(Clearwisdom.net) On June 28, 2004, during Vice President, Zeng Qinghong's visit to South Africa, an Australian Falun Gong practitioner who went to appeal was targeted and shot by a an unknown assailant. Another Australian practitioner on the scene expressed that the shooting incident in Johannesburg was a terrorist act by Jiang's scoundrel group to prevent Falun Gong practitioners from filing a lawsuit against the visiting officials.

Appeal in front of the Chinese Consulate

Distributing Dafa truth clarification materials

From 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on June 29, 2004, Houston Falun Gong practitioners held a press conference and appeal in front of the Chinese Consulate, to bring attention to this serious incident to the public and condemn Jiang's scoundrel group's terrorist act. Practitioners held banners reading "Strongly Condemn Jiang's Scoundrel Group's Terrorist Act," and "Strongly Condemn Jiang's Scoundrel Group's Employing Hired Assassins, Cannot be Allowed to Go on," attracting the attention from local citizens, passing by and Chinese people who arrived to apply for visas. Some people asked for the details of the shooting incident, and took the initiative to ask for related materials. Falun Gong practitioners read a statement in both Chinese and English, strongly condemning Jiang's group's atrocities against Falun Gong.

Zeng Qinghong was originally a Ruling Party official in Shanghai and followed Jiang Zemin into Zhongnanhai (the Chinese central leadership compound) after the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. He is considered to be a trusted associate of Jiang Zemin, in charge of the Party's secret service and currently holds the post of Deputy National Chairman. Zeng Qinghong had helped Jiang Zemin to get rid of all of his political opponents inside the Party, and was dubbed the "Black-Faced Assassin" by Party insiders. His methods in attacking others are especially brutal. Zeng is a major player in Jiang's persecution of Falun Gong.

Jiang's political group rules the country based on state terrorism, especially during the nearly five-year persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, Jiang and his followers, including Zeng Qinghong and Bo Xilai, have overridden the law, manipulated China's legal system and different work units to conduct their brutal persecution against Falun Gong practitioners. As of today, at least 996 practitioners have died as a result of the persecution, more than ten thousand practitioners have been illegally sentenced to forced labor, thousands of mentally healthy practitioners have been sent to mental hospitals to be tortured with drugs that damage the central nervous system. More Falun Gong practitioners have been abducted and sent to brainwashing classes to suffer physical and mental torture. Jiang's scoundrel regime also extended its acts of terrorism against Falun Gong outside of China, harassing overseas Falun Gong practitioners. The shooting incident in South Africa by apparent hired assassins exposes Jiang's state terror tactics being spread overseas against Falun Gong.

Over the past five years, Falun Gong practitioners who believe in the principle of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance" have been resisting the persecution in a peaceful, rational and non-violent manner. Falun Gong practitioners have continuously filed lawsuits in the last two years against Chinese officials, including Jiang Zemin, Luo Gan, Zeng Qinghong and Bo Xilai, making these criminals, whose hands are stained with innocent people's blood, fearful of being exposed. Since Jiang Zemin was sued in the federal court in the US on the charges of "genocide," "torture" and "crimes against humanity," the dictator has constantly exerted pressure on the American Government behind the scenes, attempting to negotiate and manipulate the US State Department and Justice Department to get involved with the judiciary departments' decision. Jiang, Luo, Zeng and Bo crimes cannot be erased and none of them will definitely not be able to escape the punishment of the law.

These cowards who committed a felony and hired assassins in South Africa to shoot Falun Gong practitioners as they were going through the process of serving those officials with legal papers. This can only expose to governments and people around the world their fear and brutality, and can only add one more charge for the future trials they will receive. Falun Gong practitioners will continuously bring these criminals to justice, until these criminals plead guilty.

Falun Gong practitioners believe in the principle of "Truth-Compassion-Tolerance," so Jiang's group's relentless persecution of Falun Gong practitioners is not only a threat to innocent people, but also a threat to human being's morality. Yesterday's shooting incident showed that the threat is not only taking place in China, but also being extended throughout the entire world.

Houston Falun Gong practitioners called upon the society, the media and people with a sense of conscience to help stop the Jiang's scoundrel group's terrorist acts.

Background

Zeng Qinghong, a major player in Jiang Zemin's political group's persecution of Falun Gong, visited South Africa on June 27-29, 2004. Hearing the news, in order to seek to put an end to the persecution through legal means, nine Australian Falun Gong practitioners arrived at Johannesburg International Airport at 6:00 p.m. on June 28. Afterwards, they headed for Presidential Guest House in Pretoria in two cars.

On the way, at approximately 8:30 p.m., a person in a white car suddenly opened fire from the side slightly behind the second car driven by the practitioners, targeting the tires and the driver. The car was hit at least five times. The Falun Gong practitioner who was driving, David Liang, is an Australian Falun Gong practitioner. He was the only person wearing a blue jacket with the words, "Falun Dafa" in both Chinese and English.

David Liang was hit in both feet. The car he was driving was severely damaged and came to a stop. Seeing this, the gunmen quickly fled the scene.

David Liang was immediately taken to the nearby Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital for emergency treatment. X-rays showed that the bones were shattered in one foot, and the hospital decided to perform an operation the following morning.

A local person who passed by the scene of the attack with his family said after hearing the Falun Gong practitioners' account of the persecution in China, "This is a form of political persecution."

This is the most severe case of persecution against overseas Falun Gong practitioners in the last five years. The victims believe that this was a deliberate assassination attempt by hired gunmen.