Issued by Clearwisdom Net

After eight successful shows in four cities, the Divine Performing Arts played in Sydney on March 29, 2007.

NTDTV held a pre-show reception. More than 150 politicians, media, representatives from business community, Chinese community and art community attended. Reporters from the mainstream media in Sydney, such as Channel 7 and 9, 2UE Radio Station, FM 99.3, and newspapers from the Italian and Thai communities watched and reported on the show. The first show in Sydney amazed the audience. Many Chinese people expressed that they were proud of it, and many Westerners said that it was the best show they ever saw. The sponsors of the show expressed that the show was fabulous and they would like to sponsor it every year.

Mr. David Clarke, a Member of Parliament from New South Wales, said that the show has manifested the Chinese culture so that people in Australia can enjoy it. He said that he enjoyed every performance in the program because their contents, such as freedom, moral and compassion, are very profound. He congratulated NTDTV for successfully promoting such a good show around the world.

Mr. David Clarke, MP

Mr. Clarke said that the performance "To the Rightful Place" is very important, because what Falun Gong practitioners are trying to promote is beneficial to everybody. Falun Gong practitioners are welcomed everywhere in the world.

Mr. Paul Mcleay, MP

Mr. Paul Mcleay, MP, expressed that he enjoyed the show which features Chinese culture and contributes to the multi-cultural tapestry of Australian society.

Before the show, the most famous TV program in Australia, Lateline on ABC TV, reported the Spectacular and exposed the interference it faced from the Chinese Consulate in Sydney. There were still some tickets left and the publicity made people curious about the show and bought tickets. The CCP's evil behavior promoted the show.

The night before the show, ABC TV reported that the CCP had exerted pressure on some people, trying to keep them from going to the show. Mr. Ian Cohen, spokesman of The Greens, published a media release titled "Chinese Government Bullying will not stop Green MP's attendance." He said: "Tonight's show will be an event not to be missed. The overreaction of the Chinese Government officials begs the question--what have they got to hide?"

Mr. Ian Cohen, spokesman of The Greens

Mr. Cohen told this reporter that the Spectacular was fabulous. The dancing and music was amazing. He said that he liked the Erhu performance and called it Chinese violin. He also liked the dance "Snow Mountain, White Lotus."

He mentioned that the Chinese Consulate had written to him, asking him not to go to the show. He said that the Chinese government should know that their action is useless, especially in Australia. He said that he would feel weird if any organization, political power or representatives from a government is afraid of such a show.

Mr. Ernst Hofstetter, the Consul-General from Switzerland in Australia and his wife

Mr. Ernst Hofstetter, the Consul-General from Switzerland in Australia and his wife expressed that they were very happy to come to the show. He said that it is a very good chance to learn the Chinese culture. He said that the things he learned through the show are very impressive.

Mr. Hofstetter mentioned that he got a letter from the Chinese consulate ten days ago, in which the Chinese government officials asked him not to go to the show, and slandered Falun Gong. His wife was very surprised and cannot believe the government officials from a big country would ruin their image by interfering with the freedom of diplomats from other countries.

Mr. Gilbert, the manager of La Fiamma, a newspaper in Italian community, and his wife and friends

Mr. Gilbert, the manager of La Fiamma, a newspaper in Italian community, and his wife and friends came to the reception. La Fiamma reported the Spectacular. After the show, Mr. Gilbert and his friends praised it. He said that he watched the news on ABC TV and he could not understand why the CCP would interfere with it. He went to China in January and watched some shows there, but he said that he didn't like them, and that the NTDTV Spectacular is very different. They expressed that they would come again next year. Mr. Gilbert was proud that his newspaper is one of the sponsors of the show. He hoped that NTDTV would provide them with some photos and related materials so that his newspaper can publish a report of the show.

Belinda, a representative from NRMA Company, the biggest automobile insurance company in Australia, and her friend Patrick praised the show. Patrick liked the Erhu performed by Qi Xiaochun. The dance "A Dunhuang Dream" also attracted them. They were amazed that the dances are based on real historic stories.

Belinda, the representative from NRMA Company, the biggest automobile insurance company in Australia, and her friend Patrick

Belinda said that through the show, she had a new and deeper understanding of Chinese culture. All the stories manifested by the dances told her the same thing--"go back to your true self." Belinda said that she likes the Chinese dances very much.

Mr. Chang Funan, the chief of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau in Australia

The Tourism Bureau in Taiwan is one of the sponsors of the show. Mr. Chang Funan, the chief of the Tourism Bureau in Australia, said that it was very worthy to sponsor this show, because it is fabulous. He liked the Dai Dance and the drum performance. He expressed that they will sponsor the show every year to promote the traditional Chinese culture.

Ms. Chen Shuyi, president of the Chinese Women's Association in Sydney

Ms. Chen Shuyi, president of the Chinese Women's Association in Sydney, praised the show and the hosts of the show. She likes the dances and expressed that her favorite is the dance "Hua Mulan", which manifested Hua Mulan's character. She also said that the dance "a Dunhuang Dream" was very good.

On March 30 and 31, the Divine Performing Arts will have other three shows in Sydney. After the big success of the first one, we believe that the next ones will be very popular.

