China – CHN35623 – Fuqing – Detention – Fuzhou

RRT RESEARCH RESPONSE

Research Request Number: CHN35623 Country: China Date of Reply: 10 November 2009

Title: China – Fuqing – Detention – Fuzhou – Detention Centre

This response was prepared by the Research & Information Services Section of the Refugee Review Tribunal (RRT) after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the RRT within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. This research response may not, under any circumstance, be cited in a decision or any other document. Anyone wishing to use this information may only cite the primary source material contained herein.

Question

1. Deleted. 2. Please provide information about detention centres in Fuzhou, such as whether detainees wear uniforms, what types of labour are performed, admission/discharge procedures, population, the structure and layout of the centres and their surrounds (ie. residential, industrial, farmland).

RESPONSE

Fuqing is a county level city, and is an administrative unit which is part of Fuzhou city, the capital of Fujian province. The Laogai Research Foundation’s Laogai Handbook 2007-2008 cites the existence of a Fuqing Prison located in Xiashi Village, Jingyang Town, Fuqing City. It is suggested that the prison undertakes farming activities (Laogai Research Foundation 2008, Laogai Handbook 2007-2008, page 65, http://laogai.org/system/files/u1/handbook2008-all.pdf – Accessed 6 November 2009 – Attachment 2).

A 2000 Canadian research response details information on a detention centre in Mawei city, another administrative unit which is part of Fuzhou city. It may indicate similar conditions in the detention centres in Fuqing:

The Program Analyst provided additional details regarding the detention facilities:

The Detention facilities are approximately one hour drive from downtown Fuzhou. The road to get there follows the river where we could see hundreds of boats navigating both ways or simply anchored off. The area would be considered fairly well off by Chinese standards with a lot of new housing construction evident. We were told that a lot of those houses were paid with money remitted from overseas.

The detention centre itself is situated in a small town not far from a large church The centre was built two years ago. The staff lives about 50 metres from it in a small apartment building. The detention centre is a rectangular, four story building with a large enclosed courtyard. It can accommodate a maximum of 100 detainees. The cells are all around the building with recreation facilities such as a ping pong table in the courtyard. On the first floor, there are several rooms for questioning deportees. Those rooms are fairly small with a plexiglass divider separating the detainee and the interviewer. We recognized one of the deportees of the previous day being questioned as we walked by

Each cell can accommodate up to 10-12 people. The cells are large rectangular rooms with an elevated floor on each side where mattresses are set at night and rolled up during the day. Each cell has it's own bathroom, television, and window. From what we could see most of the inmates were sleeping, watching television or playing cards. A larger room is used as a cafeteria and "re-education" room. The whole detention centre is very clean and the living conditions did not appear to be particularly harsh, almost comparable to the equivalent in Canada.

We found it quite interesting that at the entrance of the detention facility there is a huge sign that states that in 1999, 47 groups of deportees went through that facility for a total of 4,698 persons. 3,174 were sentenced to 15 days or less of detention. The remaining 1524 persons were referred to the judicial system where their cases were reviewed and the maximum sentence of one year meted out. Unfortunately photographs inside the institution were not permitted on this visit (Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada 2000, CHN34770.E – China: Update to CHN32869.EX of 22 September 1999 regarding treatment of illegal emigrants repatriated to China; particularly information regarding treatment of those repatriated from Canada in May 2000, 9 August – Attachment 10).

Amnesty International, Human Rights in China and general news articles made references to people being held at Fuzhou’s ‘Number 1’ and ‘Number 2’ detention centres which may include a detention centre in Fuqing (‘Detention center death’ 2009, Shanghai Daily, 13 April http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2009/200904/20090413/article_397462.htm – Accessed 5 November 2009 – Attachment 5; ‘Two Dies In Detention Rooms In East China’ 2009, Turkish Weekly, 11 April http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/71852/-two-dies-in- detention-rooms-in-east-china.html – Accessed 5 November 2009 – Attachment 6; Human Rights in China 2008, Timeline: Human Rights Defenders, December http://www.hrichina.org/public/PDFs/CRF.4.2008/CRF-2008-4_Timeline.pdf – Accessed 5 November 2009 – Attachment 7; Amnesty International 2008, Urgent Action: Leider nur auf Englisch, UA 332/08 http://www.amnesty-1062.de/China/ua08332.pdf - Accessed 6 November 2009 – Attachment 8).

Falun Gong websites also include references to followers being held in Fuzhou’s ‘Number 1’ and ‘Number 2’ detention centres (‘After Inhuman Torture, Ms. Guan Yujing, a Judge from Fuzhou City, Is Once Again Arrested’ 2009, Clear Harmony: Falun Dafa in Europe website http://www.clearharmony.net/articles/200908/50036.html - Accessed 5 November 2009 – Attachment 3; ‘Additional Persecution News from China’ 2009, Falun Dafa Clear Wisdom.net website, http://clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2009/8/16/110078p.html - Accessed 26 July – Attachment 4).

