News and Events from around the World -- June 23, 2005

Issued by Clearwisdom Net

Content

- Canada: Victims Recount Plights in Press Conference Attended by Major Media
- Evidence of Gao Rongrong's Persecution
- Japan: Practitioners Appeal in Front of Chinese Embassy, Call for Severe Punishment of the Murderers of Gao Rongrong
- Taiwan Association for Rescuing Persecuted Falun Gong Practitioners Commemorates Gao Rongrong and Condemns the Persecution
- Australian Senate Passes Motion Calling for Protecting Falun Gong Practitioners from Harassment
- London: Prestigious Chinese Writer and Historian Declares his Heartfelt Support for Falun Gong at a London Rally

Canada: Victims Recount Plights in Press Conference Attended by Major Media
Falun Gong Practitioners Bear Witness at Press Conference

On June 17, 2005, the President of the Canada Falun Dafa Association, Mr. Li Xun, and seven practitioners held a press conference on Parliament Hill. They explicitly recounted the harassments, threats, surveillance and discrimination they have experienced on Canadian soil at the hands of spies from the Chinese Communist regime. More than ten media outlets, including CBC-TV, CTV, Canadian Press, Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star and CanWest, came to gather news.

Nearly 20 reporters asked questions, wanting to know the details of the harassments that practitioners have encountered in Canada, the reason why Falun Gong is suppressed, the reason why practitioners are brave enough to speak out about their plights, how the Canadian government has handled the persecution and the harassments in Canada up to this point, as well as what measures practitioners expected the Canadian government to take. The question and answer session went on for about thirty minutes.

Victims Recount Incidents of Harassment and Threats

- Monitored and harassed after going back to China

Mr. Fan Ziyu, a Canadian resident, is a senior engineer of control systems. Appointed by an American company, he worked in Tianjin, China from April 2000 to November 2001. At 9:00 p.m. on November 3, 2001, officers from the Tianjin National Security Bureau broke in and ransacked his apartment. The officers had disconnected his apartment phone in advance. Two hours later, they confiscated Mr. Fan's Falun Gong books and a large number of personal items.

Fan Ziyu said, "During the process, they employed both soft and hard tactics to threaten me. From their words, I could confirm that the Chinese Communist regime indeed had a big espionage network in Canada. One officer told me, 'I know everything even if you don't tell me. I know more than you do about your practice sites.' Then he related private information about fellow practitioners from my practice site and their family members' situation. I was quite shocked. How could they know so many details? There were some things that even I did not know about."

Mr. Fan continued, "One of the agents boasted, 'I just came back from Canada. I'm quite familiar with the situation of Falun Gong in Toronto and Montreal. I've even read the practitioners' speeches that you compiled for the 2000 Montreal Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference.' At that point, I felt quite puzzled. How would they be able to read those articles? I was the one in charge of compiling them. Later I remembered that there was a spy named He Bing, who pretended to be a practitioner. She had asked me for those articles to read. I could not imagine that he could have accessed those articles. Another agent said to me, 'Don't think yourself remarkable for coming back from abroad. It's too easy for us to go abroad. He just came back from the U.S.' From this, we can see that the Chinese communist regime makes it very convenient for spies they send to other countries, including Canada. They've arranged for many people to go to other countries."

On May 10, 2001, when Canadian resident Ms. Zhu Ying returned to China to visit her parents, she was arrested by police and illegally detained for 33 days. During her detention, national security agents confiscated her phonebook, which listed Montreal practitioners' names and phone numbers. The agents ordered her to give them personal information on her fellow practitioners. Before she went back to Canada, the agents once again threatened Ms. Zhu Ying not to reveal to overseas media the facts of her detention, otherwise, her study and life in Canada would be affected. They also ordered her to be their spy and to report to them on Falun Gong practitioners' activities.

- Requests for passport renewals and visas to visit China are rejected

On July 20, 2000, Mr. Guan Weidong and his friends went to the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa to renew their passports. Mr. Guan's request was turned down, because he is a practitioner of Falun Gong. Embassy officer Zeng Jixin told Mr. Guan, "You must give up Falun Gong, or we won't renew your passport. This is China's policy." When Mr. Guan and his friend left, they saw a note with words, "Evil cult" on the windshield of his friend's car.

