Clearwisdom Weekly

Austria: Appealing at the Singapore Embassy in Vienna

On May the 4th, Austrian practitioners appealed at the Singapore Embassy in Vienna after the unjust verdict issued by a Singapore court against two practitioners. The practitioners in Singapore had practiced the Falun Gong exercises in a park and distributed material regarding the facts of the persecution.

An assistant to the Singapore Embassy accepted an open letter from Austrian Falun Gong practitioners on behalf of the Ambassador. The practitioners called on the Singapore Government to change the unjust verdict and not bow to the Chinese Communist regime's pressure. They also told the assistant about the cruel persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China and what the Chinese officials had done to try to persecute practitioners in Austria. After hearing the practitioners, the assistant was truly shocked by the seriousness of the brutal persecution against Falun Gong in China and said that he will forward the practitioners' petition to the Ambassador and the Singapore Government.

As the Singapore Embassy in Vienna is located in a bank building situated at a busy intersection, all passing vehicles must stop in front of the banners erected by the practitioners when the traffic signal is red. Several hundred drivers pleasantly accepted flyers about the incident taking place in Singapore and the facts about Falun Gong.

Germany: Commemorating the April 25th 1999 Appeal Outside the Chinese Consulate in Hamburg

Six years have passed since the peaceful appeal in Beijing. Falun Dafa practitioners gathered outside the Chinese Consulate in Hamburg's Elbchaussee to commemorate the anniversary of the appeal.

Delivering a letter to the Consul


Sending righteous thoughts outside the consulate	Demonstrating torture methods used against Falun Gong by the CCP.

Demonstrating torture methods and exercises.

The hours between 8:30 a.m and 12:30 p.m. passed quickly. Many drivers blew their horn in support and passersby gave us the thumbs-up sign.

Germany: Xiong Wei Speaks at Annual Meeting of the International Society for Human Rights to Disclose the Tricks Used by the CCP to Deceive Western Media

On the 23rd of April, at a convention centre in Koenigstein, a 30-minute drive from Frankfurt, the International Society for Human Rights held its annual meeting. In the lobby beside the convention centre entrance, members from more than ten countries greeted one another and chatted in different languages with the people they had not seen for a year. Some people suddenly noticed that the lobby was different from usual. About thirty to forty paintings were hanging on the wall. One was of a young girl in meditation. Another was about a Chinese person whose finger nails were pierced with bamboo sticks by the police yet whose expression remains firm. Falun Gong's "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance" exhibition attracted a lot of attention.

When Xiong Wei saw two gentlemen stop in front of a painting about a practitioner being tortured, she went to tell them about her experience of being persecuted in a Beijing Women's forced labor camp. The two gentlemen listened carefully. The name Xiong Wei is not unfamiliar to the members of the ISHR. When she was still in the labor camp, the ISHR collected petition signatures for her and submitted a petition to Germany's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The NGO also published her article in a human rights journal. When Xiong Wei was released, the ISHR made great efforts in getting her to come back to Germany. With the assistance of the German authorities, the ISHR's representative and Falun Gong practitioners in Germany welcomed Xiong Wei, (who had been away from Germany for five years) in the early morning of the 29th of September, 2004.

At the press conference and meeting on the 23rd of April, Xiong Wei described her experience as a victim and how the Chinese Government deceives foreigners. She said, "In the morning of the 27th of November, 2003, over ten members of the foreign media visited the third group of the Beijing Women's Forced Labor camp. A week or two earlier, we were forced to clean up the environment again and again. Officials at different levels came to inspect. Two large plants were placed in the lobby. The glass windows of each class were covered with white curtains. We were prevented from working on our crochet work and given cards to play. We even had tofu for lunch. At that time, I told the police that this was the first time in years. However, the next day when the foreigners left, we had to start working at 6 o'clock and were not allowed to speak. The window drapes were put away in the morning and the plants in the afternoon.

Xiong Wei also called for support for Jiang Renzheng, who was deported to China by Germany and sentenced to three years of forced labor. Jiang Renzheng was deported by the German Government because they did not think he would be persecuted if he went back to China. On the 24th of April, the assembly passed a decision to demand the Chinese Government to immediately release Jiang Renzheng and urged the German Chancellor and Foreign Minister to guarantee Jiang and his family's safety through all kinds of diplomatic means.

