Letter to Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs
August 14, 2002
Dear Hon. Bill Graham,
Today, I met Falun Gong practitioners, including Shenli Lin, who has been liberated from Chinese labor camp with the efforts from Canadians. They raised the issue of the trial of 16 Falun Gong practitioners in Hong Kong, simply for peaceful protest.
From the photos of the protest from practitioners, I can see the charges of "obstruction" and "attack the police" does not hold at all. Thus I am particularly disturbed that the persecution of Falun Gong is now extended to Hong Kong.
I hope that our government will deliver a message from the Canadian people to Hong Kong's government to respect the basic human rights of freedom of assembly and freedom of speech, and to deliver the message to Chinese authorities that the persecution of Falun Gong must stop.
Yours sincerely,
Yvon Charbonneau
Letter to Hong Kong government
August 14, 2002
Dear Hong Kong government officials,
As a Canadian Member of Parliament, I first met Falun Gong practitioners in early 2000. I support Falun Gong's teaching of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and appreciate the practitioners' peaceful and firm pursuit of their belief.
I have been contacted by concerned Canadian citizens today, bringing my attention to the trial happening in Hong Kong against 16 Falun Gong practitioners who were holding a hunger strike in front of the Chinese Liaison Office in Hong Kong on March 14 2002, and peacefully calling for an end to the killing of innocent people in China. On the same day, there were about 100 Canadian practitioners doing the same thing in front of the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa. Their actions touched our hearts. Yet in Hong Kong, the16 protesters, despite photos and video footage clearly showing that they only appealed peacefully, posed no threat, and left plenty of room for pedestrian traffic, were put to trial on accusations of blocking traffic and attacking police.
This raises sincere concerns in me for Hong Kong's future, hence this heartfelt letter to you, as a citizen of the world village.
Freedom and justice is a great dyke that protects our happiness and social stability from a potentially damaging flood of brutality and retaliation. It takes all of us to carefully safeguard this dyke for the benefit of all.
I trust that you don't want to be the one that causes a crack in this dyke. I place my trust in you, Hong Kong's people, and its good history of upholding freedom and justice.
Sincerely,
Yvon Charbonneau