Issued by Clearwisdom Net

During the UN World Summit held in New York, Falun Gong practitioners held a series of large-scale activities to call on people from all walks of life to help stop the persecution of Falun Gong taking place in China. One of the prominent activities was a 24-hour vigil outside the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel where Hu Jintao was staying.

During Hu Jintao's stay in New York, Falun Gong practitioners meditated through the night outside the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel

Huge banners reading, "Falun Dafa is Good," "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance," "Stop Persecuting Falun Gong," "Bring Jiang Zemin, Luo Gan, Liu Jing, Zhou Yongkang to justice," "Bring justice to vicious police and other perpetrators who persecute Falun Gong," and "Hu Jintao, the time given to you by Heaven and the people is limited," clearly expressed what Falun Gong practitioners wanted to say. Peacefully doing the exercises demonstrated that the Falun Gong practitioners' appeal remains peaceful. After having gone through over six years of brutal persecution, the practitioners sincerely called upon Hu Jintao to grasp this precious opportunity to learn about the truth of Falun Gong, stop the persecution and choose a bright future for themselves.

Falun Gong practitioners who took part in the activities were from different areas. They made great efforts to come to New York. Many of them continuously took part in the peaceful vigil during the night outside the hotel.

About 100 practitioners were from Taiwan. Ms. Hong said that her group was composed of over a dozen practitioners that arrived in New York on September 11. After the appeal, they would continue staying in Manhattan for a month to clarify the truth. During the night of September 14, Ms. Hong and Ms. Zhong, who is in her 70s, joined the night's vigil until 4:00 a.m. Ms. Hong was moved by the fact that when she got up at 8:00 a.m. the next day, Ms. Zhong had already gotten ready to take part in the whole day's activities.

Mr. Xu, a computer engineer who lives in Chicago, took a day leave from his busy schedule at work and arrived in New York at midnight on September 13. He directly went from the airport to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel to join the activities. The next day, he continued participating in the vigil in front of the UN and the Falun Gong parade. In the evening, he came back to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel again. He flew back to Chicago to work in the early morning on September 15.

Though the schedule was very difficult, Mr. Xu had no second thoughts at all. He said, "I hope to do my best to help Hu Jintao learn the truth about Falun Gong, let him become clear-headed, see clearly the situation and stop the persecution. This doesn't just mean himself, since he is in a special position right now, and his awakening will help save more Chinese people."

"In the past six years of peacefully resisting the persecution, Falun Gong practitioners have been tirelessly clarifying the truth. The Chinese regime should completely stop the persecution, allow a peaceful cultivation environment in Mainland China, and let people have a righteous understanding of Falun Gong, so as to embrace a beautiful future. That is our sincere hope. For the sake of these sentient beings' futures, we feel that our efforts are worthwhile."

On the morning of September 16, 2005, Hu Jintao left New York for Vancouver. At a little after 9 a.m., the Chinese motorcade came out of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Someone said that Hu Jintao left with the motorcade, but the Falun Gong practitioners appealing in New York during the last few days did not leave. At 10:40 a.m., several cars of the Chinese delegation came out the south entrance of the hotel. At the same time, Hu Jintao's motorcade, consisting of about 4 cars, came out the north entrance of the hotel. Practitioners holding banners on the sidewalk spoke out loudly together, "Falun Dafa is Great", "Stop the Persecution of Falun Gong", "Bring to Justice Jiang Zemin, Luo Gan, Liu Jing, and Zhou Yongkang", "Bring to Justice Ruthless Police and Others Who Persecute Falun Gong", and "Hu Jintao, the Time That Heaven and the People Give to You Is Limited".

Falun Gong practitioners appealing outside the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel

Hu Jintao arrived in New York on September 13. Xinhua.net claimed that 5,000 people welcomed him. Actually there were only around 500 people in the welcome group, which was hired. On the other hand, the practitioners' appeal was grand in scale. When Hu left, only the practitioners saw him off. During Hu's visit to North America, practitioners held peaceful protests everywhere he went and unfurled banners.

