Greetings Mr. President,
My name is Pan Hongyi and I am the Vice Editor-in-Chief of The Epoch Times Newspaper, and I am also a Falun Gong practitioner. I immigrated to America from China in 1995 and I lived in your home state, Texas, for over a decade. I have enjoyed the air of freedom in the United States until a week ago when I had to face physical assaults and death threats while I was in Flushing, New York. And I was not the only victim. Many of my fellow Falun Gong practitioners have faced similar assaults and death threats while we were in Flushing since May 17, and some even have faced worse than I. The freedoms that we enjoy in the United States have been challenged by Communist Red Terror. In this matter, I urge you to end the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) exportation of Red Terror on American soil.
As an employee of The Epoch Times, an independent and lawfully registered multilingual media outlet, I exercised my right to work as a reporter covering the mob attacks on the streets of Flushing. I was assaulted by a Chinese thug suspected to be hired by the CCP. He violently punched me in the arm and caused me to drop my camera to the ground. Next, the attacker trampled on my camera and totally destroyed it. Throughout the entire ordeal, the attacker repeatedly made death threats to me.
The Epoch Times is a U.S.-based multilingual newspaper and advocates telling the truth and promotes civil liberties. However, its editors, reporters and distributors have repeatedly been attacked by pro-Communist thugs and ruffians in the United States.
Prior to being attacked in Flushing, I couldn't relate to the incidents as my colleagues and fellow practitioners suffered from assaults. Little did I expect that the same thing would happen to me. The attack on June 16 was one of the two assaults I have suffered. The first assault took place on June 14 during a parade in opposition of the persecution of Falun Gong by the CCP. A pro-Communist thug hit my arm and knocked my camera to the ground in the same manner. The only difference was that the thug didn't destroy my camera. The assailant on June 16 finished the job.
The violent attack I had endured in Flushing was not an isolated incident. Mr. Yu Wenzhong, an employee of The Epoch Times and a fellow Falun Gong practitioner, was assaulted by several pro-Communist thugs and sustained face and ear injuries. Ms. Judy Chen is a mother of two American soldiers fighting in Iraq and also a fellow Falun Gong practitioner. She was physically assaulted by pro-Communist thugs on the streets of Flushing as well. Ms. Zhang Yu is the wife of The Epoch Times president, Tang Zhong, and is a fellow Falun Gong practitioner and was also assaulted by pro-Communist thugs. I personally saw the injuries that were inflicted on her. In addition, many Falun Gong practitioners have received death threats from pro-Communist thugs who besieged and verbally attacked them in Flushing.
It is even more shocking that my assailant had even attacked the police during his arrest. The thug refused to obey the police who were trying to maintain order. He shouted at the police, "You must not touch me!" Then he pushed and hit the policeman with his elbow. Finally, several policemen pinned him down to the ground. He demonstrated the terror and violence that is typical of the CCP and opened the eyes of the public as to what it is capable of.
Since the first mob attack against Falun Gong practitioners on May 17, there have been ongoing verbal and physical assaults against Falun Gong practitioners in Flushing.
The CCP had forecasts of the Sichuan earthquake and kept them from the public. They also dodged earthquake rescue work and allowed for the construction of buildings that are not concrete-reinforced. This caused the deaths of thousands of people and children alike. The CCP is attempting to channel the anger of the Chinese people against Falun Gong by staging the mob attacks against practitioners in Flushing. Also, the Chinese Consulate manipulated special agents and hired thugs to attack Falun Gong practitioners. Meanwhile, it has stirred up rumors to cause a stigma against Falun Gong amongst the Chinese populace in New York. Footage of "staged attacks" has been broadcasted across China and the Internet to further incite people's hatred towards Falun Gong.
The quiet community of Flushing has become a hub for the the CCP to incite terror and violence. A gang of Chinese Communist special agents, gangsters, ruffians, and even a former pimp have surfaced and have performed their ugly acts. They vandalized Falun Gong practitioners' banners, posters and fliers which contain important facts about Falun Gong. According to a Flushing resident, my alleged assailant, Ngan T. Yung, is perhaps the owner of a Chinese herbal supplement store, but used to own an underground prostitution ring. Several Flushing residents have informed me that some of the assailants were special agents from China and some are local Chinese residents engaged in illegal businesses.
Peng Keyu, the Chinese Consulate General in New York, admitted in a recorded telephone conversation that he would thank and encourage the attackers of Falun Gong practitioners personally after each attack. The CCP's special agent organizations, such as Chinese students, members of scholars associations, pro-Communist organizations and Chinese compatriot organizations would swing the red flags and cheer the mob on. Some Chinese media, who are obviously manipulated and controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, including SinoVision Television, portray the assailants as "heroes" in their reports and ultimately mislead the public to idolize the assailants and their violent acts. Their staged acts and hate propaganda are poisoning our land of freedom and its kindhearted people.
