[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 143 (Wednesday, October 5, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[Congressional Record: October 5, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
EVIDENCE OF SLAVE LABOR IN CHINA
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HON. FRANK R. WOLF
of virginia
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, October 5, 1994
Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I am submitting for the Record an appeal by
Chen Pokong, a prisoner in China, to the international community
concerning goods made with slave labor in Chinese prison camps.
[From the Laogai Research Foundation, Milpitas, CA]
Bloodstained Flowers
(By Chen Pokong, Political Prisoner)
A Courageous Appeal From a Chinese Prison
``I am thrown into this hell because the Guangdong
authorities want to crush me spiritually and physically. This
is political retaliation and persecution.
Being in this critical situation, I have no choice but to
appeal to you. I strongly urge progressive forces the world
over to pay attention to human rights conditions in China,
and to extend their assistance to the Chinese people who are
in an abyss of misery. I strongly appeal to international
progressive organizations to urge the Guangdong authorities
to cease persecuting me politically.
I understand that once my letter is published, I might be
persecuted even more harshly. I might even be killed. But I
have no choice!''
artificial flowers made by chinese political prisoners
A Chinese political prisoner, Chen Pokong, in a document
smuggled out of a re-education-through-labor (Laojiao) camp
in southern China has provided evidence that artificial
flowers made by prisoners are being exported to the United
States. His appeal is being released following a four month
investigation which included photographing the prison where
Chen is being held.
This is the first time a known dissident and political
prisoner has communicated with the outside world about forced
labor products being exported to the United States.
Chen, 30 years old, is a teacher and pro-democracy
activist, who had previously served a three year prison term
for his activities in Guangzhou during the 1989 pro-democracy
movement, attached to his letter original labels the
prisoners put on flowers. The three labels (See Appendix II)
are for ``Silky Touch'' flowers distributed by Ben Franklin
Stores, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois; ``Lady Bug Collection''
flowers for Universal Sun Ray of Springfield, Missouri; and
another ``Universal Sun Ray-U.S. Flowers'' label.
The Laogai Research Foundation purchased flowers with these
labels on them at Ben Franklin Stores in Pleasanton,
California and Reno, Nevada. (See Appendix I)
A Universal Sun Ray employee, visited by a Foundation
representative at the company's showroom in Springfield,
confirmed that the company supplies Ben Franklin, Inc. with
its artificial flowers. Other large customers include
Cotters, Inc., the parent of True Value Hardware stores; and
the Rag Shops, a New Jersey based craft store chain. The
employee also advised us that Universial Sun Ray provided
Memorial Day flowers for sale at Wal-Mart stores in 1994. The
Foundation has no evidence that any of the customers, or
Universal Sun Ray itself, is aware that Chinese prisoners are
involved in producing the flowers they sell.
It is illegal under U.S. law to import into the United
States any product made in whole or in part by convict for
forced labor.
chen pokong--political prisoner
Chen Pokong, also known as Chen Jingsong, was a young
teacher in the economics department of Zhongshan University,
when he became involved in the pro-democracy movement which
swept China in 1989.
Chen was sentenced to a three year term for his
``counterrevolutionary instigation'' according to a copy of a
Guangdong People's Court ruling on his appeal of his sentence
which has been obtained by the Laogai Research Foundation.
(See Appendix V)
This document provides considerable detail on his arrest
and the charges against him. Chen was first arrested on
August 2, 1989 although the Chinese say ``detained for
investigation.'' Seven months later, on February 21, 1990 he
was formally ``arrested'' and sentenced to three years
imprisonment on March 1, 1991 by the Guangdong People's
Municipality Intermediate Court.
Among Chen's ``crimes'' were charges he ``instigated'' the
following statements as wall posters on the Zhongshan
University campus: ``Due to mishandling of the student
movement, the Party has lost all its credibility and prestige
as a ruling party * * *. Upon repeated consideration we have
decided to declare earnestly that we are withdrawing from the
Communist Party and the Communist Youth League * * *. The
bloody violence began in front of the monument of the
people's heroes the reactionary power has been revealed in
its viciousness * * * undeniable proof of the communist
power's bloody despotism * * * such a ruling party is hated
by people the world over and is a shame for the Chinese
people.''
