On the eve of September 18, the Pan-blue Alliance had scheduled ceremonies in more than six provinces for the 75th anniversary of the Anti-Japanese War of Resistance (Anti-Japanese War). They were forced to cancel most of them however, due to pressure from the various local authorities who accuse their activities of “hurting stability.” According to an anonymous member of the Alliance, the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MOCA) has labeled the organization as illegal, prohibiting its many activities.
The Pan-blue Alliance [1] had planned to hold symposiums on September 18, 2006 to discuss the history of the National Party defending China during the Anti-Japanese War. The activities were forced to cancel due to the pressure from local authorities. In spite of this, members of the Alliance in Hunan and Shandong Provinces held symposiums recalling the history of the war against Japan.
Mr. Chen, a member of the Pan-blue Alliance in Sichuan Province said that the Chengdu National Security Guard squad told us “not to do anything associated with Pan-blue Alliance, as the MOCA has deemed the Pan-blue Alliance as an illegal organization.” Mr. Chen also said, “Anything we have done is known to the regime. Right now we can only organize activities under the name of our personal purpose. Even though the system is not right, we have to be peaceful.”
A reporter called the Chengdu National Security Guard squad, and asked for an interview. The request was denied and the reporter told that he had dialed a wrong number. The reporter then called the National Security Guard squads in Hunan Province and Wuhan City, but no one answered the phone at either location.
This reporter later called the MOCA branch in Sichuan Province to verify whether it has officially categorized Pan-blue Alliance as an illegal organization. The staff member who answered the phone said that they didn’t know whether it was true or false and suggested the reporter to call the director of the branch. The director did not take the phone call.
Members of Pan-blue Alliance detained and beaten
To date, many members of the Pan-blue Alliance have been put under constant surveillance and beaten. Recently, Zhang Qi was detained for more than 20 days for flying the flag of the Republic of China on the anniversary of the victory of the Anti-Japanese War.
Zhang Zilin, a member of the Pan-blue Alliance in Hunan Province, proclaimed September 18 [2] as a national day of infamy. He was detained for 36 hours by the local National Security Guard squad. His cell phone was confiscated and he was beaten. He was finally released after paying 5000 yuan (US$ 600). On September 17 he and other members of the Alliance managed to evade police and traveled to Heshi Slope of Yulu Mountain [3] to pay respects to the fallen soldiers who died during the Japanese invasion.
In addition to the aforementioned incidents, there is one involving Sun Buer, the leader of the Pan-blue Alliance. He has been subpoenaed by Wuhan police multiple times. At one point he was kept in custody under the charge of “illegal association” and was tortured for not signing a repentance statement. He was recently put under surveillance and followed by the police in Wuhan for running the local election for the Deputy of the People’s Congress. He was forced to withdraw from the election because he was beaten so badly by the police that he should have been in a hospital. However, he could not afford it and he had to stay at home.
The police have detained many members in various places who are promoting freedom and democracy in China. Many of them are supporting Falun Gong practitioners, who are being persecuted through torture, forced labor, and execution via the removal of their organs, which are then sold for profit.
Notes:
[1] Pan-blue Alliance was originally established online on August 18, 2004. It provides services to the party members of the Kuoming Tang in mainland China. The Alliance currently claims “Thousands of registered members distributed in more than 20 cities.” Its core principles and ideology are to “negate Communism, promote the Three People’s Principle, and resolve to unite the country through the Kuoming Tang (the National Party that ruled China during World War II and is currently one of the major political parties in Taiwan).”
[2] This refers to the incident which took place on September 18, 1931, also called the Manchurian Incident. The details surrounding the incident involved a section of railroad in southern Manchuria, owned by Japan’s South Manchuria Railway near Mukden (now known as Shenyang) which was blown up by Japanese junior officers. Japan’s military then accused Chinese dissidents of the act,. thus providing Japan with an excuse to carry out the annexation of Manchuria. This is referred to as the September 18th Incident in China.
[3] Yulu Mountain in Changsha City is the home to the grave established in 1939 in memory of the 73rd Army soldiers who died in battle during the Japanese invasion.