30 March 2007

Source: Media Relations & Public Information, UNHCR, Geneva

According to credible information received by UNHCR, a Chinese asylum seeker and her 8 year-old daughter were taken by the Russian authorities from their St. Petersburg residence last Wednesday (28 March) and put on a plane departing to China via Novosibirsk. The woman and her daughter had submitted a claim for asylum in accordance with the Russian Federation Law on Refugees. Their appeal against a first negative decision was scheduled to be considered by the Dzerzhinky District court in St. Petersburg this afternoon. Both had been registered by UNHCR as persons in need of international protection.

UNHCR is concerned at their forcible deportation in violation of the Russian Federation's international obligations and of the Russian Federation Law on Refugees, both of which prohibit the return of asylum seekers to their country of origin before a final decision on their asylum claims has been made. The Russian Federation is a signatory to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.

UNHCR is following up with the asylum seekers' legal counsel and the Russian authorities to clarify the facts of the matter.

March 30, a rally was held on Parliament Hill to support 20 million Chinese who have formally quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations. MP Rob Anders gave a speech at the rally. Former senior diplomat Brian McAdam also attended the rally. In addition, renowned Jewish scholar Rabbi Reuven Bulka and Senior Fellow for Terrorism and National Security with the Canadian Coalition for Democracies (CCD) David Harris also wrote support letters to the rally.

Rally on Parliament Hill to support 20 million withdrawals from CCP

Ms. Zhang Jiyan, wife of a former Chinese Embassy staff, said: "A new China without the CCP is coming soon."

MP Rob Anders

At the rally, the speech made by Ms. Zhang Jiyan attracted media attention as she is the wife of a staff of the Chinese Embassy to Canada and she spoke out to support people to quit the CCP.

Ms. Zhang Jiyan, 48, is the wife of a former financial staff of the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa and is a Falun Gong practitioner. She was talking with others at the Embassy in private about the truth of Falun Gong. Embassy officials noticed this and started to monitor her. The embassy also wanted to confiscate her passport. Under mounting pressure, she decided to leave the Embassy on March 5 to avoid being sent back to China where Falun Gong practitioners are being brutally persecuted.

In her statement, Ms. Zhang said: "At this event supporting 20 million Chinese people who have quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations, I witness more and more people have awakened and chosen to denounce the evil party. In addition, I feel so happy because I am now a member of them and I can speak my heart-felt words publicly.

In China, more than half of the people have been persecuted during all kinds of political campaigns in the past 50 years. Since the CCP came into power, 80 million Chinese people have been killed during such campaigns and the traditional Chinese culture has been replaced by the Communist culture which has poisoned all Chinese people."

Ms. Zhang confirmed that the CCP uses embassies and consulates as bases to attack Falun Gong. She said that the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa has a special division which is specialized in collecting information of Falun Gong practitioners and dissidents.

According to Mr. Zhang, the Ambassador told them at an all-staff meeting that he had given slanderous materials against Falun Gong to the former Governor General, many MPs and government officials. Embassy staff keep tight control over Chinese communities in order to influence mainstream society.

"For example," Zhang said, "When NTDTV was applying to open a branch office in Canada in 2005, the Embassy manipulated Chinese groups and Chinese international students to write letters to related agencies trying to block NTDTV. In fact, these groups were just echoing the voice of the Embassy. In addition, the Embassy also spent large resources to instigate the Rogers Cable to block NTDTV."

Ms. Zhang hope that people around the world will not be deceived by the doomed CCP's disguised appearance.

"A new China without the CCP is coming soon," Zhang said.

Mr. Rob Anders, MP: "a great example and more people shall do the same"

MP Rob Anders gave a speech at the rally. He told reporters that Ms. Zhang's courageous move was very important and she had many stories to tell the public. He said that this was a great example and more people shall do the same.

In his speech, Mr. Anders commended all participants of the rally. He said that you have conveyed an important message to those who are being imprisoned, tortured and those in the Communist system.

Taking himself as an example, he said: Twenty years ago he won't believe if some one told him that people in east Europe will soon gain freedom and regain their rights of belief. So, he is very grateful that this rally can send out such a message, which will bring many hope.

In a letter to the rally, renowned Jewish scholar Rabbi Reuven Bulka said, "
As the world is unfortunately bowing in front of the economic juggernaut called China, we must not ever forget the brutality being inflicted by the Chinese regime."  He reminded that "
Doing business with such people is a moral capitulation, and is even bad business. People who kill will also cheat."

Dr. Bulka said, "20 million people quitting the communist party may signal the beginning of the end of oppression. This will be the case if we continue to encourage them, and others who will follow their lead.
Never give up. Mighty empires may seem invincible, but human will is stronger.
Courage and hope - these are the ingredients we need to succeed. God bless you all."

In his letter, David Harris, Senior Fellow for National Security with the Canadian Coalition for Democracies (CCD) wrote, "I convey my congratulations to rally organizers as we all celebrate the reaching of this most promising milestone.  With you, I salute those who have chosen freedom over Party, and all others whose dream, work, and ultimate achievement will assuredly be a free China."

