March 26, 2002

Practitioners of the Falun Gong spiritual movement began a hunger strike yesterday in Toronto.

Practitioners will take turns fasting in 24-hour cycles outside Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham's constituency office at 365 Bloor St. E.

A spokesman said the group hopes Graham will express the Canadian government's "strong condemnation" of China's treatment of the Falun Gong.

Reports of persecution have been widespread since the meditative practice was deemed [Jiang regime's slanderous term omitted] and banned in 1999 by Chinese President Jiang Zemin.

http://www.canoe.ca/TorontoNews/ts.ts-03-26-0053.html