FGM-TV
English News for October 2nd, 2001
Falun Gong is freely practised in 40 countries around the world,
but relentlessy persecuted in China. The peaceful courage of practitioners
there has shocked their oppressors and moved the people of the world. While
China continues to block all information, FGM-TV brings you the stories you may
not hear anywhere else.
Hello, and welcome to FGM-TV on
October 2nd, 2001. I'm Susan Mitchell.
In International news:
§ Government
officials around the world speak out to support SOS walkers who are delivering
an urgent message to rescue the Falun Gong practitioners persecuted in China
§ "Culture night" in the City of Vasteras, Sweden
In Canada:
§ We
have a video report of the events in Canada’s capital city, Ottawa. SOS walkers
from Toronto and Montreal arrived there on September 27th and delivered 95,000 signatures to the
Prime Minister's Office.
§ Union
presidents and the Mayor of Toronto write to the Prime Minister to express
their concerns about China's treatment of Falun Gong practitioners.
This week's update from China:
§ The
number of Falun Gong practitioners known to have died while in detention is 288
as of today, although government sources in China say that the actual number
exceeds one thousand.
§ Solemn
declarations renewing the intention to continue to practice Falun Gong are
received from hundreds of practitioners that the Chinese government claims to
have "reformed"
§ Radio
Canada International and Agence France Press report on the killing of a female
Falun Gong practitioner who was thrown from a 4th floor window by
police. Agence France Presse also broadcasts the suffocation death of another
practitioner during force feeding
§ In the last 7 days, reports of persecution have been received from 54 cities across China.
§ Retribution
Stories of those who have persecuted Falun Dafa and then suffered personal
misfortune or death.
§ Changchun
Labour Camp releases a group of practitioners.
and…
how the sight of a Falun Dafa practitioner meditating sends Chinese police running for reinforcements!
On September 24, twenty-five practitioners arrived in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and finisher their 14-day SOS! Global Rescue Walk. The East coast group started their walk from Taipei on September 11; the West coast group started from Yixing. The two groups joined in Kaohsiung and held a press conference to urge an immediate end of the persecution of Falun Gong in China.
Now, moving to the North Atlantic....
Four practitioners, 3 from New England, USA and one from England, Europe
started their SOS! Global Rescue Walk in Iceland. The first section of the walk
was about 10 kilometers, from the city of Hafnarfjordur to the capital
Reykjavik.
A local TV station, a radio station, the DV evening paper, and a
magazine sent reporters to cover the event. Before they headed for the capital,
they went to the Chinese Embassy in Iceland to deliver a letter. As usual,
Embassy staff refused to accept the letter, so the practitioners faxed it to
them and hit the road again to the capital.
On Saturday, September 15th, an
annual event
called "Culture Night" took place
in the town of Vasteras in Sweden. It is a popular festivity where a lot of
people come out to take part in many cultural events. Practitioners performed
the exercises in the Culture House, then moved down to the centre of the city,
and later to the castle of Vasteras.
Many people were interested and at times
there were several rows of people who watched and wanted to have flyers. One
teacher invited the group to come to her school to speak with the students,
because the students had asked her about Falun Gong. The Swedish prctitioners
concluded that many people are searching and in a time when there is chaos in
the world, they are attracted to the peace, serenity and righteousness in Falun
Gong.
Kenneth Georgetti, President of the
Canadian Labour Congress recently wrote to the Prime Minister of Canada saying,
"On behalf of the more than 2.3 million members of the Canadian Labour
Congress(CLC), I wish to join with those who are appealing to you to help gain
the release of the more than 130 Falun Gong practitioners detained in Masanjia
Labour Camp of Shenyang city, China.
..... The CLC has always agreed with
Canada’s stand against unjust arrest, persecution, and torture anywhere in the
world. We urge you to use your good office to obtain the release of these
people and to appeal to the Chinese
government officials to allow freedom of
religious expression in their country.
We are aware of the human rights dialogue
between China and Canada and have in fact participated when labour rights were
on the agenda. This dialogue can only be productive when the Chinese
authorities are willing to permit internationally recognized freedom to their
citizens, be they in the area of workers’ rights or freedom of
expression."
Toronto's Mayor, Mel Lastman also wrote to
the Prime Minister asking him to investigate the reports of hunger strikers in
Masanjia Labor Camp.
