July 17, 2003 Thursday Final Edition

On July 20, 1999, a campaign began across China to eliminate Falun Gong, a meditation practice based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion and tolerance.

The campaign bears all the marks of past genocide campaigns: show trials; a state-run slander campaign; Falun Gong books burned by the millions in the streets; and the creation of the "610 office," a Gestapo-like organization with absolute power to "solve the Falun Gong problem."

Tens of thousands of people have been thrown into prisons, labour camps or mental hospitals, where they are beaten and tortured as a system of "re-education."

On Granville Street, Falun Gong practitioners appeal outside the Chinese consulate for the rescue of 10 family members of Canadians who are being tortured in labour camps in China. The around-the-clock appeal has lasted for two years now. Unfortunately, two of the people have been killed, including Vancouver resident Michelle Zhang's brother-in-law, who was beaten to death by police in China.

However, thanks to the support of hundreds of thousands of Canadians, five have been saved. Please keep up the support. By talking about the persecution and dispelling the lies of Jiang Zemin's regime, the persecutors are left without a leg to stand on.

Ben Larkman

New Westminster