cong kuai yun dong) started, more than 30 prisoners of the Mei- zhou Prison were sent to the labour reform camps in the north- west. According to accounts from the cadres they were tied, naked, in the snow, and that, compared with the treatment they were subjected to, we were very lucky. Their domiciliary rights were canceled so that they could never return to their home county. At Meizhou I encountered a death convict who was badly beaten up before he was executed because he had attempted to commit suicide.
I was one of the very few people in my unit at Meizhou Prison who read daily. There was only a fluorescent tube on one floor, and that was only about 40 watts. The light was so dim that any read- ing was difficult. I usually made use of the lunch break, the recess after work, a short time before lights out and Sundays to read. But after they adopted cheng bao zhi there were no breaks in the day time.
'I was much better off after confession'
I was the only Meizhou prisoner who refused to confess. Some- times, I questioned my stubbornness and sometimes gave way under the endless persuasion of the cadres. Eventually I confessed. This happened only once and, about a year later, I changed my mind. Generally speaking, confession and performance (write something on notice-board glorifying the CCP etc.) were rewarded with shortened imprisonment. Besides, you could 'light ashes', reporting on other prisoners' performance to cover your guilt.
My confession was only about 200 words long. I asked for lenient treatment from the authorities but I did not glorify the party nor light ashes for better treatment. The cadres were dissatis- fied with my confession and performance but I refused to do anything more.
A year later I discovered that it was quite unrealistic to expect any relief treatment, so I stultified my confession. During that year, my daily life was significantly easier. I was allowed to listen to the shortwave radio brought by my family. I listened to BBC and VOA broadcasts everyday. If the day was clear, I could even received broadcasts from Holland. About two months later, I changed my mind my radio was confiscated. Up until then I was treated even better than other prisoners. I could refuse to work without being challenged, and could argue with the cadres without the threat of being foot-shackled. Once I withdrawn my statement I experienced the most difficult 18 months of my entire prison sentence. Cadres called all prisoners to a meeting to announce the special treatment to be subject to: 1) I was not allowed to talk to any person; 2) I was under the care, 24 hours a day, of a specially assigned prisoner; 3) I was totally insulated from oth- ers. I was moved to an empty cell where I stayed only with my 'guardian'. This person's power exceeded that of the cadres and
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