Malaysia: Practitioners Deliver an Appeal Letter to the Singapore High Commissioner

In response of the Singapore court's unjust conviction against Falun Gong practitioners, at 10 am on May 5, 2005, Malaysian Falun Gong practitioners went to the Singapore High Commission and called upon Mr. Ashok Kumar Mirpuri, the high commissioner to urge the Singapore court to overturn the unjust verdict. The high commissioner's first secretary Mr. Brandon D' Cruz received the petition letter.

In front of the Singapore High Commission, practitioners unfurled banners that read, "Stop helping the CCP in persecuting Falun Gong" and called upon the Singapore government not to be an accomplice of the CCP.

The two Falun Gong practitioners sentenced, Ms. Cheng Lujin and Ms. Ng Chya Huay, had practiced Falun Gong exercises in Esplanade Park, introduced Falun Gong, explained the facts about the persecution of Falun Gong in China, and distributed truth-clarifying pamphlets and video CDs. They were charged by the Singapore police for "Assembly without a Permit" and "Possession and Distribution of VCDs without a Certificate". After one-year of court proceedings, on April 27, 2005, the Singapore court convicted the two practitioners and ordered them to pay fines of 20,000 and 24,000 Singapore dollars, respectively.

After delivering an appeal letter to the Singapore High Commission in Malaysia, practitioners held a press conference outside the Commission. A spokesperson said that Ms. Cheng Lujin and Ms. Ng Chya Huay simply exercised their rights. They should enjoy their freedoms of belief and expression. The material they distributed which were the same as what practitioners from across the world distribute, were talking about how Falun Gong is unreasonably persecuted in China. Therefore, they should not be convicted.

Singapore is the only country outside China which unjustly sentences Falun Gong practitioners and detains them. Currently, Falun Gong is practiced in more than 60 countries.

The way Singapore court handled this case ignores the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It violated the two practitioners' human rights and discriminated against their beliefs.

In response to the seriousness of the issue and various conflicts and suspects during the hearing process, Malaysian Falun Gong practitioners called on the Singapore Court to correct its unfair judgment and restore the reputation of the two practitioners Ms. Ng and Ms. Cheng and restore the reputation of Falun Gong as well.

New Zealand: Falun Gong Practitioners Petition In front of the Singapore High Commission

On the morning of May 5, 2005, some Falun Gong practitioners in New Zealand went to Singapore High Commission in Wellington, New Zealand's capital, to hold a peaceful petition. They unfurled a banner that read, "Singapore, stop assisting CCP to persecute Falun Gong".

At around 10 am, representative of New Zealand's Falun Dafa Association delivered a petition letter and related material to the Singapore commissioners. A staff member from the Commission came out to receive the letter and said that he will convey the letter to the High Commissioner. The staff member was called back after a short conversation with the practitioners and he did not show up again. Later, someone in the Commission took pictures of the practitioners petitioning outside the fence.

Because a ceremony was conducted in the Commission to commemorate the death of the former Singaporean Prime Minister, a constant stream of people came to the Commission in the morning to sign their names. People coming and going could directly see the eye-caching banners that Falun Gong practitioners unfurled on the streets opposite to the Commission. The police officer who was on duty talked to practitioners and staff members in the Singapore Commission. He said that he felt very strange about the Singapore government's actions. He asked practitioners for materials to get more information.

The Singapore High Commission had no response towards Falun Gong practitioners' peaceful appeal and request of meeting. In response to media reporters' request of interviewing, the Commissioner's secretary said through an intercom that he would respond shortly after. However he did not make any arrangement or reply any requests from practitioners and reporters until the entire petition concluded.

Washington DC: Persistent Appeal

Falun Gong practitioners Ms. Ng Chye Huay and Ms. Cheng Lujin, who had been jailed by the Singapore authorities, were recently released when bail was posted by their families. However, the Singapore court has not reversed its unjust verdict against the two practitioners. In response, Falun Gong practitioners from Washington DC area have persistently appealed in front of the Singapore Embassy to the U.S. for one week to call on the Singapore authorities to not be an accomplice of the Chinese Communist regime in suppressing Falun Gong.

