Hope for an End to This Persecution -- A Touching Scene at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony (Photo)

(Clearwisdom.net, August 23, 2003) The annual Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony was held on August 6 to mark the 58^th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The mayor of Hiroshima dilevered opening remarks entitled, "The Declaration of Peace." Numerous people from all over the country went to Hiroshima to conduct various memorial activities.

Falun Gong practitioners in Hiroshima also utilized this day to conduct truth-clarifying activities. In the daytime, under the baking sun, they dilevered 6,000 truth-clarifying newsletters. In the evening, they held a candlelight vigil in a corner of the Peace Memorial Park. Among groups of organizations who loudly shouted anti-war slogans, practitioners silently expressed their wish for peace.

In the evening, accompanied by music "Pudu," Falun Gong practitioners held candles in their hands to commemorate the more than 772 fellow practitioners who have died as a result of the persecution. One after another, the kind-hearted Hiroshima residents came over. Some took pictures, and some pressed their hands in front of their chests (heshi) to express their grief. Among them, a middle-aged Japanese lady softly came over and stood behind practitioners. She pressed her hands in front of her chest and then she expressed her heartfelt wishes to a practitioner. She said, "Fifty years ago, the Japanese militarists brought the Chinese people immense calamity, and also destroyed the friendship between China and Japan. I hope a similar tragedy will never occur again." The lady felt very sad about the Chinese government's persecution of Falun Gong and she hoped that this persecution would end as soon as possible. The scene was very solemn, which moved people to tears.