In May 2001, Mr. Guan Weidong's boss tried to get a visa for him so that he could go with his boss to China and interpret for him. However, the Chinese Embassy refused to issue him a visa, because he practices Falun Gong. In 2002, Dr. Zhu Xueye, a postdoctoral fellow from Concordia University, applied for passport renewal, but his application was rejected because of his involvement in Falun Gong.

- Monitoring the Chinese community

On December 18, 1999, when Mr. Zhu Xueye entered customs at Shenzhen, he was immediately arrested. The officer took a glance at his passport and said, "You planned to go to Macao." Mr. Zhu said, "I was astonished. I had indeed wanted to go to Macao, but because of some unexpected reason, I changed my mind at the last minute."

Mr. Zhu Xueye said, "At 6:00 p.m. on June 22, 2002, I wanted to sit on a stone stair in a park near Montreal's Chinatown for a while. An older gentleman came over and ordered me to leave. He said, 'You are wearing a Falun Gong T-shirt and you are sitting in front of our organization's banner. We feel pressured. If I allow you to sit here, I'll be in for trouble, so you have to leave.'" Mr. Zhu commented, "From this, you can see, that these Chinese organizations are also under surveillance." In August 2004, Mr. Zhu encountered similar discrimination.

On August 10, 2002, Mr. Zhu obtained Canadian Citizenship. A lady who had a heavy Chinese accent phoned him and warned him not to practice Falun Gong any longer or the Canadian government would not grant him his citizenship.

- Threats

Montreal practitioner Ms. Luo Xing said, "In August 2002, because I practiced Falun Gong, I was suddenly arrested and detained for 72 hours secretly by the third department of the Jiangsu National Security Bureau. Later I was bailed out and waited for further interrogation." Before Ms. Luo went abroad, agents from the national security bureau demanded her not to mention her arrest and detention, and not to attend public activities. Otherwise her family members would be affected. One of the agents told her, "Don't think that we will be unable to find you after you go abroad. It's not a big deal for us to locate you in other countries."

In September 2002, Ms. Luo Xing arrived in Canada. During the first six months, she moved six times. On the occasion of the 2003 Chinese Lunar New Year, Ms. Luo received a phone call from a national security bureau agent who warned her not to appear in public, and to behave herself. Shortly before, Ms. Luo's parents called her from China and told her that an official who is in charge of political matters from her work unit had sent them a message saying, "As soon as Luo Xing comes back to China, she will be arrested."

- Some Chinese organizations discriminate against practitioners

At the end of 2000, a local Chinese seniors organization cancelled Ms. Huang Daiming's membership. Ms. Huang is now 70 years old. The organization is controlled by the Chinese Embassy. The head of the organization insisted that Ms. Huang withdraw from the organization.

- Family members in China are harassed

Ms. Zhu Ying confirmed that in 2002 one of her family members came to Canada to do business and visited her. After he returned China, he was immediately interrogated by the national security bureau. The agents asked him why he had visited Ms. Zhu. In 2002, Ms. Zhu Ying's family sent some money to her account through a relative in Hong Kong. Later, her relative's account was frozen for "sending money to support Falun Gong activities."

- Harassing phone calls

Ms. Lucy Zhou confirmed that earlier this year several hundred practitioners throughout the world, including Canada, received a number of harassing phone calls with content defaming Falun Gong and inciting hatred toward Falun Gong. According to Ms. Lucy Zhou, in Canada 30 to 35 practitioners received such phone calls.

At around 2:00 a.m. one night in May 2000, Guan Weidong received an anonymous phone call, in which a man asked, "Do you practice Falun Gong?" Guan answered, "Yes." The man said, "You'd better not practice it, otherwise, your life will be in danger." Then the man hung up.

- Infiltration into Canadian society

According to Ms. Lucy Zhou, the presidents of the Chinese association in Ottawa have pressured several dozen of its sub-organizations to write to Canadian MPs defaming Falun Gong and demand that the MPs not support Falun Gong. They even requested that the City of Ottawa prohibit practitioners from holding peaceful appeals in front of the Chinese Embassy. They tried to mislead mainstream society in the name of representing the Chinese communities. In fact, it was the Chinese Embassy that instigated them to do so. Today, some Chinese Communist regime mouthpieces in the Chinese association claim to represent the majority of Chinese organizations in implementing the Chinese Embassy's orders. They attempted to crush NTDTV, a TV station that is courageous enough to report on the truth about Falun Gong. They attempted to prevent NTDTV from obtaining a license to broadcast in Canada. It is sad that these mouthpieces for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are everywhere in the world, including Canada. As the CCP's spy network is exposed, they will all be revealed.

