Falun Gong In the Baltics: Report 3 -"Vilnius: Capital Days" Celebration

On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 14-16, we distributed approximately 6,000 fliers in the central part of Vilnius. The "Capital Days" celebration in Vilnius was the ideal time for us to be here as there were thousands of people walking the streets looking at and buying traditional crafts and food. We took many photographs.

There was tremendous interest in Falun Dafa and sometimes people would come across the street and ask us for a flier. We had many touching conversations with people of every age.

One group of teenagers asked why they had never seen any reports on this information in the news. We were happy to let them know that they would soon be able to read more, and that they could find lots of info on the website. One very small child riding on her father's shoulders was particularly interested in reading the flier as her father held it up. Another Spanish-looking man was almost desperate to get more information and again, as in Talinn, there were so many grandparents who took our small fliers as if they were the most precious pieces of paper.

The people of the Baltics suffered much to gain their independence and they understand the suppression of the XX party regime. Vilnius is being restored to its full splendor of beautiful old architecture in soft pastel colours. There are quite a lot of tourists, which will really boost their economy.

First thing Monday morning, commuters going near the bus station and train station in downtown Vilnius were a little surprised to see me doing Falun Gong exercises at the edge of the park on the hill at a major intersection. Wearing my bright yellow jacket ("big flier" as it is called by the Ryga practitioners, in comparing it to the small pieces of paper we hand out for information!), I think it would be very hard not to see me there.

Just before 11:00 a.m. I met my young friend from the bus just outside the parliament building. We went inside, where he called his father who is one of the Lithuanian members of parliament. He very generously gave me an hour-long meeting and then took us for coffee in one of the restaurants in the parliament building.

His specialty is social services and helping disabled people. He wants to give our information to the sports and health people, and also to an acquaintance of his who is studying acupuncture and Chinese medicine.

His son, whom I met on the bus to Vilnius, had lots of time free today, so he offered to come and translate for me if I wanted to try to meet with anyone else. We headed off to City Hall and were granted a meeting at 2:00 p.m. with the advisor to the Mayor. She was a completely lovely person who promised to brief the Mayor later in the week after he returns from a visit to Ryga, and invited us to contact her when we want to meet with any other institutions in Vilnius. She said she would be very happy to help us. I replied that I would give our Ryga practitioners her contact information because they might want to give seminars at the university in the future.

At both of those meetings, I advised that in the near future, after our interviews are printed in the newspaper, the Chinese Embassy may give them a lot of propaganda, and that now they have the truth and will be able to decide for themselves. It has been extremely useful having the report from the United Nations, which investigated the self-immolation incident in Tiananmen Square and concluded that it was an event staged by the government of China.

These officials are interested in the health benefits the practice of Falun Gong can bring to their country.

Now it is mid-Monday afternoon and I will begin to organize things for my return to Canada tomorrow.