News and Activities from Around the World -- January 20, 2006

Issued by Clearwisdom Net

Photos taken by Hui Yu

On the afternoon of January 14, 2006, about two hundred practitioners gathered at the renowned Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, held their monthly group exercise and introduced Falun Dafa to the public. Along with the peaceful music, the practitioners did the exercises in a slow, smooth and gentle manner. Their peace and serenity formed a strong contrast with the busy, noisy and crowded environment, and caught the attention of passing-by tourists to slow down and take a closer look.

Practitioners do exercises in front of Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall

It was a sunny day with a clear sky. On the square, there were many tourists from Taiwan, Mainland China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, U.S., Canada, Britain, France, Holland and Israel. Among the people who stopped and watched the exercises with interest, some knew about Falun Gong and some had never heard of it. The exercise group seemed to be the major point of interest, and visitors watched the practitioners, read the introduction material, and took some photos.

An older gentleman with a strong accent stared at practitioners and said that his friend introduced Falun Gong to him a few years ago. He didn't start to practice because of the difficulty in doing the sitting meditation. But he kept an eye on Falun Gong. He knew that many people in Mainland China got healthier after practicing the system and that just because too many people practiced, the Chinese Communist regime suppressed it unlawfully. He said that he himself escaped to Taiwan from the persecution of the Chinese Communist regime. The Communist regime in fact is an irrational barbarian regime that "Says good words but does evil deeds."

A couple from Holland watched the exercise group for quite a while. When a practitioner went forward to talk to them the wife immediately stepped into the lines and started imitating the exercises. She said that as soon as she started, she could feel the strong energy. Seeing practitioners doing the sitting meditation, she asked in curiousity whether it would be very hard to have a peaceful mind. She mentioned that she had practiced qigong for two years. Her instructor had left, so she had been looking for some kind of qigong to practice for a while. Unexpectedly, she ran into Falun Gong. She said that she would search online for a practice site once she returned to Holland.

A young man from Israel taking many photos said that he had never heard of Falun Gong and would be very happy to search for more information online after seeing such a peaceful practice. A tall Chinese person from Korea asked with a puzzled look, "Are there so many people practicing all over the world? What are the benefits of the practice?" A practitioner told him, "There are over one hundred million practitioners of different ethnic groups from around 80 countries. Practicing Falun Gong can make one healthy." He read the words "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" on the bookmark with a smile, nodded, and left with truth clarification materials.

In the afternoon, several groups of tourists from China came. Suddenly seeing the golden banner worded "Falun Dafa is Great" and so many people practicing, they were kind of lost and some of them murmured. While walking, they watched the practitioners exercising and listened to a practitioner's explanation. One of them claimed that he knew more than the practitioner knew about the facts. When the practitioner told him that this was the most updated information, he quickly took the material and slipped it into his pocket. When they finished sightseeing at the Memorial Hall and walked back to their bus, they quickly took some photos of the exercise group and then left.

Tourists from Mainland China attracted by the exercises stop to view again and again

Due to its special historical background, the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall has become the must-visit place for many Chinese on their trips to Taiwan. Practitioners have been clarifying the truth there for a while. The group of practitioners, both young or old, men or women from different circles naturally become the focus of the tourists from Mainland China. They are the living evidence in the daylight, radiating sincerity and kindess, and disintegrating all of the CCP's lies and propaganda about Falun Gong. Groups of tourists from Mainland China come and go. All of them have predestined relationships. Practitioners take advantage of the opportunity to explain the facts to them.

At 4:00 p.m. on January 15, 2006, in the waiting hall of the Bangkok International Airport in Thailand, Falun Gong practitioners held a farewell ceremony for Huang Guohua and his four-year-old daughter, Huang Ying, who would soon fly to New Zealand.

Prior to this, Huang Guohua had been illegally detained at the Bangkok Immigration Detention Center for a month for protesting in front of the Chinese Communist regime's embassy in Thailand over the Chinese police's acts of violence. Through Falun Gong practitioners' efforts and with help from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the New Zealand government, Huang Guohua and his daughter were eventually freed to be resettled by the UNHCR in New Zealand.

Stuff.co.nz, New Zealand carried a report entitled "Falun Gong refugee flies to NZ from detention in Bangkok" on January 17, 2006.

"A member of China's banned Falun Gong spiritual movement who was arrested in Thailand's capital Bangkok for protests outside the Chinese embassy there, has flown to Auckland with his four year-old daughter. Huang Guohua and his daughter Huang Ying plan to settle in New Zealand after Mr Huang spent a month behind bars at the Bangkok Immigration Detention Center."

Mr Huang told journalists at the airport that he was pleased to finally find a home again in New Zealand. He said he had not expected the Thai government to support the Chinese Communist Party regime.

"Cozying up to an evil regime is a pity and a shame. I hope that the Thai government can stand on the side of righteousness and bravely release the four Falun Gong practitioners still detained," he said.

Mr Huang said that Chinese Communist regime's persecution and torture is severe. His wife was three-months pregnant at the time of her death due to torture. This case has been documented by several international human rights bodies, including the UN Human Rights Commission.

About 40 supporters had a farewell gathering for them at Bangkok's Don Muang International Airport. "Thai officials should not have had police escort Mr. Huang to the airport directly from detention." said Teresa Vilaidaraga, 29, a Thai Falun Gong practitioner.

The article noted that UNHCR is working to have the other four detainees move to a third country. So far four practitioners were still being detained in Thailand. Their family members said that the practitioners and family members will go to Norway under the arrangement of UNHCR.

On January 14, 2006, the Western Canada Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Calgary. During the conference, practitioners from Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Regina, Seattle and Montana held an anti-torture exhibition and photo display in Chinatown to expose the cruel tortures the Communist Party has used on Falun Gong practitioners. The events raised public awareness and moved many local residents.

Falun Gong practitioners doing the exercises near the photo display

Several senior citizens are listening to the story of the Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident

Clarifying the truth to residents

An elderly woman reading the truth-clarification materials

A boy asked, "What happened here?" After learning the truth, he said, "I hope the persecution ends soon."

During the three-hour anti-torture exhibition and photo display, many residents who had known about Falun Gong realized that the persecution and torture was more evil and cruel than they imagined. They were shocked and could hardly believe it. Many people came to ask for more information. Some took photos and others wanted to learn the Falun Gong exercises.

One older man in his 70's with a walking stick looked at the photo display for a long time. He was very surprised to read the truth about the Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident. One practitioner analyzed the details and the suspicious points to him, which exposed that the incident was totally directed by the Chinese Communist Party. The man nodded his head in agreement. More people were attracted to come hear the truth.

A boy of about 5 or 6 years old came to the torture reenactment with his parents. At first, when he saw a practitioner reenacting the torture of being tied to the tiger bench, with realistic make-up showing blood and bruises, he was puzzled. After we talked to his parents, we learned that this family had immigrated from Vietnam. At first, the boy thought we were reenacting something that happened long ago in history. When he learned that this was happening today in Mainland China, he was so surprised and couldn't close his mouth. When he left, he told a practitioner, "I hope the persecution ends soon."