Research response CHN32936 provides information on the discharge procedures and uniforms at the Nan Meng Dou Street detention centre. It states that inmates do not wear uniforms (RRT Country Research 2008, Research Response CHN32936, 7 March (Question 2) – Attachment 9).

Research response CHN33873 provides information on detention documents for an individual held in criminal detention at a facility in Fuqing. It contains advice to family members, or the Unit of Detainees - Bureau of Public Security Fuqing City; certificate of release; and a list of confiscated items and documents (RRT Country Research 2008, Research Response CHN33873, 11 November – Attachment 11).

Research response CHN33399 provides information on a detention certificate for Yanping district, Nanping (RRT Country Research 2008, Research Response CHN33399, 2 June – Attachment 12).

Research response CHN32906 provides background information on administrative detention (RRT Country Research 2008, Research Response CHN32906, 4 February (Question 2) – Attachment 13).

For further background on administrative detention and the documents issued by detention facilities, please see Dr Biddulph’s 2008 presentation to the MRT-RRT on administrative and criminal detention in China (Biddulph, S. 2008, ‘Administrative and Criminal Detention in China: Seminar Presentation and Discussion’, 6 August – Attachment 14).

List of Sources Consulted

Internet Sources:

Mapping sites Google Maps http://maps.google.com.au/ University of Texas Library Maps http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ Lonely Planet http://www.lonelyplanet.com/ Wikimapia http://wikimapia.org

Government Information & Reports Immigration & Refugee Board of Canada http://www.irb.gc.ca/ US Department of State http://www.state.gov/

Non-Government Organisations Amnesty International website http://www.amnesty.org/ Human Rights Watch http://www.hrw.org/ UNHCR Refworld website http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/refworld/rwmain

Region Specific Human Rights in China http://iso.hrichina.org/public/index Shanghai Daily http://www.shanghaidaily.com Clear Harmony (Falun Gong site) http://www.clearharmony.net Falun Dafa Clear Wisdom.net http://clearwisdom.net/ Laogai Research Foundation http://www.laogai.org/ People’s Daily http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ Asia Source: Special Reports Archive http://www.asiasociety.org/policy-politics Far Eastern Economic Review http://www.feer.com/ Asian Human Rights Commission http://www.ahrchk.net/index.php China Daily http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/ The Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/

International News & Politics BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk Turkish Weekly http://www.turkishweekly.net

Search Engines Google search engine http://www.google.com.au/ Google News http://news.google.com/nwshp?hl=en&tab=wn Copernic http://www.copernic.com/

Databases:

FACTIVA (news database) BACIS (DIAC Country Information database) REFINFO (IRBDC (Canada) Country Information database) ISYS (RRT Research & Information database, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, US Department of State Reports) MRT-RRT Library Catalogue

List of Attachments

1. Deleted.

2. Laogai Research Foundation 2008, Laogai Handbook 2007-2008, page 65, http://laogai.org/system/files/u1/handbook2008-all.pdf – Accessed 6 November 2009.

3. After Inhuman Torture, Ms. Guan Yujing, a Judge from Fuzhou City, Is Once Again Arrested’ 2009, Clear Harmony: Falun Dafa in Europe website http://www.clearharmony.net/articles/200908/50036.html - Accessed 5 November 2009.

4. ‘Additional Persecution News from China’ 2009, Falun Dafa Clear Wisdom.net website, http://clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2009/8/16/110078p.html - Accessed 26 July.

5. ‘Detention center death’ 2009, Shanghai Daily, 13 April http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2009/200904/20090413/article_397462.htm – Accessed 5 November 2009.

6. ‘Two Dies In Detention Rooms In East China’ 2009, Turkish Weekly, 11 April http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/71852/-two-dies-in-detention-rooms-in-east- china.html – Accessed 5 November 2009.

7. Human Rights in China 2008, Timeline: Human Rights Defenders, December http://www.hrichina.org/public/PDFs/CRF.4.2008/CRF-2008-4_Timeline.pdf – Accessed 5 November 2009.

8. Amnesty International 2008, Urgent Action: Leider nur auf Englisch, UA 332/08 http://www.amnesty-1062.de/China/ua08332.pdf - Accessed 6 November 2009.

9. RRT Country Research 2008, Research Response CHN32936, 7 March (Question 2).

10. Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada 2000, CHN34770.E – China: Update to CHN32869.EX of 22 September 1999 regarding treatment of illegal emigrants repatriated to China; particularly information regarding treatment of those repatriated from Canada in May 2000, 9 August. (http://immibelweh03/NXT/gateway.dll/cisnet_bacis/cisnet_bacis_chn_frame/bacis_c x160687?f=templates$fn=document-frameset.htm$q=CHN34770.E $x=server$3.0#LPHit1)

11. RRT Country Research 2008, Research Response CHN33873, 11 November.

12. RRT Country Research 2008, Research Response CHN33399, 2 June.

13. RRT Country Research 2008, Research Response CHN32906, 4 February (Question 2).

14. Biddulph, S. 2008, ‘Administrative and Criminal Detention in China: Seminar Presentation and Discussion’, 6 August.