Ms. Zhou said that over the past few years, Falun Gong has become the target of hate propaganda, which not only comes from China, but also from many Chinese media outlets manipulated or influenced by the CCP. At present, the Chinese media hardly mentions Falun Gong, but many reports obviously follow the CCP's tone.

Falun Gong Practitioners' Views on "Fear"

A reporter asked, "Don't you feel afraid when you reveal all these harassments and threats?" Mr. Li Xun answered, "One of the points we would like to address here is the atmosphere of terror manufactured by the CCP. In China, they use hate propaganda and violence to persecute the practitioners and deceive the world's people. In Canada, they employ the same tactics to try to make Canadian people feel fearful and remain silent rather than condemning the persecution, in consideration of trade interests."

Mr. Li Xun said, "Because we cultivate ourselves according to 'Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance,' we will not let up on the evil. This is not only for the sake of Falun Gong practitioners but also for the sake of those who don't want to participate in the persecution and for the sake of people's morality and conscience. Falun Gong practitioners are courageous enough to stand up and tell the facts."

An MP once asked Mr. Li Xun the same question. Mr. Li answered then, "Only those who lie and fabricate facts, and those who don't know about the truth feel afraid. People who uphold the truth will not be fearful."

From Open to Secret, the Persecution has Never Ceased

In answer to reporters' questions, Mr. Li Xun explained that the CCP's policy in suppressing Falun Gong has changed. Initially, the Party openly instigated hatred and manipulated the media to fabricate facts. Now the oppression has become secret. Nevertheless, the persecution, torture and murder of practitioners have never ceased. The CCP is still employing hundreds of methods to torture practitioners. At present, the deaths from persecution of more than 2,500 practitioners have been verified.

Mr. Li Xun said, "In Canada, the situation is quite similar. According to Hao Fengjun's secret documents, some dated September 13, 2004, and some dated January 2005, one can see that the CCP's suppression of Falun Gong has never slacked off." Ms. Lucy Zhou said that the documents provided by Hao Fengjun included detailed information about a practitioner's plan to start a company. Ms. Zhou and that practitioner are very close friends. Ms. Zhou said that even she did not know about the details.

Falun Gong Practitioners Encourage the Canadian Government and the International Community to Openly and Actively Oppose the Persecution

When one reporter asked, "What do you expect from the Canadian government?" Mr. Li Xun said, "When the persecution first began on July 20, 1999, Canada was the first country that stood up to condemn the persecution. On July 26, the Globe and Post reported that, 'Canada condemns the persecution of Falun Gong.' Unfortunately, the persecution became more and more severe. Canada and China had a bilateral dialogue." Mr. Li continued, "We found this kind of dialogue not so effective, because the dialogue was not open and the CCP still continued its persecution. If more countries could openly condemn the persecution, it will be more effective in stopping it." Mr. Li stressed, "It is not enough to only perform investigations. The government should take specific actions to protect Canadian sovereignty and interests."

Mr. Li Xun said, "We feel encouraged that many Canadian MPs and non-governmental organizations have openly called for an end to the persecution. Therefore, we also encourage the Canadian government to openly condemn the persecution." Mr. Li added, "This persecution is actually targeted to people's morality and conscience. It is not only Falun Gong practitioners' responsibility to stop the persecution, but it is also the responsibility of the international community, including Canada."

Evidence of Gao Rongrong's Persecution

Gao Rongrong was brutally tortured by means of electric baton on May 7, 2004. Her face was severely burnt and disfigured from the torture. The photos were taken ten days after the torture.

During the evening of May 7, 2005, after suffering repeated electric baton shock tortures for some seven hours, Gao Rongrong jumped from the 2nd floor window of the prison police office. The doctor diagnosed that she sustained two fractures on her pelvis, her left leg was severely fractured and her right heel was broken.

Japan: Practitioners Appeal in Front of Chinese Embassy, Call for Severe Punishment of the Murderers of Gao Rongrong

Falun Gong practitioners in Japan were shocked to learn that Ms. Gao Rongrong had been tortured to death. They went to the Chinese Embassy on the morning of June 21, 2005 to strongly protest the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) brutal persecution of Falun Gong, and appeal for severe punishment for her murderers.