According to Chen, he completed his sentence and was
released in July, 1992. He then resumed his political
activities and which were ``disseminating the ideas of
democracy, creating progressive publications and
disseminating them.'' Fearing arrest, he fled to Hong Kong in
early August, 1993.
hong kong denies political asylum
After meeting with human rights activists in Hong Kong,
Chen, following established procedures, turned himself in to
the Hong Kong authorities and applied for political asylum.
Despite having considerable documentation about his
previous arrest, imprisonment, and political activities,
Chen's application was denied and he was deported to China on
September 1, 1993 where he was immediately taken into
custody.
Original documents obtained by the Laogai Research
Foundation confirm his detention (See Appendix VI), and
Chen's smuggled letter states that two months later he was
sentenced by the Public Security Bureau to two years at the
Guangzhou No. 1 Reeducation-Through-Labor camp.
chen's appeal to the world
Chen is an inmate at the Guangzhou No. 1 Reeducation-
Through-Labor camp, a stone quarry in Chini Town, Huaxian
County. At the time his letter was smuggled out of the prison
he was in Company 9. Today he is believed to be in Company 6.
His appeal, addressed to the United Nations International
Human Rights Organization (sic), the Voice of America, and
Asian Watch (sic), was passed on later to the Laogai Research
Foundation (See Appendix III), which possesses the original
document.
He writes:
``I am thrown into this hell because the Guangdong
authorities want to crush me spiritually and physically. This
is political retaliation and persecution.
``Being in this critical situation, I have no choice but to
appeal to you. I strongly urge progressive forces the world
over to pay close attention to human rights conditions in
China, and to extend their assistance to the Chinese people
who are in an abyss of misery. I strongly appeal to
international progressive organizations to urge the Guangdong
authorities to cease persecuting me politically.
``I understand that once my letter is published, I might be
persecuted even more harshly. I might even be killed. But I
have no choice!''
terror, privation, and slave labor
Chen testifies that the inmates of the camp labor ``over 14
hours a day'' moving stones from the quarry to the wharf and
then onto a boat. After working all day they are forced to
make artificial flowers at night.
The only time off during the year is three days during the
annual Spring Festival. If prisoners do not meet their
production quotas they have their sentences lengthened.
He tells of prisoners who worked too slowly being
``brutally beating and misused (sic) by supervisors and team
leaders (themselves inmates.)'' ``Inmates'' he writes, ``are
often beaten until they are bloodstained all over, collapse
or lose consciousness.''
``Several times I was beaten by the team leader,'' he says
in his appeal, adding, ``I am constantly exposed to terror.''
Other prisoners told him that before he arrived one inmate
had been beaten to death.
Privation in the camp is real. The food allotment is
insufficient. ``Every meal consists of coarse rice and rotten
vegetable leaves. Hardly can we see any grease. We have a
little meat only on major holidays.''
Medical treatment appears to be non-existent. Chen tells of
injured and sick prisoners being forced to labor despite
their infirmities. ``many inmates, including myself, their
hands and feet squashed by big stones, stained with blood and
pus, have to labor as usual. As a consequence, many inmates
were crippled for life.''
FORCED LABOR FLOWERS--THE AMERICAN CONNECTION
On a separate sheet of paper Chen placed the three labels
mentioned in the beginning of this report (See Appendix II).
The following is Chen's text on artificial flowers:
``The artificial flowers we make are for export. The
trademarks are in English, the prices in USD. Even the
company commander and the quarry director said the flowers
are made in cooperation with a Hong Kong company that exports
them. This is in serious violence (sic) of international
human rights norms, international law, even the Chinese
government's law.
As a matter of fact, in the recent decade and more all
products turned out by labor reform and reeducation-through-
labor and detention facilities in Guangdong Province are
almost exclusively for export (usually in cooperation with
Hong Kong and Taiwan companies). For instance, Huanghua
Detention Center in Guangzhou, at least in 1989 when I was
there and experienced everything myself, has been forcing
detainees to make artificial flowers, necklaces, jewelry
(trademarks in English, prices in USD) This can be testified
to by anybody who was there, including Hong Kongers.''
