Talk about my experience

I once worked in the Philippines' Zone 3, dealing with the Japanese disc business. Shortly after legally returning to China, I was taken away by the police in Heze, Shandong. I later found out that many colleagues who returned were also arrested, and I was implicated due to a colleague's testimony, claiming I was the supervisor.

During the interrogation

The day I was brought into the interrogation room, the police presented many things about me, but all these were based on testimonies without any solid evidence. I never admitted anything, but I underestimated the determination of the police. They wouldn't physically assault you, but they would mentally torture you to extract confessions. They locked me in a small dark room with only a wooden plank for a bed, a blanket, and a toilet. Meals depended entirely on their mood; on good days, there might be pickles and porridge, on bad days, just a bowl of porridge and a bun. In such conditions, without any sense of time, it was extremely hard to endure days of hunger and poor sleep. This treatment was no different from torture.

Police inducement and prolonged detention

Normally, if there is no evidence within 37 days, one should be released, but perhaps because many people testified against me or for other reasons, my detention was continuously extended. They kept deceiving me with promises of leniency for confession, even mentioning "bail pending trial" – all lies. Anyone who believes such things is naively foolish. The police's job is to make you confess; once you sign and fingerprint, whether they sentence you to three years or five years, it no longer concerns them; their task is complete.

My anger about my experience

I started from the bottom in the overseas Japanese disc business, and it took me three years to climb to the position of supervisor, during which I put in countless efforts and sweat. Why should I confess just because of a single accusation? Should all my years of hard work be invalidated by a mere "you are guilty"?

When I was oppressed in the Philippine zone, I sought help from my family and tried to contact the embassy, but what was the response? Back then, when I was just a low-level worker, beaten and electrocuted, did my country ever help me? Now, having finally made it through and earned some money to return home, I am interrogated by my own compatriots, who want to confiscate my hard-earned results. How is this different from banditry?

The reality and anger of surviving overseas

Many people risk their lives to make money in Southeast Asia; how many Chinese die there each year? If I deceived my compatriots, I am willing to admit my guilt and feel remorse. But I do not feel sorry for doing the Japanese disc business overseas. I believe that if our ancestors saw how we have developed the Japanese disc business to this extent, they would definitely say: "Good, good, good, enhance our national prestige!"

With so many corrupt officials and real criminals at home not being pursued, why target us ordinary people? Struggling to make a bit of money in Southeast Asia, only to be targeted by our own upon returning home, what kind of skill is that?

Finally released and lessons learned

Because I never admitted guilt, my family eventually hired a lawyer, and it took over 60 days to get me out. Therefore, mere testimonies from others cannot serve as valid evidence unless the police have substantial evidence. I want to remind all brothers striving in Southeast Asia that the police's methods are nothing more than inducement and mental torture. As long as you can withstand it and persist in not confessing, you can get through it. If I had confessed initially, I couldn't have escaped a few years' sentence.

Being bullied abroad and then harassed by our own compatriots upon returning is intolerable! I also remind brothers struggling in Southeast Asia not to believe the lies of "leniency for confession," stand your ground, and make it ashore soon!