(Clearwisdom.net) The Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG), Australian Division held a New Year gathering at noon on January 6, 2007. Members of CIPFG from the mainstream society in Sydney and their friends including priest, lawyers, government officials, community leaders, writers, renowned TV hosts, and media reporters, a total of about 40 people, had an informal discussion. They reviewed the establishment and development of the CIPFG (Australia), the exposure of the organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and the release of the Canadian independent investigative report and its social response. The guests also held a substantive discussion on how to expand the CIPFG’s work in the New Year, and reached a preliminary plan. Two city council members joined the CIPFG on the spot.
Enthusiastic Response During the Discussion
Spokesperson for CIPFG (Australia Division) Mr. Xiao Zhonghua reviewed the establishment and development of the CIPFG with the guests in a lecture form through a multimedia video presentation. He stated that it is estimated that about 90 million people, through over 300 media outlets, have learned about the independent investigative report on the allegations of the CCP’s organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners. The report was published by former Canadian State Secretary for Asia and Pacific David Kilgour and international human rights lawyer David Matas. In late 2006, the CIPFG was set up in Australia and Asia. It is composed of distinguished representatives from all circles including various experts and federal government officials. The group has requested to enter China to conduct a comprehensive independent investigation. Mr. Xiao expressed that in the coming year, they will continue enhancing their appeal, rallying more powerful support, and truly enter the mainland to conduct an investigation.
Mr. Xiao gave numerous examples accompanied with brief explanations, and the audience responded favorably, and gained a deeper understanding of many facts about Falun Gong. A staff member who previously worked in the Australian Parliament said that Falun Gong has been spread widely in mainland China through word of mouth. The CIPFG can also follow this model. He tells his friends to help more people learn about and share concern over this matter, so that more people can join the CIPFG, and help end the persecution as soon as possible. Many guests expressed their views and raised questions. The discussion was very warm and enthusiastic.
City Council Member: What I can Do is to Provide Help, and It is Necessary to Do So
Two city council members who participated in the New Year gathering joined the CIPFG immediately on the spot after learning the facts. One of them is Peter Johnson from Camden. He said that living in a country like Australia, freedom is an important part in one’s life. When he noted that there are 100 million people (approximately five times the population of Australia) in a country who are suffering persecution, being deprived of freedom of belief, and even being tortured to death. What he could do is to provide help, and it is necessary to do so.
He also expressed that he loves Chinese culture. When he went to China for the first time in 2004, he was told that practicing Falun Gong is illegal. He started thinking of finding out what had happened. He had also consulted related information and materials. He believed he is only a small portion of a big pie. He hoped that he could do something to help form ripples and then to form waves (so as to stop the persecution).
Priest: What the CCP has Done is Only to Spread Lies and Cover Up the Truth
Priest Peter from a Catholic Church in Sydney is also a member of the CIPFG. He stated that the CCP uses its large consumer market and cheap labor to attract overseas investment, and entices and coerces countries including America and Australia through trade and interest, so that they dare not speak up to condemn its serious human rights situation. Particularly, the inhuman atrocity of harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners requires more attention and concern. Therefore, when he learned about the incident, he immediately wrote to Prime Minister Howard and the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in hopes that the Australian government will help solve the problem. He also appealed at a rally held by Falun Gong practitioners in front of the Australia Parliament. He felt that the degree of concern from the Australian community was not enough. Freedom, democracy and human rights should be the top priority for Australia.
Regarding the CCP’s claim the other day that the underground churches can hold legal public activities after being registered, he believes that this is a CCP often-used tactic, and is only a diversion produced for holding the Olympic Games smoothly in 2008. After the Olympic Games, the CCP will once again put its hand to those priests and adherents of the underground churches. The CCP has only spread lies and covered up the truth, and continued its despotic rule.
Vietnam Community Leader: The CCP is the Elder Brother of Vietnam Communism, the Persecution is Even More Serious
One of the members of the CIPFG is Ms. An Linfang, a leader in the Vietnamese community. She stated that she had a deep understanding of what the spokesperson for the CIPFG had said and the CCP’s atrocities, because the Vietnamese Communist leaders rule the country despotically, and even extends its persecution overseas. It not only persecutes living people, the dead people cannot be spared, either. In some countries in Southeast Asia, due to interference from the Vietnamese Communists, relatives of overseas Vietnamese are not allowed to hold memorial ceremonies for their deceased loved ones. Ms. An believes that the CCP is the elder brother of the Vietnamese Communists, so the persecution can only be even more serious. The Vietnamese community wholeheartedly supports the CIPFG.
Creating Many Opportunities to Let More People Join to Safeguard Justice in the Human World
The spokesperson for the CIPFG (Australia) emphasized that the investigation is a serious and solemn topic. Many of the CIPFG members are staff members who work at different social departments. They joined the CIPFG to support justice, but they do not know each other. The New Year gathering provided an environment for them to learn about each other, express their different views and understandings freely, plan the next-step actions and form a cohesive and powerful team. Many guests at the gathering are friends of the CIPFG members. The guests felt such a gathering was very good. Therefore, more opportunities will be created to let more representatives in Australia join to support and safeguard justice in human world.
The coordinator of the CIPFG New Year gathering, Julie, is an electrical engineer. She said that she was honored and happy to hold such a New Year gathering in her home during the holidays with so many friends from all circles in Australia. Some of them had driven over an hour to take part in the gathering. She believed that only by letting more and more people learn about and provide help, and send out voices of justice, can the persecution and killing be stopped as soon as possible.
Reviewing the Establishment of the CIPFG (Australia)
In March 2006, the media exposed for the first time a heinous incident about organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners by the CCP, unveiling the cruelest and most miserable killing in human history. The killing started from the beginning of the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong and continues today. The incident evoked waves of protest from Falun Gong practitioners around the world. But the CCP has tried its utmost to deny, cover up and transfer evidence, and at the same time spread false news to deceive the Western media and governments. In July, former Canadian State Secretary for Asia and Pacific David Kilgour and international human rights lawyer David Matas released an independent investigative report. After having spent two months investigating and collecting evidence, and after assessing 18 kinds of proof and disproof, they drew a conclusion that the allegations on the CCP’s organ harvesting of living Falun Gong practitioners are true. It is "a form of evil new to this planet." The report shocked the international community. Government officials and non-government organizations have publicly condemned the CCP. At present, the report has been translated into 18 languages.
After that, Kilgour and Matas were invited to make reports in over 30 countries and regions. In mid-August 2006, Kilgour and Vice-president of the European Parliament, Edward Macmillan Scott, made a breakthrough when touring to Australia to give lectures. The Australian Parliament reached a common understanding among multi-parties, requesting that the CCP allow the international community to conduct an independent investigation over the allegation of the live organ harvesting. In November, 2006, the CIPFG (Victoria and Sydney branches) were established. On December 7, 2006, MP Chris Bowen from the Labor Party, Senator Andrew Barlett from the Democratic Party and Senator Kerry Nettle from the Green Party jointly announced to the public their joining the CIPFG. Senator Barlett also expressed that he was prepared to go to China to conduct an investigation. Currently, the CIPFG (Australia) is composed of more than 60 members including experts, several MPs, leaders from different communities, and reporters. They requested to enter China to conduct a thorough and independent investigation to end the atrocities.