The average rate of quitting the CCP is 30 to 40 thousand per day. In Canada, a series of events in about 10 cities are being held to celebrate this milestone and encourage more Chinese people to quit the evil CCP.

International media began covering the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in 1999. The US Senate and international media have covered incidents of the CCP illegally extracting organs from prisoners in China's prisons and forced labor camps since 1994. In March 2006, the media revealed that the CCP built secret concentration camps to illegally detain Falun Gong practitioners, harvest their organs for profit and cremate their murdered bodies to destroy evidence. This news has shocked and enraged people from all walks of life.

Taiwan's representative to France: Lu Ching-lung

Taiwan's newly appointed representative to France, Lu Ching-lung, talked about the CCP's organ harvesting atrocities in an exclusive interview with the Epoch Times. He also expressed his opinions on the persecution of Falun Gong and China's comprehensive blockage of information.

People from all walks of life find the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and its crime of harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners intolerable. Lu Ching-lung said that the persecution of Falun Gong and the live organ harvesting happening in China are against humanity and human rights. The world will not tolerate it. He said that in terms of basic human rights, regardless of races, genders and regions, [people] should share common universal values, and basic human rights must be respected. Under the universal values, and in the Charter of the United Nations, people of the United Nations should have no difference. Why can't people practicing Falun Gong enjoy protection of basic human rights? Why have they been subjected to these unfair persecutions?

Lu Ching-lung also pointed out that organ transplantation should be viewed on two levels. If suffering unexpected accidents or some other state of situation, if the people involved or their families consent, then organ transplantation can be conducted according to law. Nobody will oppose it, anywhere around the world. Organ transplantation is originally a part of medical treatment, but an important issue is involved, that is whether or not the people involved consent or if they are forced to do so. It is not right to forcibly extract people's organs because they have different political beliefs or different political notions, or because they are Falun Gong practitioners. It is a violation of the basic human rights. How can its own citizens not be given fair treatment? Then people practicing Falun Gong will have such risk (having their organs harvested while they are still alive), but other people can be free from such danger, it is a strange matter. So how to return these abnormal things to be normal, is the rule of law.

Lu Ching-lung stated that the problem of corruption in mainland China is well known to the world, and no longer a secret. This reflects that the CCP does not enforce its law according to law. It means there is no "law." Even though there is a law, [people] have to cooperate and implement it, then it concerns about a government's cause and determination to implement the law. Regarding things like Falun Gong practitioners having their organs harvested, the CCP violates the law. Dare the CCP say it has law? Has it implemented it?

Lu Ching-lung expressed his opinion on the CCP's exhausting its whole strength to persecute Falun Gong and its forceful blockage of the free flow of information. He said that we see Falun Gong in Taiwan, in parks near Taipei's Grand Hotel, Chungcheng Memorial Park, and others. He said that there are more than 200, 000 Falun Gong practitioners in Taiwan, but we have not felt that Falun Gong poses any threat to Taiwan's security or social order.

How can you require others to do something in a multi-cultural society? Or say "you can't practice Falun Gong"? Every one has his/her own choice and freedom. Falun Gong in Taiwan, just like Taichi, has become a part of people's life, and has contributed to people's good health.

He said that he was surprised at the beginning of the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong, later after studying it, he understood that the government has no confidence in itself.

He continued that Falun Gong does not have any organization, it is only that everybody comes to learn it. It has no roster, and nothing like that. What are you afraid of under such circumstances? This directly reflects that there is no freedom in China. It is not a good thing for China's long-term development. The CCP, on one hand, hopes to participate in international affairs, pursuing even bigger market; on the other hand, what it has done is contrary to the trend of the world, including the respect for freedom, and respect for fundamental human rights. This will make people puzzle. If a government has confidence and determination, why not be open to the outside world? In his view, a government certainly hopes to rule the country well, then why manipulate and control people's freedom against normal sense?

In mainland China, no "Lianhe [United Daily News] Newspaper" and "China Times" can be seen, neither can be seen on the Internet. Then this country truly does not have freedom, because these newspapers in Taiwan usually publish articles expressing a lot of different opinions and positions. One feels that Taiwan is a democracy.

The 2008 Olympics are approaching. In the last few months, the CCP government has restricted foreign journalists, news agencies, requiring that they should seek approval by the Xinhua News Agency for what news they can report in China. These journalists will have different opinions on China's development and China issues, at this time, if the CCP government cannot be open-minded, but only stipulates that "What you cannot report," then it will be a great impact on China, and will do no good to the Chinese people.

Graduated from the French Group of Western Language Department of the Taiwan Tamkang Chinese Language Institute, once worked as Director and Spokesperson of Information and Cultural Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan, Business Office chief of Taiwan's representative office in France, secretary of Taiwan's representative office in Holland, minister of Taiwan's Embassy in Haiti, first appointed chief of Taiwan's Geneva office, and Taiwan's ambassador to Haiti. He is currently Taiwan's representative to France.

Special experience: French interpreter for Taiwan President's Office, and Executive Yuan, associated professor at the National Sun Yat-Sen University, Non-governmental organization Institute of Management of the NanHua University, and the International School of the Ming Chuan University.