Hello, and welcome to the weekly FGMtv news review. I'm Susan Mitchell.
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Here at
FGMtv we focus on programs and news that illuminate the truth of Falun Gong,
which is also known as Falun Dafa.
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Falun Dafa is a traditional Chinese spiritual discipline that
includes exercise and meditation. Its principles are based on being true, good,
and enduring.
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The practice began in China in 1992 and quickly spread by word of
mouth throughout the country.
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In 1998, a government survey concluded that the number of practitioners
exceeded membership in the communist party.
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One year later, dictator Jiang Zemin began a brutal persecution
that violates not only the Chinese constitution, but also international
treaties signed by China.
In this week's update from China…
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746 Falun Gong
practitioners are confirmed to have died from torture while in custody.
Reliable sources inside China put the actual total death count in the
thousands.
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Torture reports in the
last seven days have come in from 16 different provinces, and the cities of
Beijing, Changchun and Shanghai.
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468 people declared as
null and void, statements saying they will give up Falun Gong that were made
while undergoing torture as they were the result of extreme coercion. They say
they will continue practicing Falun Gong.
Our top stories this week:
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July
1st, 2003: joyful activities in Canada; huge protests in Hong Kong.
And some of our other stories:
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Christine
Parker visits the appeal outside the Chinese Consulate in Toronto
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A
follow-up to the assault on New York practitioners
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Dafa
broadcasts in Russia and China
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More
death reports from Chinese labor camps, and
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Multiple
illnesses cured by Falun Dafa practice
July 1st,
2003
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International media have reported that more than 400,000 people chanting
"Return rule to the people" marched in Hong Kong on July 1st
to protest the upcoming signing of Article 23, which is due to be signed into
law next week.
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The controversial bill states that Hong Kong must enact laws to prohibit
treason, secession, sedition and subversion against China or theft of state
secrets.
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Many governments and groups around the world see Article 23 as a means
for China to suppress freedom of belief and freedom of speech, especially
freedom of the press. These freedoms had been guaranteed for fifty years after
the handover of the territory from Britain to China. Only five years have
passed.
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Western democratic nations have strongly criticized the bill.
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About 250 Falun Gong practitioners in Hong Kong held a quiet candlelight
vigil.
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In many countries, people supporting The Global Coalition Against Article
23 Legislation came out to raise awareness of Hong Kong's situation:
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In Taipei, 50,000 signatures opposing the legislation were delivered to
the Mainland Affairs Council.
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There were rallies and marches in Ottawa
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and in Toronto, where more than 60 cars formed a cavalcade with sign
boards
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in Sweden
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New Zealand
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and Melbourne, Australia.
on the other side of the world
from Hong Kong, July 1st was Canada's Birthday.
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FGMTV
was there in Toronto to film some of the celebrations.
(footage)
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Two
of the several parades and celebration activities in Toronto to mark Canada's
birthday on July 1st.
A few weeks ago, before the
current spell of hot weather, Christine Parker spoke with Donna Hope outside
the Chinese Consulate in Toronto:
Christine: Hi Donna. Thank you for taking the time to meet with us today. I understand that Falun Gong practitioners
in Toronto have been appealing in front of the Chinese Consulate since the
persecution began. What are they here
and what do they hope to achieve?
Donna:
Well we are here because we want everyone to know that the persecution
of Falun Dafa practitioners is happening in China since July 20th of
1999. Our peaceful appeal consists of
practicing our exercises outside of the consulate and during working hours
practitioners pass out flyers and VCDs to those that are going inside the
consulate as well as to all passersby.
Christine:
So what have you experienced while appealing out here and how often are
the practitioners out here?
Donna:
Practitioners in Toronto have been outside of the Chinese consulate for
24 hours a day seven days a week for the past three years. And the experience for them has been quite
good. All of the people in the
neighborhood now know about Falun Dafa and they know what we are all about and
the passersby have also heard about Falun Dafa and the persecution. Also many people that have come to visit the
consulate in order to obtain visas from China have had the opportunity to hear
the truth. In China they don’t have
this opportunity.
Christine:
So, what about if the weather is bad?
Are they here anyway?
Donna:
Oh yes. Practitioners are here
24 hours a day, 7 days a week in hail, sleet, snow. This winter we had some very very cold weather. It dropped to about 20 below weather and
practitioners were still here throughout all of those conditions to peacefully
appeal.
Christine:
Thanks Donna.
