Press Release - December 1, 1996

Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A. - Jiangxi - Since November 14, 1996, approximately 80 underground Roman Catholics around Linchuan city of Fuzhou district in Jiangxi province were arrested without warrants, beaten, and jailed. This mass arrest occurred under the direction of Liu Ding (Secretary of Communist Party of Fuzhou district), Sun Wei Hua (in charge of political security for the same district),the religious bureau and other security bureau officials. Among those arrested are husband and wife, brother and sister, mother and daughter ranging between the ages of the teens to the seventy's. They have one trait in common - their loyalty and obedience to the Pope and their refusal to join the "official" Church which was created by the Communist government in order to replace the Roman Catholic Church.

Each year on every important feastday (such as Easter, Assumption, and Christmas) in the Roman Catholic Calendar, about 20,000 faithful belonging to the Roman Catholic Church, otherwise known as the "unofficial" Catholic Church as the Chinese Government called them, would congregate on a desolate mountain top called Yujiashan to pray. (Roman Catholics have no church buildings in China. They were all confiscated by the Government.) On each of these occasions, as reported many times by this Foundation, there were mass arrests and brutalities often injuring scores and arresting dozens in order to break up this peaceful prayer meeting. The Mass arrests being reported in this release appear to be a preemptive action by the Chinese Government to prevent the Roman Catholic from attending this prayer meeting in the coming Christmas season. This action is consistent with the nation-wide policy of intensified religious persecution such as the mobilization of 5000 troops earlier this year destroying a Marian Shrine in Dong Lu, Hubei and sealing this village in order to prevent the pilgrims from coming to this Shrine from all over the country.

Other details of this Mass arrest in Jiangxi are unknown at this time. Among those arrested are:

1) AU-YANG Rensheng M,62
2) CHEN Faliang M,30
3) CHEN Quanjiao F,42
4) CHEN Yangyun M,61
5) CHEN Suzhen F,40
6) DAI, Hohua F,43
7) DENG Shusheng M,72
8) DENG Rongmao M.48
9) DING Quancai M, 36
10) GAO Bewei M,40's
11) GAO Lanxin F, 50's
12) GAO Shuping F, 40's
13) GAO Yan F, 21
14) GU Guolong M,45
15) HO Changjin F,42
16) HO Dongjiao F, 50's
17) LIANG Yingxiang F, 43
18) LIAO Pingping F, 19
19) LIU Betian M,40's
20) LIU Guirong F,50
21) LIU Meiying F, 78
22) LUO Aiging F,52
23) LUO Xianghua F,45
24) WANG Hohua F, 34
25) WANG Qingin F,30
26) Wong Xiaomei F, 32
27) WU Huanglong M. 50's
28) WU Maohua F, 40
29) Wu Qiulin M, 50
30) WU Yinghua F, 29
31) XU Biyun F, 49
32) YAN Runlian F,56
33) YIN Guozhen M, 40's
34) YU Gaoming F, 39
35) ZENG Lilan F,40
36) ZENG Tirong M, 62
37) ZENG Xiangjin F, 43
38) ZHANG Hongmei F, 50's
39) ZHANG Guiming M, 42
40) ZHOU Guirong M, 42
41) ZHOU Yiquan M, 47
42) ZHU Huixiu F, 59

Bishop ZENG Jing Mu, Bishop of Yu Jiang in Jiangxi along with many of his priests remain locked in a prison somewhere in Jiangxi.

Hebei - Eight Roman Catholic nuns were arrested and jailed while they were in a religious retreat. They are:

1) LI Fangmei
2) GUO Gaizhen
3) GUO Hua
4) PAN Lianfen
5) WANG Shuangjun
6) ZENG Meifang
7) ZHANG Meifeng
8) ZHANG Wenzhen

Hundreds of Catholics were arrested and fined. They were told in no uncertain terms that unless their children renounce their Catholicism, they would be dismissed from the school. In the meantime, the whereabouts of Bishop Su Zhimin, the Bishop of Baoding, continues to be unknown as per our release on June 17, 1996. Many other bishops are either in jail or in hiding.