The following is a press release from the office of Rev Hon Dr GORDON MOYES,
Christian Democratic Party Member of the Legislative Council in Australian
Parliament House.
Friday, 18th August 2006
As cross-party support in Australia was confirmed for an international
inquiry into reports of organ harvesting for profit in China, a leading
churchman said the world's conscience should be awakened.
"We need to act now on human rights violations occurring in China or lose
the opportunity forever," Rev Hon Dr Gordon Moyes, a member of the New
South Wales Parliament and China specialist, said today.
"The 2008 Beijing Olympics offers an unprecedented opportunity for
democratic nations to pressure the Chinese Government to act against these
crimes against humanity."
"The volume of evidence is now so strong that it warrants an independent,
international investigation," Dr Moyes said.
Dr Moyes' call came as European Parliament Vice President Mr Edward
McMillan-Scott and former Canadian cabinet minister Hon David Kilgour visited
Australia and New Zealand to encourage parliamentary support for an
international inquiry into organ harvesting - the sale of body parts from Falun
Gong prisoners of conscience.
A preliminary report
released on July 6 by Kilgour and human rights lawyer David Matas presented 18
categories of evidence on organ harvesting across China.
McMillan-Scott and Kilgour said that they were profoundly relieved that
Australia had now reached a cross-party consensus on the issue.
On Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Lateline on August 17, the
Australian government was confirmed as committing itself to an independent
investigation into the reports by Opposition Foreign Affairs spokesman Kevin
Rudd, who also supported the call.
"We welcome the bi-partisan consensus on an international inquiry into
organ harvesting. The 20 million population of Australia is bound together by
democracy and the rule of law, but also cherishes its well-established trade
ties with China.
So the position of the Australian government and opposition on this matter is
highly significant and welcome," said McMillan-Scott, who visited China to
investigate organ harvesting in May.
"As a leading Asian Pacific democracy, Australia is showing leadership on
this issue, which other parliamentarians in the region and beyond, including
Canada, the United States and Europe, should now follow," said Kilgour.
Further support for an end to organ harvesting came in a statement this week
referring to the Matas-Kilgour report, when the U.S. National
Kidney Foundation said it "is deeply concerned about recent allegations
regarding the procurement of organs and tissues through coercive or exploitative
practices abroad, or practices which violate worldwide human rights
standards."
Category: Voices of Support Worldwide