News and Events from around the World -- July 8, 2006

Issued by Clearwisdom Net

Content



  • Press Release for Matas-Kilgour Investigative Report on Organ Harvesting from Falun Gong Practitioners in China

  • Falun Gong News Bulletin -- July 06, 2006

  • Japan: The Spread of Falun Gong in Japan

  • Russia: Practitioners Protest CCP Atrocities outside the Chinese Consulate in St. Petersburg





  • Press Release for Matas-Kilgour Investigative Report on Organ Harvesting from Falun Gong Practitioners in China

    A 45-page report based on an independent investigation by former Canadian Secretary of State (Asia Pacific) David Kilgour and international human rights lawyer David Matas into allegations of organ harvesting from living Falun Gong prisoners in China was released Thursday at a press conference on Canada's Parliament Hill. The report finds these allegations credible.

    MEDIA RELEASE

    July 6, 2006

    OTTAWA: David Matas, international human rights lawyer, and David Kilgour, former Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific) for Canada, today released an independent report, following their two-month inquiry into allegations that vital organs are being seized from Falun Gong practitioners across China.

    The report concludes:

    "...the government of China and its agencies in numerous parts of the country, in particular hospitals but also detention centres and 'people's courts', since 1999, have put to death a large but unknown number of Falun Gong prisoners of conscience. Their vital organs, including hearts, kidneys, livers and corneas, were virtually simultaneously seized for sale at high prices, sometimes to foreigners, who normally face long waits for voluntary donations of such organs in their home countries."

    How many of the victims were first convicted of any substantive offence in a legitimate court the report does not answer because such data unavailable. However, one Beijing Falun Gong practitioner, now living in Europe, told the inquiry that she was arrested three times and spent a year in a labour camp but she was never taken before any court. She also reported during her imprisonment, that without explanation or cause, she was taken in leg irons and handcuffs for a thorough medical examination.

    Witnesses were consulted in Canada, Australia, France and the United States, sometimes in personal interviews and sometimes by email. Among the most significant incriminating evidence, however, were certified translations of recorded conversations in Mandarin with doctors and other officials at hospitals and detention centres located in various parts of China. Transcripts of some of these conversations are included in the report.

    Other important evidence:

    The following are some key recommendations in the report:

    1. As organ harvesting is a crime against humanity, authorities in China should conduct a criminal investigation for possible prosecution.

    2. Organizations-intergovernmental, governmental and voluntary-should take the allegations seriously and make their own determinations on whether or not they are true.

    3. As the UN Protocol to prevent trafficking in persons bans the removal of organs, the UN should investigate whether China is in violation.

    4. Foreign governments should ban the entry of Chinese doctors seeking training in organ transplantation and any doctor there known to be engaged in such work should be barred from visiting foreign countries permanently.

    5. All countries should tighten their laws against organ trafficking and doctors should, for example, be required to report to their respective authorities any evidence that a patient has received an organ from a trafficked person abroad.

    6. Governments should deny or revoke the passports of nationals who are travelling to China for organ transplants.

    7. No governments should participate in any China-sponsored meeting or research on organ transplant. No private company should provide goods or services to any Chinese transplant program.

    A full copy of the report can be obtained at: http://investigation.redirectme.net/

    For further information, please contact

    David Kilgour: (613) 747-7854;

    David Matas: (204) 944-1831


    Falun Gong News Bulletin -- July 06, 2006

    Monitoring the Falun Gong Human Rights Crisis in China - www.faluninfo.net

    NEW INDEPENDENT REPORT CONCLUDES FALUN GONG ORGANS BEING HARVESTED, VICTIMS KILLED
    A 45-page investigative report was released Thursday that addresses allegations of organ harvesting from Falun Gong detainees; the Falun Dafa Information Center is calling the report, "vitally important." Coauthored by former Canadian Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific) David Kilgour and human rights attorney David Matas, the report draws "the regrettable conclusion that the allegations are true."Speaking with the press, Kilgour said on Wednesday that, "I don't think anyone can have any doubt that this unbelievable practice is continuing... They take both kidneys, then the heart and the skin and the corneas and the liver, and your body is then thrown in the incinerator."
    News stories: CTV, Global and Mail, Falun Dafa Information Center
    Full Text of Report: click here

