Two Chinese Falun Gong Practitioners, Ms. Gao Jinying and Her Husband Liu Baochun, Arrive Safely in New York after Receiving Humanitarian Support from the US Government

At 11:20 p.m. on November 15th, 2007, Gao Jinying and her husband Liu Baochun, two Falun Gong practitioners from China, arrived at JFK International Airport in New York via Thailand. Ms. Gao and Mr. Liu are UN refugees. Based on humanitarian concerns, the United States government accepted the two practitioners who have been relentlessly persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Alan Adler, President of Friends of Falun Gong, said that the rescue effort was a difficult process that faced lots of obstruction from various sides. But at a critical moment, the American government offered its support and accepted the couple. This is another example of rescuing Falun Gong practitioners being rescued by righteous international forces.

Ms. Gao, sixty-one years old, was a volunteer contact person at a practice site in Handan City, Hebei Province. Since 1999, she has been arrested twice, sentenced to one-year of imprisonment, and forced to stay away from her home for six years. She stayed in more than 80 locations to avoid persecution. The length of her stay in these locations was short, ranging from a few hours to a few months at most. Still, she said, "No difficulty can change my resolve to practise Falun Gong."

Ms. Gao said, "During this period, more than ten Falun Gong practitioners who were close to me were tortured to death. More practitioners were arrested, sent to forced labor camps, and sentenced to prison.

"Many Falun Gong practitioners were tortured to death, such as Zhang Zhendong, a 22-year-old undergraduate student in Jinan, Shandong Province. He and I worked together to prepare informational materials. He was beaten to death the seventh day after the police took him away. There were bruises and cuts all over his body and his organs were removed."

"Another fellow practitioner, Wang Fengwei, worked with me to prepare truth-clarification literature. The police took him away and sent him to a detention centre. Guards at the centre locked the door of his cell and kept him there without attention. He was starved to death."

Ms. Gao called on the international community to pay attention to Falun Gong practitioners' suffering in China, and help stop the persecution so that all practitioners can be free to practice their belief in Truth-Compassion-Forbearance.

Mr. Liu Baochun is a renowned expert in sculpture. He said, "I appreciate the UN, the US and Thailand for their humanitarian help in rescuing us. We appreciate sincerely all righteous people for their kind help."

Amy Lee and Wang Huimin, two other Falun Gong practitioners who were persecuted by the CCP, stated that numerous Falun Gong practitioners in China still face violence and a menacing environment. They hope that the international community will exert pressure on the CCP until all practitioners are released and the persecution ends.

Many Falun Gong practitioners in New York brought flowers to the airport to welcome the two practitioners in their sixties who have experienced persecution and suffering for years.