August 12, 2001

Sitting in the lotus position on the Alberta legislature's north lawn, Falun Gong practitioners look anything but threatening.

In the shade of tall trees, they gently begin their meditation and light exercises as hundreds of others splash around in fountains or share ice cream.

People watch, but nobody bothers them.

The image is in stark contrast to the persecution members of Falun Gong say followers of the movement must endure in China, which banned the practice two years ago, calling it an [Jiang Zemin government's slanderous term omitted], and imprisoning its practitioners in a widespread crackdown. [...]

On Saturday, Connie Chipkar and Pam McLennan were in Edmonton to publicize the issue.

They circulated a petition, which calls on Ottawa to help release imprisoned Falun Gong supporters and to send a "rescue team" to China.

But they don't know how the team would function.

"The details are yet to be worked out," said McLennan, [...]

Peter Goldring, MP for Edmonton Centre-East, watched a tape of alleged Falun Gong persecution, and said more work needs to be done so Canadians know what's going on.

[...]

Still, Chipkar and McLennan, both from Ontario, want the public to learn more about the movement, and the abuse and deaths of Falun Gong followers in China.

"We're taking on this ourselves, at the grassroots," said McLennan. "The government doesn't do anything so public. ... The way they do things is behind closed doors."

Huishar Chen believes in Falun Gong, and she wants to make sure the practice never fades into the background.

She was detained briefly by officials in Nanjing, China, in 1999, the same year she came to Edmonton. The 35-year-old computer worker was asked to give up Falun Gong even though she said it had made her a better person and relieved her of some arthritic pain.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/technology1/stories/010812/5079682.html