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!

 

 

An Update on International SOS Walks to urgently rescue Falun Gong practitioners persecuted in China:

 

On September 17, after 20 days and 376 miles, 4 prctitioners arrived in Cleveland, the destination of SOS! Global RescueWalk in Ohio. More than ten practitioners participated in parts of the journey.

 

Close to City Hall, under the huge sculpture that is a symbol of freedom, practitioners held a press conference. Congressman Sherrod Brown delivered a speech encouraging the SOS! Global Rescue Walk and condemning the brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.

                     - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Now, moving to the West Coast of the U.S....

On September 26, 2001 7 Falun Dafa practitioners from Seattle, including a 10-month-old baby arrived in San Francisco after successfully completing a 35-day, 926-mile SOS! Global Rescue Walk.

 

The SOS! Global Rescue Walkers received a warm welcome in front of San Francisco City Hall by local government officials and over 70 practitioners. Afterwards, a press conference was held and the walkers shared their experiences with the audience. The Board supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco issued Certificates of Honor to the 926-mile walkers.

 

On Friday, September 21, practitioners from Los Angeles started their section of the SOS! Global Rescue Walk from Los Angeles to San Francisco. They will pass through more than 60 cities and towns, walking a total of 500 miles and taking 28 days to reach their destination. They plan to arrive in San Francisco on October 18.

 

 

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.