(Clearwisdom.net) Between October 23 and October 25, 2002, about 2,000 Falun Gong practitioners from around the world traveled to Houston, Texas to participate in a series of peaceful protests during the visit of Jiang Zemin -- the mastermind behind the persecution of Falun Gong. Our reporters have randomly interviewed practitioners at the various protest sites. Below are some of the stories we have gathered.

I. "Important family emergency" of a practitioner from Taiwan

Right across from the main entrance of the Inter-Continental Hotel in Houston, we ran into Ms. Wang from Taiwan. She was holding a banner which read "Immediately release all Falun Gong practitioners under persecution in China." Ms. Wang is a salesperson in a computer firm. She asked for three days of leave from her company and flew to Houston from Taipei. Ms. Wang said, "I have been working really hard, and my managers and colleagues all understand me. Those practitioners who are suffering in China are all like members of my own family..."

II. U.S. practitioner: "A citizen of responsibility"

Mr. Jian is an economist in an investment firm in Massachusetts. He mentioned that the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China has become quite frenzied, and the voices of Falun Gong practitioners there cannot be heard at all. Mr. Jian said, "Even though quite a lot Chinese have learned that Falun Gong practitioners are innocent, they dare not voice their opinion due to pressure from those in power. Some even have to carry out orders against Falun Gong against their own conscience. Here we know the facts of Falun Gong and at the same time we enjoy the freedom to voice them. If we don't show up to speak out for practitioners in China, I cannot feel at ease in my heart!"

Mr. Jian also told us that he called the White House hotline a few days ago and presented the facts of Jiang's persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. He also expressed the "expectation that President Bush will focus on upholding American values when dealing with Jiang."

When asked if peaceful protests overseas like these will help improve the situation of practitioners in China, Mr. Jian answered positively, "Definitely! The peaceful protests we hold overseas can bring to light the brutality of Jiang's regime in front of the world, and this brings the pressure of justice to Jiang and his followers."

III. Australian practitioner: "Miracles in my home"

Lilian from Australia is a mother of three children. Her parents-in-law who live with her are both over 80 years old. Her husband has a heavy workload, and Lilian, who works at a large corporation herself, has to prepare lots of food for the family every day. She started practicing Falun Gong in August 1996.

Lilian told the reporters that the more she practices Falun Gong, the more she has felt its magnificence. For the over six years that she and her mother-in-law have been practicing Falun Gong, not a single person in the family has needed to take any medication whatsoever. She said, "When someone hasn't needed any medicine throughout the year, others will say that you're lucky. Yet at my home, from the newly born to the elderly, none of the seven people in our household have ever needed to take any medicine for over six years. You can't deny that this is a miracle."

Lilian came to Houston from Sydney together with her sister. When talking about her traveling such a distance to protest peacefully, Lilian said, "I have deeply experienced the magnificence of Falun Gong. I simply want to make a fair statement about Falun Gong. Naturally, it is my duty to peacefully protest Jiang's persecution of Falun Gong practitioners."

(To be continued...)