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On May 2, 2007, the Legal Aid Institute (LBH) and Falun Gong practitioners from Surabaya, Indonesia held a press conference at LBH and published an announcement, in which they expressed their regret regarding the Surabay City Government canceling Falun Gong practitioners' performances at the city celebration activity and the police department's detention of Falun Gong practitioners. Falun Gong practitioners pointed out that the CCP has been interfering with Falun Gong practitioners' activities all over the world, but practitioners will not be moved by it. Falun Gong practitioners will keep clarifying the facts of Falun Gong and taking appropriate actions to stop the persecution. Several media came to the press conference. After the press conference, the officials from Surabaya city government contacted LBH and promised that such an incident (interfering with Falun Gong practitioners' activities) would not occur again.
The press conference
Invited by the city government, Falun Gong practitioners were supposed to perform at the celebration for the 714th anniversary of Surabaya City. Falun Gong practitioners were invited by the city government twice in last two years and their performances were highly praised. However, the city government canceled practitioners' performances on April 7. The reason that the city government gave was because Falun Gong practitioners' entry includes the Divine Land Marching Band from Taiwan. But later, the city government admitted that the real reason was that a "certain country" doesn't want Falun Gong practitioners to attend the celebration.
170 Falun Gong practitioners in the Divine Land Marching Band had already booked airplane tickets and hotel rooms, but due to the short notice, they could not cancel them. At the celebration, one practitioner was taken away by the police and interrogated for two hours.
The Legal Aid Institute (LBH) expressed their regret at this incident. LBH expressed that city government's action was not proper.
In the announcement, the LBH and Falun Gong practitioners pointed out that it is a citizen's right to peaceably assemble, which is protected by the laws in Indonesia. Canceling Falun Gong practitioners' activity due to a certain country's pressure shows that the Indonesian government put international relations at a higher priority than human rights.
In the announcement, the LBH and practitioners required the government to give a clear explanation of the incident.
At the press conference, one reporter asked if a "certain country" refers to the CCP's regime. Practitioners pointed out that the CCP has been trying to interfere with Falun Gong practitioners all over the world and in China it is still persecuting practitioners. Practitioners will keep clarifying the facts of the persecution and calling for the end of it.
On May 5, 2007, Falun Gong practitioners held an anti-torture exhibit at the Aotea Square in downtown Auckland, New Zealand. The exhibit exposed the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s persecution of Falun Gong, and supports an Amnesty International campaign that aims to improve human rights conditions in China. The exhibit highlighted the most heinous and horrifying crime in human history, that is the CCP's crime of harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners and cremating their bodies to destroy the evidence.
People view truth clarifying boards at the anti-torture exhibit
People sign the signature collection book to express their support
Simulation of organ harvesting atrocities
Amnesty International began a campaign in New Zealand on April 10, 2007 focusing attention on China's human rights conditions. Amnesty International will tour 31 cities and towns in New Zealand, and have dialogues with local governments in hopes of bringing pressure towards improving China's human rights situation through contacts with China's "sister cities." One of the organizers of the activity said that they aimed to help New Zealand government officials and people learn more about human rights issues happening in China.
On May 5, at the anti-torture exhibit held in downtown Auckland, numerous passersby learned about the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. Some people had heard about the persecution, but truly came to understand it here. Some people learned about it for the first time. Many passersby felt that the CCP is too cruel. They felt sad for the victims. People who have learned about the facts signed a petition to condemn the CCP's crimes and call for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong. Some people suggested Falun Gong appeal to Parliament, asking them to urge the CCP to stop all persecution prior to the 2008 Olympics.
Before the conclusion of the activity, a teacher came over and read the introduction about the persecution of Falun Gong. She told a practitioner, "Such a persecution is too cruel, but as you see yourself, there are so many people who are indifferent. We should collect more signatures or exert more pressure on the Chinese government in other approaches; otherwise, they won't change. I'd like very much to go to China, but I want to wait until the end of the persecution. I'll pass your stories to Amnesty International, allowing you to have more opportunities to voice your concerns."
On April 4, 2007, Falun Gong practitioners held an activity in Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkiv, to introduce Falun Gong to local residents and to expose the Chinese Communist regime's cruel persecution of Falun Gong and its practitioners. The activity caused quite a stir among the local residents.
Local people viewing display boards to learn the facts about Falun Gong
Local people learn the facts about Falun Gong
People viewing display boards to learn about Falun Gong
After learning about the persecution, many people signed a petition to condemn the Chinese Communist regime
When the local Falun Gong practitioners went to the relevant authorities to apply for permission to hold the activity, an official responsible for this matter invited the practitioners to attend a meeting. He said that since there would be many local government officials attending the meeting, he invited the practitioners over to introduce Falun Gong to all the committee members. He added, "I believe Falun Gong practitioners, but many of them (committee members) might not understand Falun Gong. I think that they will be very interested in hearing about it."
The activity was held at Constitutional Square in the downtown area. There were many local residents passing the square, and many of them stopped to attentively view the display boards and listen to the practitioners' explanation of Falun Gong. Kharkiv City's citizens were shocked by the Chinese Communist regime's persecution against Falun Gong, and many signed the petition to condemn the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Moved by the practitioners' peacefulness and compassion, some people took the initiative to learn the Falun Gong exercises.
During the activity, many Chinese people passed the square as well. They were shocked to see people practicing the Falun Gong exercises on the square freely, along with the display boards exposing the atrocities of the CCP's persecution against Falun Gong. They viewed the display boards attentively. Some also took the initiative to talk to practitioners. When the practitioners told them about the huge wave of withdrawals from the CCP, many said that they had learned of this matter a long ago. After realizing the truth, some indicated that they would visit the website at home to declare their withdrawals from the CCP and its affiliated organizations (Chinese Communist Youth League and Young Pioneers).
A Chinese person told the practitioners, "In reality, we do know that the CCP is not good as it persecutes righteous people. However, considering the fact that we need to go back to China, it is not suitable for us to declare our withdrawals from the CCP at present. But we do know the importance of this matter in our mind." Upon seeing Ukrainian Falun Gong practitioners saying "Hi" to them, the Chinese tourists were excited and said "Hi" to them again and again. Some didn't dare to accept the truth-clarification materials out of their fear of the CCP, but they were surprised to see western people practicing the Falun Gong exercises there.
The Chinese Communist regime has incessantly persecuted Falun Gong
over the
past eight years, but these kind-hearted people who believe in
"Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance" have not been defeated by the
atrocities. Instead, more and more people have started to practice
Falun Gong.
Currently, Dafa has spread to over eighty countries and regions around
the
world. Many people have come to know the intrinsically evil nature of
the CCP,
and more and more kind-hearted people and international organizations
have
stepped forward to condemn the Chinese Communist regime's atrocities.
As long as
the CCP still persecutes Falun Gong, Falun Gong practitioners will
never stop
exposing the regime's atrocities.