News and Events from around the World -- October 16, 2005

Issued by Clearwisdom Net

Content


  • Hong Kong: Practitioners Deliver Falun Dafa Association Statement to Legislative Council

  • Turkey: Falun Gong Practitioners Expose the Persecution of Falun Gong at an International Peace Conference

  • Thailand: New Scenery on the Beach in Pattaya

  • Germany: Helping People Understand Falun Gong and the Persecution in China



  • Hong Kong: Practitioners Deliver Falun Dafa Association Statement to Legislative Council

    On October 13, 2005, dozens of practitioners went to the Hong Kong Legislative Council to deliver copies of the public statement from the Falun Dafa Association to Hong Kong council members and officials who were attending the Chief Executive's press conference on Policy Address. The statement was published on October 9. For the welfare of Hong Kong as well as each citizen, practitioners wanted to take the opportunity to formally notify Hong Kong government and related individuals not to continue to act as accomplices of the Chinese Communist in the persecution.

    Hong Kong practitioners held a peaceful appeal outside Legislative Council, warning the HKSAR government not to act as an accomplice of the Chinese Communist Party in the persecution. Outside the Legislative Council compound, a practitioner read the Falun Dafa Association statement aloud.

    "The persecution of persons based solely on their practice of the principles of "Truthfulness, Benevolence, and Forbearance" is unconscionable. Ever since the publication of The Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, Chinese people have more clearly recognized the nature of the CCP and the evil nature of the persecution. More than 4.8 million have withdrawn from the CCP and its related organizations. Heaven's destruction of the CCP is a historical inevitability. Gods must punish those criminals who have sinned against Falun Dafa. Those who refuse to do the right thing and instead continue to follow Jiang's scoundrel regime's persecution policies will be severely punished as perpetrators of unforgivable crimes."

    "At this critical historical moment, the Falun Dafa Association has made a special announcement: From today on, overseas Falun Gong practitioners will file civil or criminal lawsuits against all important government or CCP officials who participate in or continue to implement the persecution of Falun Gong and as a result, commit new crimes in addition to those they have already perpetrated against Falun Gong."

    For those who had participated in the persecution and now no longer want to continue the wrongdoings after they learned the truth, the statement said: "...one of the purposes of the sacred FA of Falun Gong is to save people, including people in all social statuses. Even for those who have committed wrongdoings, there is still an opportunity for them to abandon the evil path and choose to be good. For all those who have committed crimes against Falun Gong but want now to correct their mistakes, they can submit, under safe circumstances, a guarantee statement or regret letter to Minghui (Clearwisdom Net) or to any regional Falun Dafa Association to be archived. We will not investigate the various crimes of those who are determined to correct their mistakes. However we will continue to monitor their actions."

    Practitioners also distributed copies of the Statement to staff of the council as well as passersby. Seeing the activity, an old couple came up to read the banners. When a practitioner handed them a copy of the statement, they glanced at it and said that they came from Mainland to sightsee. They asked about the persecution. Before they left, the couple told the practitioner sincerely: "We wish you success!"


    Turkey: Falun Gong Practitioners Expose the Persecution of Falun Gong at an International Peace Conference

    Jointly hosted by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Human Settlement Program (UN-HABITAT), Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), the International Local Governments Peace Conference was held in the renowned tourist site Cappadocia in Nevsehir province of Turkey from September 25 to 28, 2005. Over 1,200 people attended the conference, including many officials from the above international organizations, local government heads from forty-five nations and regions, some representatives from Non-Governmental organizations and officials from many Turkish provinces and cities. Three Falun Gong practitioners representing Turkish Falun Gong Association also attended the conference with permission.


    A practitioner gives a speech in the conference

    Group photo of practitioners with Ms. Sera Poole (middle)

    During the conference, Falun Gong practitioners made wide contact with representatives from the world's five continents, and distributed introductory materials about Falun Gong (written materials, VCD and leaflets) to many participants including UN officials. They also talked to them about the six-year-long brutal persecution suffered by Falun Gong practitioners in China. The conference organizer gave special permission for Falun Gong practitioner to give a brief speech in the conference.

    Exposing the brutal persecution against Falun Gong practitioners in China, one practitioner said, "Since July 1999, the Chinese Communist Party and the Jiang regime have carried out genocide and persecution against Falun Gong practitioners, people who believe in "Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance". To date, over 2,740 Falun Gong practitioners have been persecuted to death, many thousands were forcibly sent to mental hospitals because of their belief in Falun Gong, over 6,000 innocent people were illegally sent to prisons and over 10,000 practitioners have been illegally detained in forced labor camps. This six-year long brutal persecution is still going on today. Because of the total control of the media by the Chinese Communist regime, many people are still unaware of the true situation of this persecution."

    Ending the speech, the practitioner whole-heartedly wished that all conference participants could learn about the persecution and appealed to all peace-loving organizations in the world to stop it.

    After hearing about the persecution, conference participants and reporters were shocked. Officials from some international organizations and representatives from many countries expressed their great concern for the persecution suffered by Falun Gong practitioners in China.


    Group photo with Ms. Cristina Monteys (Second from left)

    Group of practitioners

    Ms Cristina Monteys from UNESCO met practitioners twice during the conference. Talking to the practitioners, she repeatedly stressed, "The constitution and role of UNESCO is to contribute peace and security by promoting collaborations among nations through education, science and culture, to help build a peaceful culture among nations, and at the same time maintain and develop the freedom of belief of humankind." She expressed that she would work together with Falun Gong practitioners to bring this persecution to an end as soon as possible.

