Augsburger Allgemeine (Germany): Walking for Compassion

"Augsburger Allgemeine," (Newspaper) November 29, 2001

(Augsburg and Donauwoerth are cities in Germany; translator)

Walking for Compassion -- Young Chinese pledge support for Falun Gong

Donauwoerth (cb).

They spent the night at Holy Cross Cloister. The next morning they appeared at city hall. These ambassadors for Falun Gong did not yet know where they would find a place to stay for the following night in Augsburg (a historically significant German city, known previously for its great merchants and their wealth, mostly from imports of rare spices and banking).

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is presented as a meditation practice which surfaced in China in the 1990s and is based on self-cultivating the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance--so said Guang Yang. She is a student, living in Berlin at the moment, whose sister introduced her to Falun Gong. "The goal of these teachings is to achieve harmony between body, mind and spirit, which results in inner peace and strengthens ones health." Because in China the movement gained millions of followers within a short few years it became suspect in the eyes of the Chinese government. In spite of the fact that Falun Gong followers are not politically active in China, the movement was banned in 1999 and its members have been persecuted ever since.

Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch point out the severity of the suppression. One hears reports of torture, incarceration and mention of 320 deaths [while in custody].

Guang Yang, Liu Lin and Yan Wang are part of the worldwide march, which is raising awareness of the plight of Falun Gong in China. The German "leg" of this march takes this trio from Berlin to Munich.

Wearing bright yellow windbreakers and carrying a huge placard, the three young Chinese walk an average of 30-50 km a day, hand out flyers and newspapers, and have interviews with mayors and the media at local stops as they attempt to rouse people's support for Falun Gong.