The following letter urgently requests the Myanmar government to release Falun Gong practitioner Chan Wing Yuen, who was secretly tried and imprisoned for seven years for holding up a banner reading, "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance," along a roadside during a visit by China's dictator, Jiang Zemin. Similar letters were also sent to Mr. Tung Chee-hwa, Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Mr.Sergio Vieira de Mello, High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Myo Chit, Consul General, Myanmar Consulate General in Hong Kong, and Mr. Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar.

Senior General Than Shwe
Chairman
State Peace and Development Council
Office of the Prime Minister
Yangon, MYANMAR

January 24, 2003

Dear Mr. Chairman:

I am writing to you on behalf of a nonprofit organization called Friends of Falun Gong USA, which consists of nearly 1,000 Americans who support the rights of Falun Gong practitioners, but who are not practitioners themselves. We wish to express our grave concern over the wrongful imprisonment of a permanent Hong Kong resident, Mr. Chan Wing Yuen. He has been in prison since January 2002, and we are urging the Myanmar government to release him immediately.

Mr. Chan, a 70-year-old man, was arrested in a Yangon street on December 12, 2001, for displaying a small banner that read "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance." Mr. Chan is a practitioner of Falun Gong--a peaceful meditation practice currently facing brutal persecution in China--and the three words on the banner expressed the basic principles of Falun Gong. In anticipation of a visit by Chinese leader Jiang Zemin, who initiated the persecution in China, Mr. Chan wanted to appeal on behalf of Falun Gong and thus decided to display the banner on the side of a road that he believed Jiang would travel on.

However, Mr. Chan was arrested and secretly sentenced on January 31, 2002, to seven years in prison. He had neither legal representation nor any family members present. Prior to Mr. Chan's clandestine sentencing, officials from the Chinese embassy pressured local police into demanding that Mr. Chan give written promise to renounce his belief in Falun Gong in exchange for his freedom. Mr. Chan refused.

Mr. Than Shwe, Mr. Chan's action was peaceful and did not cause any disruption to the public order. The banner conveyed a simple, positive message. The heavy jail sentence covertly handed to this 70-year-old man was clearly unjust, and is unacceptable by today's international standards for human rights. Furthermore, the fact that Chinese officials were allowed to interfere with Myanmar's legal system betrays Myanmar's own commitment to the practice of an "active" and "independent" foreign policy.

For the last three and a half years, Falun Gong has been viciously persecuted by the Chinese Communist regime. Hundreds of thousands have been tortured in prisons, labor camps, and mental hospitals, with many more being fired from jobs or expelled from schools. Details of over five hundred cases of Falun Gong practitioners dying as a result of torture have been documented. A year ago, an internal government figure put the number of death at above 1,600. Another source placed the estimate in the neighborhood of 7,000.

International organizations, including The United Nations and Amnesty International, have issued protection status to Falun Gong practitioners and even organized rescue campaigns. The United States, Canada, the European Union, and the governments of many other countries have also called on the Chinese regime to respect the fundamental right of freedom of belief and end the persecution of Falun Gong.

Falun Gong is warmly embraced by millions of people in over 60 countries around the world. In the past few years, this peaceful practice and its founder have received more than 800 official commendations and honors by governments worldwide. It is important to note that Communist China is the only country where the practice of Falun Gong is banned.

It is an undeniable fact that the Jiang regime has committed a serious crime against humanity in persecuting Falun Gong and in seeking to manipulate other countries into doing the same. Mr. Than Shwe, we therefore urge your government to not succumb to such pressure and interference from China, and instead maintain its integrity and independence by unconditionally releasing Mr. Chan. This 70-year-old elder is an innocent man who simply believes in truth, compassion, and tolerance. He should be admired for his conviction, not punished unjustly. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.

Sincerely,

Alan Adler
Executive Director
Friends of Falun Gong USA

Category: Rallies & Protests