Australia Falun Dafa Association's Letter to Myanmar Ambassador Appealing for Hong Kong Practitioner Mr. Chan Wing Yuen

His Excellency the Ambassador
Embassy of the Union of Myanmar
22 Arkana Street
Yarralumla ACT 2600

23 January 2003

Your Excellency

We write to ask for your urgent assistance to help gain the release of a permanent resident of Hong Kong who has been wrongfully imprisoned in Myanmar for more than a year.

While visiting family members in Yongan, Mr. Chan Wing Yuen, then a 70-year-old man, was arrested on 12 December 2001 for displaying a small banner in a street that read "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance" (Zhen Shan Ren in Chinese).

Mr. Chan is a student of Falun Gong - a peaceful meditation practice of the Buddha School which is currently facing brutal persecution in China - and the three words on the banner expressed the principles of Falun Gong. In anticipation of a visit by China's President Jiang Zemin who is responsible for the death of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners, Mr. Chan decided to display the banner on the side of a road where he believed Jiang would pass by.

We understand that on 31 January 2002 Mr. Chan was secretly sentenced to 7 years in prison without legal representation or the presence of his family members and that the local Chinese Embassy officials were instrumental in this decision.

Tragically, over the last three and a half years, Falun Gong has been severely and unjustly persecuted by the regime of Jiang Zemin in China. The total number of verified wrongful deaths from persecution now stands above 550, while sources in the Chinese government have indicated the actual number is in the thousands. For every man or woman tortured to death in China for practicing a peaceful faith, there are dozens more tortured, hundreds more wrongfully imprisoned without sentence, and millions, who have been forced out of their homes, expelled from their schools, fired from their jobs, and forced to live as outcasts.

We have heard that Mynamar has a great tradition of wisdom and is proud of its connections with Buddhism dating back many centuries. We would like you to know that Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa) is also an orthodox spiritual practice which cultivates the Heart. We are in Australia yet we write to you because of our concern for an elderly man from Hong Kong. This is the connection of Falun Dafa. Around the world in over 50 countries, more and more people are opening their hearts and trying to live with Truthfulness Compassion and Tolerance. Those of us who practice Falun Dafa all live ordinary lives in our various societies, speak different languages and come from many cultures -- yet we are joined together because we value goodness and kindness. This is what we practice and this is all Mr Chen was trying to do -- to hold up a small banner as a reminder that it is wrong to persecute Truthfulness Compassion and Tolerance. It is also wrong to imprison Mr Chen for his action.

In a response to the US Department of State's 2002 International Religious Freedom Report we note that on 14 October 2002 the Myanmar Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a Press release which in part stated, " In Myanmar, every citizen has the right to profess and practice his/her belief" , and , "Nor is there discrimination or persecution for religious reasons". If this is the case, why then is Mr Chen imprisoned? Is it because the Jiang regime demanded this action of the Myanmar authorities?

From the above press release we also note that the Myanmar government calls for freedom from interference in its internal affairs. Even considering the close relations that exist between Myanmar and China we hope that you can encourage the appropriate authorities to review the case of Mr Chan in an independent manner free from any external pressures.

It is worth noting that many high ranking officials within the PRC government know full well that Falun Gong is a traditional Chinese meditation practice of the highest order and that prior to Ziang's crazed campaign of persecution many of them practiced it openly.

The crimes against Falun Gong practitioners in China instigated by Jiang Zemin are being exposed and known around the world. Justice will prevail as more people know the truth. Please consider for a moment the rationality and indeed the morality of following Jiang's dictates. We ask you to please immediately investigate this case and provide all assistance to correct this wrongful imprisonment.

We thank you for your attention and trust that you can find in your heart the correct course of action as it will not only assist Mr Chen, but also all the people of Myanmar whom you represent.

Yours Sincerely

Falun Dafa Association NSW (Australia)