Two of the three labels are for Universal Sun Ray of
Springfield, Missouri. According to conversations with a
company employee, Universal Sun Ray also imports flowers for
Ben Franklin Stores, Inc., the name of the third label
attached on the flowers by prisoners in the camp.
On July 8, and August 28, 1994 the Laogai Research
Foundation purchased flowers with these three labels on them
at two Ben Franklin stores in Pleasanton, CA and Reno, NV
(See Appendix I).
Shipping records show Universal Sun Ray regularly receives
substantial shipments of artificial flowers from Hong Kong
and China. The company's showroom in Springfield has dozens
of different types of flowers on display, all those from Asia
are marked ``Made in China.'' It is believed the shipments
indicating Hong Kong as the port of origin are in reality
produced in China and transported to Hong Kong by truck and
loaded aboard ships destined for the United States.
Universal Sun Ray receives imports from a number of Hong
Kong based companies, but one company appears to ship much
more than the others. The names of these companies will be
provided to the U.S. Customs Service for investigation.
The Foundation has received no evidence that any officer or
employee of Universal Sun Ray has knowledge that some
quantity of the flowers being manufactured for them are being
made in part at the Guangzhou No. 1 Reeducation-Through-Labor
camp by Chen Pokong and other prisoners. It is known, though,
that at least one official of the company travels regularly
to the region on Universal Sun Ray business.
Chen Pokong states that the prisoners ``make'' the flowers,
but does not describe in detail the production process Given
that the prisoners work in the quarry and transport stones
during the day, the Laogai Research Foundation is presuming
that the prisoners are used to assemble the flowers at night.
This would entail connecting the polyester/silk flowers to
the plastic stems and folding the self adhesive labels around
the stem.
Production of the polyester/silk flower itself requires
cutting machinery and workers with some dexterity. The heavy
work with stones during the day is not, in our view,
conducive to manual dexterity at night. Assembly, on the
other hand, is much less difficult, although painful for the
prisoners at the end of a harsh day of quarry labor.
This analysis would also support the likelihood that the
assembly in the prison is being subcontracted by another
facility, perhaps a legitimate artificial flower factory in
the area.
While Chen's evidence is the first of a political prisoner
being forced to labor producing artificial flowers for export
to the U.S., it is not the first report of such flowers being
made in the prisons and detention centers in Guangdong
Province. In 1990, Lai Dexiong, a police officer in Shenzhen,
escaped to Hong Kong after learning he was about to be
arrested for helping student leaders active during the
Tiananmen Square demonstrations escape the country. Lai told
of seeing prisoners in 1987 in a number of detention centers
and prisons making artificial flowers for export to England
for Queen Elizabeth's birthday celebration. At that time, his
testimony was not taken seriously.
reeducation-through-Labor (RTL)
The Chinese government does not consider Reduction-Through-
Labor (Laojiao) to be judicial punishment, but rather, ``high
level government disciplinary action.'' This means that
prisoners do not technically go through judicial procedures
such as arrest, examination, or sentencing, and therefore
local public security bureaus (police) do not have to submit
reports to the courts or the Office of the Procuratorate.
But, arrest, detention, sentencing, and forced labor are
part of the process, and the man or woman subject to
reeducation through labor is still an inmate in a prison,
even if the Chinese governmental and communist party choose
not to call them prisons.
Chen makes this point clearly in his letter:
``Reeducation-through-labor is the darkest part of China's
current political system. Ironically, RTL policy and
regulations worked out by the Chinese government itself have
been altered beyond recognition in their practical
implementation. According to RTL policy and regulations RTL
is lighter than LR (Labor Reform): inmates get this pay, have
their benefits and holiday, enjoy the right of
correspondence, cultural, recreational and sports activities,
do not labor more than 8 hours daily, can visit their
families on holidays, can be bailed out for medical
treatment, etc. In reality RTL is hell.''
His description of terror, privation and forced labor
testified to the practice of reeducation-through-labor rather
than its supposed theory.
____________________