    SOURCE IN CHINA: MILITARY PURGE FOLLOWS ORGAN HARVESTING DISCLOSURE
    A man who identifies himself as a veteran military doctor from China's Shenyang province says that a "cleansing" has taken place within China's military ranks. The doctor previously told The Epoch Times that 36 secret concentration camps for Falun Gong exist, and that the Chinese military has been running a systematic business of harvesting organs from Falun Gong practitioners. "A number of military personnel, scientific researchers, military supervisors and medical personnel around me have gone missing. Even their family members have been isolated for inspection. No one has ever heard from them or knows their current whereabouts. I feel deeply sorry to see that many innocent colleagues have paid the price for the truth I have exposed."
    Full story: http://www.theepochtimes.com/news/6-7-1/43440.html

    20 DEATHS FROM PERSECUTION CONFIRMED DURING THE MONTH OF JUNE
    During the month of June, Falun Gong's Chinese-language Minghui website documented the cases of 20 individuals who were killed in China because they practiced Falun Gong. Many of the cases are very detailed and include not only the name, age, and date of death of the individual, but also the name of the jail or labor camp in which they were tortured, the methods with which they were tortured, the names of the perpetrators, and, in some cases, even the personal phone numbers of the parties responsible for their deaths, such as prison guards. For example, see the story of how Ms. Que Fazhi died an agonizing death from torture: http://clearharmony.net/articles/200606/33840.html

    CONFIRMED DEATH TOLL NEARS 3,000 -- REAL FIGURE MUCH HIGHER
    The cases confirmed in June raise the known death toll to 2,916. Given how difficult it is to obtain such sensitive information from China, and the danger to informants, the real figure is estimated to be many times higher -- well over 10,000, according to some accounts. According to "Annie," a nurse who is not a Falun Gong practitioner, in the one Sujiatun hospital in which she worked approximately 4,000 Falun Gong practitioners have been killed. The practitioners were killed as their hearts, liver, kidneys, and cornea were removed and sold for profit, she says.
    Full story: http://www.theepochtimes.com/news/6-3-17/39405.html


    FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE FALUN DAFA INFORMATION CENTER- Contacts: Gail Rachlin 917-757-9780, Levi Browde 646-415-0998, Erping Zhang 646-533-6147, or Christina Chai 917-386-5068. Email: contact@faluninfo.net, Website: http://www.faluninfo.net/


    Japan: The Spread of Falun Gong in Japan

    When speaking of Japan, people often think of Mount Fuji, Toyota, Sony and so on. 126 million people live in this country of 145 thousand square miles. The Japanese people have created many famous products and made Japan the second major economic global power. It is very convenient to live in Japan-- the standard of living is very developed, so Japanese people often have difficulty adapting to life in other countries.

    Japan consists of four big islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, and 4,000 other small islands. The climate of Japan is predominantly temperate but varies greatly from north to south. Sakura, or the blossoming ornamental cherry tree, is the ubiquitous symbol of Japan, and is represented on all manner of consumer goods, including kimonos, stationery, and dishware.

    Falun Gong Takes Root in Japan

    In August 1997, a dozen Falun Gong practitioners founded the first exercise site in a park in Tokyo. Since then, Falun Gong has been rooted in this country. On September 30, 1997, practitioners bought a page in a Chinese newspaper to introduce Falun Gong. Later, practitioners published their practice experiences and their contact phone numbers in this newspaper. Many people who have a predestined relationship came to learn the exercises. The number of practitioners in Japan increased fast.


    Practitioners doing the exercises in front of Mount Fuji

    Group exercises (Hiroshima, August, 2000)

    In August 1998, 150 practitioners from Japan went to Singapore to attend the Falun Gong Experience Sharing Conference. In the conference, Master Li gave a five-hour lecture. After the conference, Master Li met with practitioners from Japan and gave a two-hour lecture to them. In March 1999, the Japanese translation of Zhuan Falun was published by a publishing house in Kyoto. On July 10, 1999, the Japanese translation of China Falun Gong was also published.

    In July 1999, the first Japan Falun Gong Experience Sharing Conference was held in Yokohama. The number of exercise sites in Japan reached 30. Now, there are almost 50 exercise sites in Japan, There are several hundred Japanese practitioners in the Kumamoto area.

    Media Report s on Falun Gong, Making Falun Gong Well-known


    Kyoto, September, 2004

    Celebrating Falun Dafa Day (Tokyo, May 13, 2004)

    The first report about Falun Gong by the Japanese media was an article in Nihon Keizai Shimbun, one of the biggest newspapers in Japan, on February 25, 1999. The article, entitled "Chinese Qigong is Hot; More than 60 Million People Practice," quoted the introduction of Falun Gong from the Hong Kong newspaper, Singtao Daily .

