The accusation by Western media that China uses psychotherapy to
suppress so-called "dissidents" and Falun Gong followers is totally
a malicious slander.
The remark was made by an official with the Information Office of
the State Council in an interview with Xinhua Friday.
Recently, certain news media groups in some Western countries have
published articles saying China uses psychotherapy to suppress
those "dissidents" and Falun Gong practitioners, the official
explained.
"Some people with ulterior motives have also thrown stones at China
about this for no reason by using international conferences as
their platform, claiming China 'uses this method as a way to carry
out political and social control of its citizens," said the
official.
According to the official, the Chinese government has always paid
great attention to psychological health. There are strict
regulations about the administration of hospitals for the mentally
ill and the admission of such patients. Hospitalization of mentally
ill patients must follow the set procedures.
"The accusation made by some overseas organizations about China
using psychiatric hospitals for political purposes', or 'detaining
different kinds of dissidents as psychopathic patients', lacks
evidence and is totally irresponsible," said the official.
In
China, compulsory medical measures imposed on the mentally ill
after causing disturbances or disasters are taken strictly in
accordance with regulations, the official went on.
The first item of Article 18 of the Criminal Law stipulates any
mentally ill person who has behaved in a dangerous way when he or
she could not identify or could not control his or her behavior
will not shoulder any criminal responsibility if he or she is
diagnosed as being mentally ill according to set procedures.
However, his or her relatives or supervisors must be told to watch
the person carefully and have him or her treated, and
government-financed compulsory medical treatment must be introduced
when necessary.
Article 10 of the Regulation of the People's Republic of China on
Administrative Penalties for Public Security also rules that
mentally ill patients will not be punished for violations of public
security when he or she cannot identify or cannot control his or
her own behavior, but it necessary to order his or her supervisors
to watch the person closely and have him or her medically
treated.
Article 14 of Police Law stipulates the people's police with
departments of public security may introduce protective restrictive
measures when dealing with mentally ill patients who have posed a
serious threat to public security or the personal safety of others.
When there is a need to send mentally ill patients to designated
establishments or centers for further supervision, it is necessary
to inform and get approval from the people's government and
departments of public security above county level, and to inform
the supervisors of the mentally ill person as well.
The official believes compulsory hospitalization of mentally ill
patients disturbing peace according to law is not only to safeguard
the lives and property of the broad masses of the people and
safeguard the order of social security, but also for the genuine
care of the mentally ill persons and their relatives.
As
for Wang Wanxing, Cao Maobin and some others named by Western
media, the official said that they seriously disturbed the social
order when they could not identify or could not control their own
behaviors. They were later found to be mentally ill after medical
examinations as required by legal regulations.
It
is normal, necessary and an act fully in keeping with the law that
related local government and departments of public security sent
them to hospitals and had them treated there, said the
official.
"These people like Wang Wanxing and Cao Maobin have never received
any so-called 'inhumane treatment' during their stay in hospitals,"
the official emphasized.
According to the official, Cao Maobin and his relatives expressed
thanks to the public security departments, the concerned hospital
and the people who accompanied him from his former place of
employment for having him treated in the hospital.
"When Cao Maobin was discharged from hospital, the local government
and relevant departments helped him go through required procedures
for retirement on illness so that Cao could obtain a pension each
month according to set rules," said the official.
He
said Cao now has a stable state of mind and lives a normal
life.
The official went on to say that the cult is an issue that has
aroused wide attention in today's international community and is
also a major pest in the present world.
In
the cult organizations, apotheosized cult leaders adopted
fraudulent means to exercise spiritual control over their
followers, which has severely destroyed the health of the followers
and caused great harm to the state, society and the people, he
said. "Therefore, the governments of different countries have
always punished criminal activities committed by the cult
organizations according to law."
"The Falun Gong organization has all the features of a cult and has
been banned by the Chinese government according to law," said the
official.
In
China, there are certainly some "Falun Gong" practitioners whose
behavior has become abnormal from being obsessed with the cult for
long time and who have later been sent to hospitals by their
relatives.
Hospitals only admit those patients who are diagnosed as being
mentally ill according to the appropriate procedures. The
phenomenon concocted by some people in the West and overseas media
who say China "uses psychiatric hospitals and psychotherapy to
suppress Falun Gong practitioners" has never existed, the official
said.
(Xinhua News
Agency October 5, 2002)