Holding a vigil in the rain

Outside the hotel, practitioners kept vigil for 24 hours a day. After 1 a.m. on September 16, a thunderstorm came. The practitioners were drenched, but no one left. The practitioners' tireless efforts were aimed at helping Hu Jintao find out the facts about Falun Gong, make a wise choice, stop the persecution and choose a bright future for himself and the Chinese people.

On September 15, 2005, one day before the arrival of Hu Jintao, Vancouver practitioners held a press conference in front of the Chinese Consulate. Vancouver residents Ms. Tianxiao Zhang and Ms. Chunyu Zhang hoped that during the meeting with Hu, British Columbia's Premier Gordon Campbell and Canada Prime Minister Martin will ask Hu Jintao to release their relatives that are being unlawfully imprisoned in China.

Practitioner Sofia said that practitioners handed over an open letter to Premier Campbell and asked him to give it to Hu Jintao on September 16. She said that Premier Campbell should ask Hu to release eight practitioners who are illegally imprisoned in China for persisting in practicing Falun Gong and have family connections with British Columbia. The letter asked Hu Jintao to free their relatives and all practitioners, and to bring to justice Jiang Zemin, Luo Gan, Liu Jing and Zhou Yongkang. The letter reminded Hu that "the time Heaven and the people are giving him is limited" and hoped that he would immediately stop the persecution of Falun Gong.

Ms. Tianxiao Zhang called on Prime Minister Martin and Premier Campbell to rescue her sister. Her brother-in-law was tortured to death in a Chinese Communist Party's forced labor camp. Her mother passed away while facing the tragedy. Her sister was arrested in February 2002, and no further information about her whereabouts is known. Ms. Chunyu Zhang hoped that the meeting would help her mother and sister leave the notorious Masanjia Forced Labor Camp.

Falun Gong spokesperson Li Ying said that they would appeal during Hu Jintao's visit to Vancouver to help him see the wide spread of Falun Gong overseas and hear the practitioners' voice. The practitioners hoped that Hu Jintao would stop Jiang Zemin's policy and end the persecution.

More than a dozen English and Chinese media covered the event.

During Hu Jintao's visit to Mexico from Sep. 11 to Sep. 13, 2005, Chinese Communist Party officials made every attempt to have Hu's view blocked so that he wouldn't see Falun Gong banners. However, Falun Gong practitioners successfully broke through to have Hu and his companions see Falun Gong banners up close.

Largest newspaper in Mexico, "El Universal", reports on the Falun Gong practitioners' appeal. Hu's motorcade passes Falun Gong banners.

When Hu's motorcade arrived at the hotel on the afternoon of Sep. 11, CCP supporters with colorful flags in hand swarmed to form a wall between the road and Falun Gong banners. Reporters struggled to take pictures for this rare occasion. It was a moment of tension and disorder. Two Falun Gong practitioners withdrew from the crowd, went around it and in front of the hired "greeting team". They were only a few feet away from Hu's motorcade. The "greeting team" was shocked and didn't know what to do for a while.

According to local police, reporters and government officials, Hu happened to turn his head to look out the window. He saw the banner of the two Falun Gong practitioners. The lower portion of the banner contained six pictures of torture victims.

When Hu was leaving the Anthropology Museum in the evening, a woman Falun Gong practitioner went to the museum exit and unfurled a banner in front of Hu's motorcade. On the banner were a picture of a peacefully meditating western lady and a picture of a Chinese practitioner being tortured. At that point, two men tried to snatch her banner but the practitioner stopped them with stern words. A Mexican practitioner took off his yellow Falun Gong jacket, showed it to Hu's motorcade and shouted in Chinese, "Falun Dafa is good!"

Falun Gong practitioners unfold banners at the entrance of Mexican Congress Building.

