(Clearwisdom.net) During the Second Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Falun Gong practitioners Ms. Ng Chye Huey from Singapore introduced to the attendees the brutal persecution of Falun Gong in China, and the discrimination and unfair treatment she has been subjected to in Singapore. After Ms. Ng's speech, the Singapore delegate immediately made a speech to defend his government. Many delegates contacted Singapore practitioners after the meeting to learn more about the situation.
|
|
After Ms. Yakin Erturk, Special Rapporteur on violence against women, presented her annual report at the meeting on September 20, 2006, Singapore Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Ng Chye Huey requested to make a speech and was given the chance. Ms. Ng first expressed her appreciation for the Special Rapporteur's help and support, and then she said that the Singapore government discriminates against and persecutes Falun Gong practitioners under the coercion of the Chinese communist Party (CCP) regime. Last year, when Ms. Cheng Lu Jin and she were put into a women's prison in Singapore, they held a hunger strike to protest the authorities' unfair treatment, but she was force-fed and threatened by the government. Ms. Ng said, "Later, when I learned that the Special Rapporteur negotiated with the Singapore government about my case, my gratitude was beyond words. But what I want to say is, all victims of human rights violations share the same gratitude for what the special rapporteur has done for them."
Ms. Ng Chye Huey and Ms. Cheng Lu Jin were once charged in court in 2004 by the police for distributing materials informing the public about the brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China at a tourist spot in Singapore. The charge against them was "assembly without permit." They were then found guilty, but there was serious insufficiency in the evidence. They were put into a prison, where they held a hunger strike to protest the unfair treatment against them. Ms. Yakin Erturk once urgently appealed to the Singapore government to release them.
After Ms. Ng made her speech, the Singapore delegate immediately requested to respond. In his response, the Singapore delegate avoided the issue of the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong, but argued about the Falun Gong practitioners' accusations against the Singapore government. The delegate claimed that Singapore has never persecuted Falun Gong.
Regarding the Singapore delegate's argument, the reporter interviewed the spokesperson for the Singapore Falun Dafa Society Dr. Wang Yuyi. Ms. Wang refuted the Singapore delegate's statement. She said that the reason that the Singapore government charges Falun Gong practitioners in court is not because the practitioners' actions violated the law. Even under Singapore's rigid environment, what Falun Gong practitioners have done, such as distributing flyers on the streets, and the free distribution of self-made VCDs, are a common occurrence in Singapore society. However, the Singapore government only brings charges against Falun Gong practitioners, but not others. This is a serious form of discrimination against Falun Gong practitioners. Their motive is to gain favor with the Chinese Communist regime and economic gain.
Ms. Wang gave an example to illustrate this point, "'Assembly without permit' is the most frequently cited charge made against Falun Gong practitioners by the Singapore government. It has been invoked three times to date, including a candlelight vigil that practitioners held in 2001, doing Falun Gong exercises and distributing materials at a tourist spot in 2004, and distributing materials in the downtown area in 2005. The excuse was that the activity exceeded five persons, but other activities with five or more people participating, such as picnicking, shopping, distributing commercial materials, etc do not require a permit from the police."
Regarding the case in 2004, one of the practitioners involved, Ms. Ng Chye Huey, said in the interview, "We persistently followed through with the case to the end, because we wanted to prove that we were innocent through the open trial. The court trial indeed proved that the police's charges against us were unreasonable, but the judge, following order from higher authorities, found us guilty and levied the highest fine on us. When our application for appeal was accepted, the judge denied our families' request to bail us out, but instead put us into prison. We had no choice but to start a hunger strike in protest. At that critical moment, the whole world sent out urgent appeals, but the Singapore government published a threatening article through the state-controlled media The Straits Times, saying that Singapore prisons will severely deal with hunger strikers, including throwing them into 'small cells.'"
Ms. Ng Chye Huey said in conclusion, "The Singapore government often claims to be honest and fair. I hope that when dealing with the Falun Gong issue, they could live up to that. The United Nations Council meeting is after all not in Singapore, where the government can close the doors, hide the truth from the masses and deceive the public. I hope that they will learn to face up to reality, and won't avoid the above-mentioned basic facts in future discussions."