Judy Darcy, National President, writing on
behalf of the 495,000 members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees,
expressed deep concern to Prime Minister Chrétien about the severe persecution
of Falun Gong practitioners in China.
We also received a
similar letter from the Women's Federation of Quebec.
Ottawa,
Toronto, Montreal -- Two teams of Falun Gong practitioners who walked from
Toronto and
Montreal arrived in Ottawa Sept. 27.
MPs.
Colleen Beaumier, Mr. Scott Reid, Yvon Charbonneau, and Mr. John Godfrey,
together with many other MPs, Senators and Falun Gong supporters, held a
welcoming ceremony and press conference when the walkers arrived at Parliament
Hill. The walkers then presented over 95, 000 signatures of support from
Canadians to the Prime Minister's Office to appeal to Prime Minister Chretien
to urge China, during his visit there next month, to put an end to the
persecution of Falun Gong.
Member
of Parliament Colleen Beaumier opened the ceremony
MP
John Godfrey affirmed the commitment of the Canadian government to support
Falun Gong:
In
a press conference held inside the Parliament Buildings, MP Scott Reid spoke.
At
the press conference, MP Yvon Charbonneau also condemned China's brutal
persecution.
Danielle
Zhu, from Toronto spoke on behalf of the walkers.
And now, some
current news from China:
The crackdown against Falun Gong has escalated in the last few
weeks under new orders from President Jiang Zemin. In the past 7 days, we have
received reports of arrests, beatings, torture and deaths of practitioners in
54 different cities across China.
Radio Canada International and Agence France Presse, have reported
in international broadcasts of the killing of Yu Xiuling, a 32 year old Falun
Gong practitioner who was thrown to her death from a 4th story
window of the Police Station in the district of Longcheng in the north-eastern
Chinese province of Liaoning. Mrs. Yu was arrested purely because of her
spiritual beliefs. Witnesses and her husband state that she had been so badly
beaten that police were afraid to take her to the hospital. They then threw her
out of a fourth floor window of the police station while she was still alive.
Mrs. Yu died on impact and police cremated her body the same day.
Agence France Presse also reported the death of
a female Falun Gong follower who suffocated while being force fed. This brings
to 7 the number of reports received in the last week of practitioners murdered
by Chinese authorities.
At the same time, we have also received news
of the deaths of 7 authorities who
have persecuted Falun Gong practitioners. They are:
§
Ren Qiang, director of Fuyuan
County Power Supply Station
§
Fang Xiangxue, Secretary of
Zhongshan area calibration office in Dalian city, Liaoning Prov.
§
Yu Shujiang a bus driver from
Dapo, Yushu City, Jilin Province
§
Wu Hong from Siwenjie
Village, Pengzhou City
§
Dong Jianhua , Vice Director
of the Fangzi District Police Department in Weifang City, Shangdong Province
§
Li Bingquan, a 57 year-old
party secretary for Houzhang Village,Fangzi District of Weifang City
§
Zhao Qunli, Vice president of Phoenix Cable TV
We believe that good will be rewarded with good
and evil with evil and ask the Chinese authorities to think very carefully. In
the last 7 days, we have received reports of 7 Falun Gong practitioners
murdered by the authorities and 7 authorities who died suddenly after
persecuting practitioners.
Millions of practitioners have been
persecuted in China. Does this mean that millions of authorities will receive
retribution for their vicious acts against innocent people? FGMTV pledges to
bring you news or retribution as we receive it.
Chinese authorities have often been rewarded with large sums of money because of supposedly having successfully "reformed" practitioners of Falun Gong. However, every day, solemn declarations of their intention to continue to practise are received. Since our last news report, 7 days ago, 716 people have confirmed that they were forced under enormous physical and/or psychological pressure to write so-called 'guarantees to stop practising'. All 716 have declared that their statements are null and void and that they will continue to live their lives by the principles of Truth, Compassion and Forbearance.
We’re very happy to report that Changchun Labor Camp recently
released a group of Falun Dafa practitioners who had completed their sentences
or had been detained longer than their original sentences.
It is a truth that evil cannot stand to be confronted with
goodness. Reports are now being received of police calling for reinforcements
when being faced with even one Falun Dafa practitioner sitting in meditation
doing the beautiful Buddha hand-gestures that precede the 5th Falun
Gong exercise.
Thanks for watching FGM-TV, dedicated to breaking through China's
information blockade, revealing propaganda, and bringing you the truth of Falun
Gong.