(Minghui.org) December 18, 2024 marked Batam City’s 195^th anniversary. Falun Dafa practitioners from Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia were invited to participate in the celebration and parade on Sunday, December 15.

The parade’s theme: “New Batam, Advanced Indonesia,” which matches the vision for Batam City as a free trade zone designated by the Indonesian government. It’s also located close to Singapore, which makes the city an area of metropolitan exchange.

The parade started at Engku Putri Square and included many groups including government employees, local communities, students, sport clubs, and various teams. They all wore different ethnic costumes. The practitioners’ procession consisted of the Tian Guo Marching Band at the front, followed by practitioners wearing Chinese traditional costumes, then the waist drum troupe in bright golden costumes, and finally practitioners in yellow Dafa shirts carrying balloons at the rear.

Falun Dafa practitioners’ procession was warmly greeted.

The energetic performance of both the Tian Guo Marching Band and the waist drum team received much applause and caught the attention of the audience and other parade participants.

Upon arriving at the VIP stage, practitioners’ waist drum team had the opportunity to perform the music Falun Dafa Is Good. The host introduced Falun Dafa, and exclaimed at the end of the brief introduction, “Falun Dafa is good, Truth-Compassion-Forbearance is good.”

The Tian Guo Marching Band and waist drum team perform in front of the VIP stage.

Practitioners Receive Award

The Head of Youth and Sports Department of Batam City, Zulkarnain, was very pleased with the participation and outstanding performance of Falun Dafa practitioners. After the parade, he personally gave an award certificate to their representative.

“Thank you to the Falun Dafa teams from Malaysia, Singapore, and Batam City, who participated in the celebration of the 195^th anniversary of Batam City in 2024,” he said. “We will stay connected and continue to communicate with each other because I think Falun Dafa is already very well-known both nationally and internationally. Once again, thank you to all the administrators of the Falun Dafa teams! Hopefully [Falun Dafa] will continue to participate [in future events], Falun Dafa, yes!”

Zulkarnain, Head of Youth and Sports Department of Batam City, gives award certificates to Falun Dafa practitioners.

Local media coverage included practitioners’ waist drum troupe performance.

Introducing Falun Dafa at a Mall in Batam

The day before the parade, December 14, Falun Dafa practitioners were also invited to participate in the Christmas and New Year celebration at Mega Mall in Batam, one of the largest shopping malls in the city.

The Tian Guo Marching Band and the waist drum team gave a performance while marching through the three floors of the mall. Many people stopped to watch.

The Tian Guo Marching Band and waist drum team draw attention of the mall visitors.

Mall visitors happily receive Falun Dafa informational materials.

One person said, “Some members [Falun Dafa practitioners] are already elderly but their physical appearance still looks very good. It makes me curious where it comes from, how they can still be so fit and strong at such an old age. I read the brochure, and realized this is probably thanks to the practice of Falun Dafa. Their energy is positive, which can be seen from their healthy faces and great aura.”

Another person said practitioners’ performances are, “Great, creative, cool, and harmonious!”

There were tourists from Singapore and China who happened to be shopping there that day. During the performance, several Chinese tourists made video calls to China telling their families that there were a large number of Dafa practitioners performing in a parade in Indonesia, which is unheard of in China due to the persecution.