Thursday, March 14, 2002

Huaixin Pan participates in yesterday's Falun Gong demonstration on Parliament Hill. At least 80 individuals meditated as they began a 36-hour hunger strike.

Spread across the grounds of Parliament Hill, at least 80 Falun Gong practitioners meditated together yesterday as they began a 36-hour hunger strike in an attempt to obtain Canada's help in stopping what the protesters say is a plan by China's president to kill more innocent people.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a peaceful self-improvement practice based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. It's an ancient art, but it wasn't introduced to the Chinese public until 1992. At least 70 million people practised Falun Gong in China until the government began persecuting its practitioners in 1999, said Zenon Dolnyckyj, who initiated the hunger strike in Ottawa.

Protesters alleged that the Chinese government had imprisoned and killed promoters of Falun Gong over the years, but said the situation has worsened badly in the past two weeks, claiming President Jiang Zemin had instituted a "kill them without Pardon" policy to police who find anyone practising Falun Gong.

Mr. Dolnyckyj, a Toronto resident, said sources in China risked their lives to send information to Falun Gong supporters in Canada, and photographs of injured people lined the walkway to Parliament Hill yesterday.

"Canada can do something about this," Mr. Dolnyckyj said. "It's our duty as a country that respects human rights."

He said the Canadian government should demand a stop to the persecution in China when the 58th session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights starts in Geneva on Monday.

A news conference was held yesterday afternoon during the strike, after which several Falun Gong supporters delivered a letter to the office of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. Canadian Alliance MP Scott Reid also made an appearance during the news conference.

A candlelight vigil was held last night in front of the Centre Block on Parliament Hill.

Copyright 2002 The Ottawa Citizen

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Category: Falun Dafa in the Media