Japanese Falun Gong practitioners protest the persecution in front of the Chinese Embassy

After the images of the grossly disfigured face of Gao Rongrong was publicized around the world in May 2004, the case gained wide attention from the international community. After suffering severe and prolonged torture from electric shocks that disfigured her face, Gao Rongrong was successfully rescued, and she personally exposed the Jiang and Luo regime's systematic persecution of Falun Gong. Out of retaliation, the head of the 610 Office, Luo Gan, stepped in. Under his instructions, the Liaoning Province Chinese Communist Party Political Judiciary Committee, the Procuratorate, the Department of Justice, and the Police Department together committed crimes: They concealed any and all information about Gao's case. Falun Gong practitioners who participated in rescuing Gao Rongrong were abducted and subjected to brutal torture and abuse. On June 16, 2005, Gao Rongrong died in the emergency room of China Medical University Hospital of complications stemming from torture and abuse while in custody. From Gao Rongrong's face being disfigured to her being tortured to death, it is obvious that the methods the CCP used to persecute Falun Gong are brutal and vicious. We call for an end to this evil persecution that has lasted for six years.

Practitioners held banners and the photos of Gao Rongrong, whose face was disfigured from electric baton shocks, to clarify the facts to passersby and the police. When practitioners delivered the photos of the grossly disfigured face of Gao Rongrong and material calling for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong to the Chinese Embassy, the Embassy staff refused to accept them.

Falun Gong practitioners sincerely hope that the staffs of Chinese embassies and consulates will clearly see the situation and choose justice, and not assist the CCP to do evil, thus becoming its accomplices.

Taiwan Association for Rescuing Persecuted Falun Gong Practitioners Commemorates Gao Rongrong and Condemns the Persecution

June 20, 2005 was World Refugee Day. As people prayed that the world would no longer have refugees, one more person died a victim of injustice under the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) tyranny. Members of the Taiwan Association for Rescuing Persecuted Falun Gong Practitioners lit candles during the evening of June 20 to hold a memorial for Gao Rongrong, who died as a result of the CCP's persecution, and to strongly condemn the CCP's senseless and brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

Lighting candles to mourn Gao Rongrong | Representative of the Taiwan Association for Rescuing Persecuted Falun Gong Practitioners condemns the CCP atrocity

A representative of the association said that everyone was shocked and felt indignant upon hearing of Falun Gong practitioner Gao Rongrong's death from torture. We call on all people around the world to join together in condemning the CCP and stopping its atrocities. He also expressed that some people perhaps feel that the things happening in China have nothing to do with them, but according to many media reports and information, the CCP has been continuously infiltrating its influence, and exporting terrorism outside of China. Many countries become intimate with the CCP for the sake of their immediate interests, and even compromise with the CCP. The future for these countries is worrying. We hope that they can soon clearly see the serious consequences of being associated with the evil.

The association revealed that Gao Rongrong was previously brutally tortured by the CCP's police officers, who used electric batons to repeatedly shock her for some seven hours. Ms. Gao's face was severely deformed, and covered with blisters. Her burned skin was stuck together with her hair and blood, and her eyes were barely visible due to the intense swelling of her face. But this is only one example of numerous torture methods the CCP uses to persecute Falun Gong practitioners. Gao Rongrong has left us. How many more people do we have to witness suffering and dying like Gao Rongrong did before the "World Refugee Day" can be ended!

Australian Senate Passes Motion Calling for Protecting Falun Gong Practitioners from Harassment

The Australian Senate passed motion No. 2921 on June 20, 2005, reaffirming its commitment to freedom of belief within Australia, and recognizing the freedom of Australians to practice Falun Gong without fear of harassment. The motion called on the Australian government to thoroughly investigate the recent alleged harassment of Falun Gong practitioners in Australia.

Chen Yonglin, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) diplomat, Hao Fengjun, former officer with China's Public Security Bureau, and several other Chinese officers, defected in succession, and exposed the inside story of the CCP's use of a spy network to monitor and harass Falun Gong practitioners and dissidents overseas. Their claims make Falun Gong a hot topic of the Australian media and Australia community.