    Ms Sera Poole, the principal UN representative to Turkey, came and talked to practitioners during the conference break. She said, "We should let more people know about the persecution suffered by Falun Gong practitioners in China." She hoped that in this land of freedom and democracy in Turkey, more people would hear the voices of Falun Gong practitioners and that Falun Gong would get more and wide sympathy and support.

    During the conference, UN officials who met with practitioners and expressed their support included: Mr Ananthakrishman from UN-HABITAT, the general secretary of the Turkish Local Governments Association Mr Saffet Ozdemir and Mr Hasan Soyguzel from UN 21st Century Programme in Yalova City of Turkey.

    After learning of the sufferings of Falun Gong practitioners in China, Ms Fatimata Traore from Mali's Women Association angrily said, "The Chinese Communist regime's inhuman violence would surely be condemned by all the people and organisations believing in justice. They will be discarded by all kind-hearted people."

    The head of the largest Turkish news agency Anadolu Ajans, Ms Funda Okcu, Mr Himmet Polatel from the Turkish media company Plato Medya Yapim and reporters from other news agencies all expressed that to show their support to Falun Gong they would expose the Chinese Communist regime's brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in the media, letting more people learn the truth about the persecution.

    During the four-day conference, the great efforts by practitioners helped participants truly understand the genocidal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners occurring in China. They won concern, sympathy and support.



    Thailand: New Scenery on the Beach in Pattaya

    On October 12, 2005, along the seashore of famous Pattaya, more than sixty Falun Gong practitioners gathered to practice the exercises and clarify the truth, introducing the grace of Falun Dafa.


    Explaining the facts

    Waist drum group

    Sending forth righteous thoughts

    On the morning of October 12, a waist drum group played on the coast for the first time. Along with the drums, practitioners paraded along the seashore. They shouted "Falun Dafa is good" and "Falun Dafa is righteous Fa". Banners worded "Falun Dafa is good", "The world needs Truth, Compassion, Tolerance" caught the attention of tourists and passers-by. Many people accepted flyers and truth-clarification VCDs.

    Pattaya is a place where tourists from many countries visit. Many Chinese people visit the place each day. It has become an important venue to clarify the truth to Chinese people.

    Recently, police once intervened with practitioners distributing truth-clarification materials and said it was because of pressure from Chinese Embassy. Through practitioners' patient explanation of the facts, local police came to understand more and more. They explained how they don't like to cooperate with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).


    A new scene at the seashore

    From October 8 to 19, the Chinese government organized a trade delegation of 7,000 people wanting to conduct business with Thailand. They traveled to Bangkok and Pattaya. Practitioners introduced Falun Dafa to them, helping them to learn the facts about the Jiang faction's persecution of Falun Gong in China, demonstrating the grace of Falun Dafa, and voicing support for the practitioners being persecuted in China.



    Germany: Helping People Understand Falun Gong and the Persecution in China

    On October 1st, 2005, a district senior citizens center in Cologne held their 2nd annual Health Information Exhibition for senior citizens as well as the midlled-aged citizens-the future seniors with the theme "keeping your health." When Falun Gong practitioners in Cologne learned about the news, they contacted the organiser to get involved. The organiser gladly invited them to participate in together with forty other groups.

    After receiving the invitation, the practitioners embarked on the preparation for this activity. Everybody gathered in the house of a fellow practitioner to prepare banners, exhibition boards and paper Lotus Flowers. All this is also part of their cultivation path to learn how to cooperate with each other and give up the attachment to one's own ideas and accept others' opinions when it is necessary. All the efforts were not for oneself, but to help everyday people understand Falun Gong and understand the truth of the persecution and benefit from it.

    At the beginning of the meeting, the practitioners first visited all the other groups in the exhibition and presented them with paper Lotus Flowers. People liked the delicate Lotus Flowers very much. Soon the Lotus Flowers were everywhere, over the desk and on the walls in the whole exhibition arena. With a brief introduction, our practitioners introduced Falun Gong and invited people to participate in the exercise teaching in the afternoon.

    Many senior citizens attending the activity had not heard of Falun Gong, and they listened to the introduction with keen interest. When they heard that Falun Gong was suppressed and practitioners were persecuted in China, they were shocked. They wanted to offer help and did not hesitate to sign their names to show support. The head of the district and the organizer also came to Falun Gong's exhibition booth. Our practitioners introduced Falun Gong to them in detail. Before leaving, the head of the district gladly pinned a paper Lotus Flower on his suit and wished practitioners a success during the exhibition.

    Many people came to learn the exercises, among them an 85 year-old grandmother. She learned all five sets of the exercises in high spirits. Some senior citizens who had problems with their legs sat on chairs to watch others learn the exercises. A reporter from a local newspaper took a lot of photos. Later practitioners introduced Falun Gong to him and answered his questions.

    A younger lady learned about the situation of Falun Gong from our practitioners on the podium and stayed to ask a lot of questions afterwards. At last she said to our practitioners she could not understand why Falun Gong practitioners in China would be persecuted for practicing such peaceful exercises. She expressed gratitude to our practitioners and left with something to think about. Some people enquired about the time and place they could learn the practice. They were surprised to hear that Falun Gong is taught all over the world for free.

    The activity was very successful. Practitioners said that they would continue their hard work to seize every opportunity to let more people learn the truth about Falun Gong.