and even threatening to kill us because we are Falun Gong” said Scott
Chinn, a Falun Gong practitioner and New York City resident who witnessed the
scene on Tuesday.
says the actions of the mob constitute a hate crime. “In this country, when you
see a mob like that attacking a group, beating people and saying things like
'we'll kill you Falun Gong,' it's a hate crime. The fact that it's occurring
openly on the streets of New York City and instigated by a foreign Communist
government is outrageous.”
described the Consulate's influence with Chinese Community leaders and its
frequent use of that influence to attack Falun Gong on U.S. soil. “I have done
it very frequently…I would say I have kept a very good relationship with them
[Chinese community leaders]… I pay them personal visits frequently… For
example, they came over after they fought with Falun Gong and I shook hands with
them one by one and thanked them.”
and launched a campaign to “eradicate” the traditional Chinese practice in 1999,
Falun Gong adherents in the U.S. and other countries have reported dozens of
incidents of harassment, intimidation or assault at the hands of Chinese
nationals believed to be hired or encouraged by local Chinese consulate
officials to attack Falun Gong.
the U.S. in recent months.
violence perpetrated against Falun Gong activists by Chinese agents in the
United States.
involved in Falun Gong human rights advocacy, was assaulted at his suburban
Atlanta home. The assailants forced their way into his home, wrapped Li in a
blanket, beat him about the head and face, and left him bloody and nearly
unconscious in his living room. The assailants took a computer and some files,
but no valuables were stolen. (news)
Resolution 304, stating, “over the past 5 years China's diplomatic corps has
been actively involved in harassing and persecuting Falun Gong practitioners in
the United States.” In 2002, about 50 Falun Gong followers filed a lawsuit in
the D.C. district court against two ministries of the People's Republic of China
government, alleging a systematic campaign of criminal activities designed to
intimidate, harass, injure, limit, and terrorize U.S. citizens and residents who
practice Falun Gong. (news)
local authorities to investigate the roles of the Chinese consulate in
instigating the recent violence in New York City and other areas, and to hold
all responsible Chinese officials fully accountable for these acts of harassment
and violence.
Peng, click here.
Falun Dafa Information Center, www.faluninfo.net
Founded in 1999, the Falun Dafa Information Center is a New York-based
organization that documents the rights violations of adherents of Falun Gong (or
“Falun Dafa”) taking place in the People's Republic of China. In July of 1999
China's autocratic Communist Party launched an unlawful campaign of arrests,
violence, and propaganda with the intent of “eradicating” the apolitical
practice; it is believed certain leaders feared the influence of the practice's 100 million adherents. The campaign has since grown
in violence and scope, with millions having been detained or sent to forced labor
camps. The Center has verified details of over 3,000 deaths and over 63,000
cases of torture in custody (reports / sources). Falun Gong is a traditional-style Buddhist “qigong”
practice, with roots in the Chinese heritage of cultivating the mind/body for
health and spiritual growth.
INFORMATION CENTER– Contacts: Gail Rachlin 917-757-9780, Levi Browde
646-415-0998, Erping Zhang 646-533-6147, or Joel Chipkar 416-709-8678. Email: contact@faluninfo.net,
Website: http://www.faluninfo.net/
Posting date: 15/June/2008
Original article date: 23/May/2008
Category: Media Release