Since April 29, Falun Gong practitioners have been seen in front of the Singapore Embassy on each workday. They silently stand on the street opposite to the Embassy and hold in their hands banners that read, "Singapore: Stop Persecuting Falun Gong". They also distribute flyers and explain the facts about Falun Gong and the persecution to passersby.

After the two detained Singaporean practitioners Ms. Ng Chye Huay and Ms. Cheng Lujin were released, they found out that it was their family members who paid the fines for them. The two practitioners expressed that it was not their will to pay the fines because they never plead guilty and therefore they should not have to pay any fines. They hope that related authorities should turn the money back to their family members.

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Tao who attended the appeal said, "We appeal here to hope that the Singapore government will eventually make a just verdict and overturn the incorrect conviction against the two Falun Gong practitioners who simply handed out truth-clarifying flyers and video CDs."

The Chinese communist regime's persecution of Falun Gong has been going on for six years. In this irrational and insane suppression, 2130 Falun Gong practitioners were verified to have died from the persecution. The actual death toll can be much higher than this. Countless families have been broken apart.

Ms. Tao said, "When the entire world is condemning the Chinese communist regime's persecution of Falun Gong, Singapore should not be led by the nose by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for the immediate interests. It will be a shame for Singapore which will never be washed away if Singapore helps the evildoers to do evil in order to please CCP. I hope that the Singapore government officials will carefully read the book Nine Commentaries on Communist Party and truly find out CCP's nature."

On May 5, 2005, Hong Kong's top court overturned all convictions against Falun Gong practitioners including obstruction, obstructing and assaulting police, which stemmed from a peaceful appeal in front of the Office of China Liaison Authorities. Mainstream society throughout the world acknowledged this historic judgment. Media outside China extensively reported on the issue. That Hong Kong, which is under CCP rule, could make such a verdict sets a good example for Singapore, which also follows the Common Law of Great Britain.

Ms. Tao pointed out, "Falun Gong practitioners practice 'Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance'. We hope that our effort will allow the Singapore government to correct its wrongful verdict. If the court's conviction is not overturned, we will continue our appeal here."

Taiwan: "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" International Art Exhibition Visits Tsinghua and Chiao Tung Universities

The "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" International Art Exhibition has been held at 16 universities and colleges in Taiwan this semester and will be presented at many more next semester. The exhibition opened at Political University Library at the beginning of April 2005 and the third stop was Tsinghua University.

At Tsinghua University the exhibition was held during graduate entrance exams. Practitioners had a group practice and distributed flyers to introduce Falun Gong to passers-by. At Chiao Tung University, Falun Gong introduction materials were placed in the stairway between the first and second floors in the library to catch the attention of passers-by.

During the exhibition, a student who came to view the paintings on the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China shook his head with a sigh. Some viewers asked where to buy the book Zhuan Falun after looking at the paintings. Many were appalled at some of the works and asked if it were true that the persecution was so brutal. Practitioners explained the facts of the persecution to them. Many students learned about Falun Gong and were incredulous at the escalating persecution in China.

A visiting student paid attention to the innocent expression of a young girl in one painting and wondered, "Why can't she return home?" After a practitioner explained the situation, he learned that, after the 610 Office unlawfully arrested the young girl's parents, the girl became homeless. The painting describes the inhumane persecution in China. The student said that he had read Zhuan Falun and that the book teaches people to be good.

Practitioners at the two universities pointed out that Falun Gong is widespread and welcomed by senior government officials and all walks of life in Taiwan. But across the strait, Jiang's faction has brutally persecuted Falun Gong for six years only because of its widespread popularity. Many teachers and students were deprived of work and study for persisting their belief of "Truth, Compassion, Forbearance." Jiang's faction even breeds hatred in students using propaganda against Falun Gong.

So far the three exhibitions have not only brought the facts of Falun Gong to the faculty and students in the universities but have also allowed predestined people to learn Falun Dafa.