Summary of Other Articles and News - 07/04/2003

(Clearwisdom.net)

Truth About Persecution

On July 1, several plainclothes police officers abducted Dafa practitioner Cui Xiangjun from the Haixing Qidian Electronics Market in Zhongguancun, Beijing.

On June 25, in Dalian City, police from Huabei Road Police Station illegally arrested Dafa practitioners Zou Dehua and his wife Wei Yanyi. The following day, the police shocked them with electric batons. Zou Dehua jumped off the police station's building and broke his backbone. The police were afraid of taking responsibility so they released Zou Dehua. On June 26, Wei Yanyi was sent to "Dalian Social Thinking Educational Institution," a brainwashing center on the sixth floor in the Linhai Hotel in Heishijiao, Dalian City, to be further persecuted. Because the thugs' brutal treatment of Dafa practitioners were constantly exposed, the thugs intentionally set the brainwashing class inside a hotel, in order to create a facade of "good treatment of Falun Gong practitioners." Currently, Wei Yanyi is holding a hunger strike to protest the illegal detention.

Media Reports

Free Radio Asia July 3^rd comprehensive report: Many people in cities in Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, the U.S. and Canada oppose Article 23 legislation.

On Wednesday, Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Australia, The Honorable Christine Gallus, MP, called on the Hong Kong SAR government to take actions to avoid related legislations from hurting the interests of the Hong Kong people.

The Honorable Philip Goff, New Zealand's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, expressed concern over the fact that Hong Kong's National Security Bill includes the banning of organizations that were banned in mainland China; he thinks this will hurt the freedom of organization in Hong Kong.

On Wednesday, all legislative members of the four parties and one branch of Taiwan's Legislative Yuan published an official announcement, condemning the Hong Kong government and the Chinese government's violation of freedom and human rights. Wang Jinping, head of Taiwan's Legislative Yuan said the different parties of the Yuan have reached the common understanding that the Hong Kong government's implementation of Article 23 of the Basic Law violates the universal values of human rights and freedom.

The Chinese Democratic Education Foundation in San Francisco, U.S.A. published a joint statement with other Chinese organizations in which it opposes the Hong Kong government's implementation of Article 23 of the Basic Law. They supported the Hong Kong citizens' protest against this legislation.

Some Chinese people in Canada held activities in different cities in support of the one-half million grand march in Hong Kong in opposition of Article 23.