On July 20, 1999, nine years ago, since the CCP started its mass suppression of Falun Gong, hundreds of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have been persecuted and many tortured to death. Countless Falun Gong practitioners have been incarcerated in prisons, forced labor camps and even in psychiatric institutions, in which they suffer from inhuman tortures. Moreover, China's hospitals have been killing Falun Gong practitioners to harvest their organs for black market organ transplants even to this day.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Communist Party is extending its claw to the free world. In the past nine years, there have been reports in which Falun Gong practitioners have had their homes broken into, personal belongings stolen or damaged, and have had cars torched. There have been reports of pro-Communist thugs beating up Falun Gong practitioners in broad daylight. In 2003, Mr. Li Jun, a good friend of mine and a fellow Falun Gong practitioner, was beaten up by a pro-CCP leader of local Chinese community. The Chinese Embassy and Consulates have pressured many local governments in many U.S. cities to cancel their proclamations of Falun Gong.
Unfortunately, even in a free country like the United States, many government officials and corporations have chosen to turn a blind eye towards the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong because of business interests. They have even turned a blind eye to the horrendous crime of organ harvesting. Their silence has allowed the CCP to trample on people's freedom of belief.
By orchestrating the series of mob attacks in Flushing, the CCP has surpassed itself in its crimes against freedom of belief in the free world.
I would like to remind you, Mr. President, that the violent attacks that have been taking place in Flushing were by no means isolated assaults, but the premeditated, systematic exportation of the CCP's Red Terror. Peng Keyu, the Chinese Consulate General in New York, has admitted that he began to orchestrate these attacks as early as the CCP's violent suppression of the Tibet protests.
The CCP has been establishing its base for exporting its terror in New York for many years now. It is widely known that many Chinese people in Flushing are granted political asylum by the CCP's regime and actually work for the CCP as special agents. In fact, Flushing has become a den for ruffians, special agents, gangsters and even pimps who are manipulated and controlled by the CCP.
In Flushing, I met an immigrant from Hong Kong. While having a private conversation, the man was hesitant to admit that he supports the United States' ideologies of freedom and democracy before he knew my identity. He told me at first that he does not support either the value of freedom or the CCP's dictatorship. I told him that I am a Falun Gong practitioner and then he told me how he really felt. He said that he has to watch what he says in this community and avoids talking about politics because he never could tell who would report him, which would lead to much trouble. I felt disheartened when I heard this — was this the same country which I admired for its freedom of speech and belief?
I believe this immigrant from Hong Kong is not the only victim in this community. The CCP's Red Terror may not have destroyed buildings in the United States or drained billions in losses, but it has caused a greater crisis in a hidden form. It is corroding the fundamental values and the founding principles of the United States, including the freedom of press, speech and religion that the United States has exemplified. It is creating fear among people in the United States. The Hong Kong immigrant to whom I spoke illustrated the mentality of the Chinese community in Flushing.
Flushing is not the only place in which the CCP has exported its Red Terror. Falun Gong practitioners' Daily Service Centers to Quit the CCP around the country has been a target for the CCP to try and blanket them with its web of terror. In fact, the CCP has established an enormous network throughout the United States. The organized attacks during the Human Rights Torch Relay events, among other things, has revealed the size and capabilities. Besides planting special agents in overseas Chinese communities, the CCP is also trying to infiltrate the U.S. government and agencies of all levels.
Flushing is the current target of the CCP. Where will the CCP choose to attack next? Is the Department of Homeland Security prepared to protect us from the Chinese Communist Party's next attack?
The orchestrated mob attacks on Falun Gong practitioners in Flushing have been taking place daily for over a month since the first attacks occurred May 17. NYPD has done its best to protect Falun Gong practitioners, yet they have not been able to stop the thugs altogether. So far many U.S. scholars have stepped out to urge the United States government to escalate its level of response to the mob attacks in Flushing.
I, too, would like to urge you, Mr. President, to pay close attention to this problem, to end the CCP's schemes abroad and to restore the safe and peaceful environment in Flushing. Meanwhile, I would like to urge you, Mr. President, to do everything in your power to completely eradicate the CCP's networks in Flushing and in other places in the United States, including the students and scholars associations, pro-Communist organizations and Chinese compatriot organizations manipulated by the CCP.
The CCP is exploiting basic freedoms in the United States when it uses violence and spreads hatred. These special agents and henchmen of the CCP must be punished accordingly.
As the CCP exports its terror abroad, Falun Gong practitioners have been fighting on the front-lines to protect the freedom of belief, dignity and moral values. Falun Gong practitioners have been abiding by Falun Gong's principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance to face violence with peace, to respond to lies with truth and to face cruelty with compassion. There have been many touching stories in Flushing.
Meanwhile, Falun Gong practitioners continue to spread the truth about Falun Gong peacefully on the streets in Flushing. They are defending their freedom of belief in Flushing because they believe this is a land of freedom. In order to have the Flushing community free of fear and terror and to safeguard the United States' founding principle, Falun Gong practitioners continue their cause despite very real threats to their personal safety.
In the past century, the United States has been a world leader. The world's people, including the people of China, are much in debt to it. We will not forget the courage President Roosevelt manifested when he declared war against fascist regimes. We will not forget the valor President Reagan showed when he faced Communist regimes. Their acts have encouraged the United States and people of the free world, and have given hope to those who are surrounded by dark forces.
Such spirit belongs to the people of the United States and of the world. They are treasures bestowed to us by God, but they must be protected by all people who love freedom.
Thank you for your attention towards the mob attacks in Flushing. My best wishes to your family!
Yours truly, Pan Hongyi
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