    The peaceful appeal on "April 25", 1999 drew a lot of attention from the media. All the big media outlets in Japan reported this event. The media called Falun Gong the "new religious group." Practitioners, then, prepared the Japanese translation of Zhuan Falun and introduced Falun Gong to the media. On July 10, the newspaper Sankei published an article, entitled, "The First Large-scale Gathering of Falun Gong." More than 50 media representatives went to the Experience Sharing conference held in Yokohama on July 17.

    On the first day of the Experience Sharing conference, a practitioner shared his experience of practicing Falun Gong and healing cancer. Tokyo Daily reported his story. Practitioners also introduced Falun Gong at a press conference, which was held during the Experience Sharing conference. TBS, a major TV station in Japan, introduced Falun Gong to a large audience and reported on the Experience Sharing conference. It also showed the peaceful group exercises.

    However, on the second day of the Experience Sharing conference, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched the persecution of Falun Gong. To instigate hatred towards Falun Gong, the CCP also made up a lot of lies and slander. The Falun Dafa Association in Japan held an urgent press conference to clarify the truth. On July 21, more than 100 practitioners went to the Chinese Embassy to protest the persecution. Some of them continuously protested day and night until July 29. TBS TV Station, Fuji TV Station and TV Asahi all reported the persecution by the CCP. The persecution of Falun Gong by the CCP made more people come to know about Falun Gong.

    Taking All Opportunities to Clarify the Truth and Oppose the Persecution

    Akiba Street in Tokyo is the busiest shopping area in Japan. Many tourist groups from China visit here. Practitioners have continuously clarified the truth to Japanese and Chinese tourists for seven years. Practitioners also clarify the truth and pass out materials in other places, such as the Immigration Bureau of Japan, where Chinese people often visit. Practitioners have continuously protested the persecution and clarified the truth in front of the Chinese Embassy for 5 years.

    Passing out materials and clarifying the truth

    The Japanese people always go to the temples over the New Year. To Falun Gong practitioners, this is also a good opportunity to clarify the truth. Some practitioners go to the temples to pass out materials from January 1 to 3, every year. Practitioners from Tokyo hand out more than ten thousand newspapers in several temples every year. Practitioners believe that good meets good and evil meets with due retribution. The evil can never defeat the righteous. Jiang's gang, who persecute Falun Gong, cannot avoid its impending doom, and the CCP will crash also. Practitioners all over the world will keep clarifying the truth and stop this persecution.



    Russia: Practitioners Protest CCP Atrocities outside the Chinese Consulate in St. Petersburg

    On June 30, 2006, practitioners held activities outside the Chinese Consulate in St. Petersburg to protest the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) brutal persecution of Falun Gong

    For several years, Falun Gong practitioners' applications to protest in front of the Chinese Consulate in St. Petersburg have been denied by the Russian government.  Although the government denied our application, we went ahead with our protest outside the Chinese Consulate on June 30th while practitioners in Moscow simultaneously protested outside the Chinese Embassy.

    In the three days before the activity, Falun Gong practitioners clarified the truth to all departments of the government and police offices in St. Petersburg. Though the governmental officials dared not accept our protest application under huge pressure from the CCP, they listened to the truth clarification especially carefully because they saw the resolute attitude of Falun Gong practitioners. They expressed their understanding and hoped that practitioners would bring them more information in the future.

    On June 30th, before the Falun Gong practitioners arrived at the Chinese Consulate, a lot of police were waiting. Practitioners immediately clarified the truth to them. Meanwhile, a police officer who had already learned the truth said, "You can put out your banners. We will not stop you." So everyone spread out the banners to protest. A reporter from Radio Moscow interviewed practitioners on the spot and broadcast the protest in a positive way on its night program. In the one-hour protest, officers in the Chinese Consulate came out and took photos and videos of every practitioner. They kept pressuring the Russian government. The cell phones of the police officer on the spot beeped all the time. We could see that they were under huge pressure from their superiors. At last, a high ranking police officer, lieutenant colonel, came to ask Falun Gong practitioners to end the protest or he would be fired. Practitioners ended the protest and moved farther away from the Chinese Consulate (across the river).

    Afterwards, the police called the organizer of the activity to the police office and asked her make a written statement. She made it clear on the record that it was illegal for the police to stop such a protest. The police told her a judicial decision would come the following Monday.