The following is the script of motion No. 2921 passed at Australian Senate:

"That the Senate:
(1) notes that the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights applies to the treatment of Falun Gong practitioners worldwide;
(2) reaffirms its commitment to freedom of belief within Australia and recognizes the freedom of Australians to practice Falun Gong without fear of harassment;
(3) expresses its concern regarding recent allegations that the Chinese Government is closely monitoring the activities of Falun Gong practitioners in Australia; and,
(4) calls on the Government to thoroughly investigate those allegations."

The motion was initiated by Senator Natasha Stott Despoja, representing the Democratic Party, and backed up by the largest opposition party- the Labor Party.

Australian Senator Despoja speaks at the rally, and calls for protecting Falun Gong practitioners from harassment

Despoja said at a rally, "As a government, when an incident of human rights abuse occurs, we should bring it up so as to ensure that they stop their act of human rights abuse. We cannot place trade interests above human rights and people's dignity.

But our government is taking such a risk to do so, and it is also what the Democratic Party has been opposing by various means.

I initiated today's motion representing the Democratic Party, the purpose is to see clearly the situation of the CCP's human rights abuses, especially its violation of Falun Gong practitioners' human rights."

London: Prestigious Chinese Writer and Historian Declares His Heartfelt Support for Falun Gong at a London Rally

On June 5, a rally entitled "Support Two Million People's Withdrawal from the Chinese Communist Party" was held in London. Mr. Xin Haonian, a prestigious writer and historian, gave a speech at the rally. The following is an excerpt from his speech.

Mr. Xin Haonian delivered a speech in the rally.

I don't think I am going to say too much today. I would like to start by asking a question. Many American and Chinese friends have been asking me, "As a scholar who lives in the U.S., why do you support Falun Gong?" The answer is very simple. My reply has been, "Because I share the same fate as Falun Gong practitioners."

Falun Gong practitioners have no freedom of belief or freedom to practice exercises in their homeland. As a Chinese intellectual and scholar, I don't have freedom of research or thought. I don't have freedom of expression or publication. As long as what I want to say contradicts the requirements of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), I will lose the rights of speech and publication. From this standpoint, my fate is the same as Falun Gong practitioners.

Another aspect is that Falun Gong is a faith group, but Falun Gong practitioners have no freedom of association. Under the CCP's control, no one in China has freedom of association. As a scholar and intellectual, I don't have the freedom to set up any research unit to study the cultural issues that may interest many people. This explains why an ordinary scholar like me wants to support Falun Gong practitioners. It is because we share the same fate.

The second question that people frequently ask me is, "Not only do you provide support to Falun Gong practitioners, you also admire them very much. Why is that?" The answer is straightforward. Ever since the CCP began their full-scale control of people's thought and culture in 1949, many of us, including myself, did not dare to uphold freedoms of thought and belief, or safeguard our responsibility for the nation and the people against the CCP. We did not dare to contend with the CCP, but allowed ourselves to be trampled upon. After more than fifty years under the CCP's ruling, the soul as well as the behavior of intellectuals in several generations has been distorted by the communist party.

Right at this moment, a group of people called Falun Gong practitioners showed up in China. They practice exercises to strengthen their physical bodies and hold steadfast to their beliefs. Not only do they have the courage to believe, they also own their beliefs. Not only do they own the beliefs, they have the courage to contend for their beliefs. Not only do they have the courage to contend for their beliefs, they also risk their lives and use their will power to uphold their beliefs. In the face of the various kinds of brutal suppression that the CCP has been executing in the past forty years, there are so many Falun Gong practitioners who are willing to disregard their own lives to struggle and safeguard their beliefs. Don't you think that these Falun Gong practitioners deserve admiration and support from an intellectual like me? I think the answer is yes. And it holds true in my mother country as well as to all the people in the world who cherish equality, peace and freedom.

Thirdly, millions of Falun Gong practitioners, no matter whether they are still struggling steadfastly in China or have obtained freedom on foreign soils, are using their will power and their faith to do the same thing opposing those who persecute them. From there, they have moved to stand up to this autocratic fascist party that enslaves, suppresses and persecutes the Chinese people. I consider this a remarkable progression. It indicates that the Chinese people have started to awaken from fifty years' of painful struggle. They have finally awakened without any hesitation.

[...]

Thank you, Falun Gong practitioners.