It seems like an age since we last wrote in, and looking at the date, I can see that it's been over a week. Sorry for that! Things have gotten unusually busy, as on December 14 Thai police arrested eight of our practitioners while they were protesting in front of the Chinese embassy in Bangkok, protesting to condemn a recent double-rape of practitioners in China by a Chinese policeman.

Police openly admitted that the reason for the arrest was pressure from the Chinese embassy. Practitioners in China are silenced as a matter of state policy, so practitioners here felt it was their duty to speak for those who's voices could not be heard, especially since the women who had been violated expressly asked that their story be voiced to the world. A good update (though more has happened since then, can be found in the most recent Falun Gong Human Rights Working Group newsletter:

Issue 18: Chinese Embassy Directs Thai Police to Detain Falun Gong Practitioners and Their Children

For a link to the original case that the detained practitioners were protesting, see the FalunHR urgent appeal:

Serial Rape of Falun Gong Practitioners in Hebei -- WARNING, graphic photos of the results of torture -- but the world needs to know that this sort of thing is sanctioned in a country where the Olympics will he held in a couple of years.

Over the last while, Jan has gotten to know the Bangkok Immigration Detention Center quite well. According to Thai law, the arrests are "discretionary" meaning that police can still do the right thing and allow the refugee practitioners to have their voices heard. Ironically, being silenced is among the reasons that they came to Thailand in the first place.

A few days after the arrests, Cindy made her way to Vietnam to work as a tour guide -- no doubt there will be updates from her as the week progresses! Jan misses her support. Alot.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 21, 2005 at 3:11 p.m.. You can skip to the end and leave a response.