Before Hu's visit to the Mexican Congress, police set up guardrails. The Falun Gong practitioners unfurled large banners stating, "Stop the persecution of Falun Gong in China." "Bring Jiang Zemin, Luo Gan, Liu Jing and Zhou Yongkang to justice." "Bring the wicked policemen to justice." "Falun Dafa, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance"

Hu didn't show up for a long time. Everyone was told later that he had entered the building from a side door. Two Mexican Falun Gong practitioners waited at the side of the building. When Hu was leaving, a large banner stating "Bring Jiang Zemin, Luo Gan, Liu Jing and Zhou Yongkang to justice" in both English and Chinese was unfurled. Hu and his companions walked by the banner one by one.

Some other practitioners waiting on the other side of the building shouted, "Hu Jintao, stop the persecution of Falun Gong!" "Falun Dafa is good!" The Chinese security guards were flabbergasted and at a loss for what to do.

Among the CCP supporters were some of Hu's escorts, including a man specializing in the persecution of Falun Gong in China. He claimed that he had written many Falun Gong-slandering articles. There were also some Chinese living in Canada and Mexico. They tried in vain to block the voice of appeal. A couple of men said that they had been exhausted trying to block Falun Gong for days. Some complained, "It is the consulate's arrangement! We have been worked to death!" "I don't think it is right (to block Falun Gong). Everyone should just take care of his own business." One of the men expressed to us that freedom of belief is a basic human right, and the Chinese people should have that right.

On September 12, 2005, when Hu Jintao visited Mexico, local Falun Gong practitioners held an anti-torture exhibit at the bustling square in downtown to raise awareness about the persecution of Falun Gong. It was their first time to hold an anti-torture exhibit in Mexico, and the practitioners simultaneously demonstrated the Falun Gong exercises. The audience was able to feel Falun Gong's peacefulness and harmony, and understand the brutality of the persecution at the same time.

Practitioners hold an anti-torture exhibit at Central Square in Mexico City

People came in a steady stream to the square. A variety of performances were put on one after another. People were strolling leisurely among them, showing great curiosity. At 2:00 pm, the anti-torture exhibit was ready, and groups of people stopped to watch. With the demonstration of torture, photos depicting horrifying tortures, and the elegant exercise demonstration, coupled with a practitioner's brief explanations, people immediately understood the truth. Some turned around right away to face the cathedral and offered a prayer. Some watched practitioners performing the exercises in front of the exhibit, attracted by peaceful energy field. While passing out flyers, practitioners noticed the people's sincere desire to learn the truth.

A little girl accepted a flyer and a handmade paper lotus flower, and ran back to us and kissed us goodbye when the practitioners were about to leave. Though there was a language barrier, we still could feel a life's joy after obtaining the truth. A young man especially asked local practitioners to convey to us that he hoped the Chinese government can awaken soon and stop the brutal persecution. He also wished us good luck. A Chinese man from Taiwan suggested that we contact the local Chinese people to tell them the facts.

A practitioner from North America greeted people surrounding the exhibit with a few not-so-fluent Spanish sentences that she knew while passing out flyers. Though people had a hard time understanding her, they smiled and accepted the flyers, and sincerely thanked her. After receiving the flyers, some people immediately read them. A new local practitioner saw this and shared with us afterwards that the scene of people longing for the truth deeply touched him, and he realized that truth clarification indeed can offer people salvation, and he would do more of it in the future.

There was a steady stream of people watching the anti-torture exhibit and exercise demonstration. In just over one hour, nearly 2,000 flyers were given out. People did not leave until we collected everything to leave.

After that, practitioners went to the Mexican parliament building, where Hu Jintao would visit an hour later. As soon as we got ready for the anti-torture exhibit, several reporters came to take pictures. The police saw us come and began to place metal parapets. When they walked near our anti-torture exhibit, they politely waited for the reporters to finish taking photos and asked us to move slightly for the metal parapets. There were about 20 media outlets taking photos and interviewing practitioners. People passing by walked to our anti-torture exhibit and curiously inquired about the event, and government officials working nearby also came over. One official expressed that if all these tortures are truly taking place in China, the government is really too dirty and debased.