(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners held a candlelight vigil in Kaohsiung, Taiwan on July 16. They mourned fellow practitioners who died as a result of being persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) during it’s 23-year-long persecution of the spiritual practice.

Several Kaohsiung City councilors and other dignitaries who attended the event condemned the persecution and said they stood with Falun Dafa. They called on the world to recognize the CCP’s true nature and act to stop the regime’s atrocities. 

Practitioners held a candlelight vigil in Kaohsiung, Taiwan on July 16

In the afternoon, Falun Gong practitioners gathered on Fengling Square to show the Falun Gong exercises to passersby and tourists, and played a video exposing the CCP’s organ harvesting crimes. Some practitioners distributed fliers and other information materials. 

Mr. Li walked by the intersection in front of the square and was drawn by the Falun Gong rally. He stopped to watch the video exposing the CCP’s live organ harvesting, and accepted a flier. 

When he learned that the CCP’s persecution was ongoing, he said, “The CCP regime is a one-party dictatorship, fearing that too many religious groups will endanger its ruling regime. This is completely contrary to the thinking of a free and democratic society. Falun Gong’s peaceful and rational appeal is really good. Falun Gong believes in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and should be respected. I hope more people will pay attention to the issue and support Falun Gong in fighting for freedom of belief.” 

Practitioners demonstrate Falun Gong exercises. Some practitioners distribute fliers and newspapers.

City Councilor: Speaking up for Practitioners

City councilor Lin Yu-kai said he decided to speak up for Falun Dafa.

Kaohsiung City Councilor Lin Yu-kai said, “I learned about Falun Dafa when I was teaching at Sun Yat-sen University. One of my colleagues was a practitioner. He often helped other colleagues. I understood that Falun Dafa stressed kindness and was a kind of personal inner cultivation following Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.” 

He said, “We must let more people know about the persecution, keep calling for an end to it, keep clarifying the truth, and exposing these human rights violations. If more people know about it and stand up against this violent regime will collapse. Now more people in the world recognize the CCP’s true nature.” 

Mr. Lin said he admired practitioners’ persistence in fighting the persecution over the past 23 years. He said, “Let us work together to stop the persecution as soon as possible and disintegrate the Communist Party. I also advise all members of the Communist Party to renounce it.” 

Prof. Weng Ming-chang of National University of Kaohsiung 

Prof. Weng Ming-chang said, “Before the pandemic, I frequently went abroad to participate in seminars and conferences. I often saw Falun Dafa practitioners holding activities to peacefully protest the persecution in different countries. Practitioners have worked tirelessly and are not afraid of the scorching sun or wind and rain. I really admire them.” 

He said Falun Gong can be seen in many scenic spots or streets in Taiwan. He wished more people to work together to stop the CCP’s persecution. 

City Councilor: Society Needs Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance

City Councilor Chen Li-na

City Councilor Chen Li-na, who for more than ten years has supported practitioners in exposing the persecution, addressed the rally and said, “First of all, I would like to express my respect for the perseverance and courage of Falun Dafa practitioners, who have stood up to the persecution for 23 years. 

“I’ve known Falun Dafa practitioners for many years. They uphold the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Their peaceful and rational appeal is very powerful. Over the past 23 years, everyone has spoken out and let the world know about the persecution. This requires courage and persistence, especially when practitioners face persecution implemented by a particularly sinister power. It’s not easy, and it’s even more admirable. I also see a force of justice gathering, and more people are recognizing the evil nature of the Chinese Communist Party.”

She said, “Falun Dafa upholds Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. This society needs these principles. Everyone should stand up against this persecution, which should not happen anywhere in the world.” She called on the world’s people to, “Recognize the CCP’s nature and work together to stop it’s atrocities.”

Background: What Is Falun Dafa and Why Is the CCP Persecuting It?

Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was first introduced to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi in Changchun, China, in 1992. The spiritual discipline is now practiced in over 100 countries and regions worldwide. Millions of people who have embraced the teachings, which are based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and have learned the five exercises, have experienced improved health and well-being.

Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP’s atheistic ideology and on July 20, 1999, he issued an order to eradicate the practice.

Under Jiang’s personal direction, the CCP established the 610 Office, an extralegal security organization with the power to override the police and judicial systems and whose sole function is to carry out the persecution of Falun Dafa.

Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of practitioners as a result of the persecution over the past 23 years. The actual number is believed to be much higher. Countless practitioners have been imprisoned and tortured for their faith.

There is concrete evidence that the CCP sanctions the harvesting of organs from detained practitioners, who are murdered to supply China’s organ transplant industry.