Susan: Thanks, Christine & Donna
Follow-up on the Assault of
Practitioners in New York
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In
last week's program, we reported that a group of Falun Gong practitioners in
New York were assaulted when they were peacefully distributing flyers outside a
Chinese restaurant.
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One
suffered a black eye and bloody nose, there were bruises, and one woman claimed
to have been sexually assaulted.
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Two
days later, police arrested Mr. Guanjun Liang, Chairman of the Unified
Organization of Overseas Chinese Associations of New York. Mr. Liang was
released after being fingerprinted and the case is under investigation.
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Ms.
Terri Marsh, the attorney representing the practitioners, said that more
arrests are forthcoming.
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Throughout
North America, proclamations and other honors continue to be issued by various
levels of government, to celebrate the practice of Falun Dafa and its founder,
Mr. Li Hongzhi.
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Dianne
Jacob, Supervisor of San Diego County, California, recently presented a
Certificate of Recognition to congratulate practitioners on the celebration of
East San Diego County Falun Dafa Week. The certificate says: " Your
special programs of exercises and meditation have helped people around the
world and you are to be commended for these efforts."
Moving now to Russia. . .
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For
the fist time since the persecution began on July 20, 1999 a major media outlet
in Russia has reported positively on Falun Gong.
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On
June 6th, 2003, Radio St. Petersburg invited three Falun Gong
practitioners to come to their studio to be interviewed.
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They
discussed morality, related issues in society, and how their practice focuses
on qualities that improve the situation.
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The
host questioned them about the reasons for the persecution in China and about
the lawsuits charging former Chinese President Jiang Zemin with genocide,
torture, and crimes against humanity.
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The
interview, which lasted about 25 minutes, was broadcast on the next two days,
allowing Russian listeners to learn, not only the true facts of the illegal
persecution, but also to hear some of the beautiful music that has been
composed by practitioners.
Broadcasts in China of Falun Dafa
programs have to be arranged when authorities are not looking. . .
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During the night of June12th, Dafa
practitioners in an area of Southwest China suspended two loudspeakers from a
utility pole.
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In the early morning and at noon of the
next day, the two loudspeakers started to broadcast Falun Dafa programs loud
and clear.
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The sounds of the two speakers covered
a wide area, and many people were able to hear the truth of Dafa.
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During the night of June 14th and in
the early morning of June 15th, another two loudspeakers started a 3-hour
broadcast in a different county.
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The authorities had a difficult time
getting the loudspeakers down, and many people gathered to watch.
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When
practitioners have broken through the media blockades in other cities to
broadcast facts of the persecution, authorities have followed up with mass
arrests, torture and sometimes murder of those who had the courage to let their
fellow citizens know the truth.
Falun Dafa at Philadelphia's
Multicultural Carnival
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"Philly
Carnival 2003" was held mid-June, in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. It
was sponsored by the Philadelphia Multicultural Carnival Association, and
modeled after lively street festivals of the Caribbean Islands.
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Falun
Gong practitioners were invited to participate as a representative of Chinese
culture.
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Several
thousand people participated, including 13 groups from countries in the
Caribbean Islands, Africa, Asia, Latin America, and South America.
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Falun
Gong practitioners contributed with a lively traditional Chinese lion dance and
a drum performance, a colorful fan dance, and an exhibition of the peaceful
Falun Gong exercises.
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There
are more than ten countries in the Caribbean Islands and about 20,000-30,000
Chinese people live there.
Moving now to China, where several new death
reports were received in the last week.
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Ms. Dongmai Jia, who worked for the Hebei
Forestry Bureau's Joint Venture Forest Farm in Heilongjiang Province, died on
May 12, 2003 just twelve days after being released from long term detention in
Jiamusi City Labor Camp. She had been severely tortured.
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One and a half years ago, her
brother Yongfa Jia was tortured to death by officers from the same labor camp.
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Her sisters and her mother were also arrested
and tortured, but they are still alive.
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Ms. Jia is also survived by her 9-year-old son.
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Other death reports were received from
Shandong, Heilongjiang, and Xinjiang provinces, as well as Henan Province,
where three women were hung to death in the Shibalihe Female Forced Labor Camp.
FGMTV's Christine Parker spoke
with three practitioners who took part in the recent parade in Chicago.
Mickey:
The ex-leader of China, Jiang Zemin has been sued in a court in Chicago
for genocide and other crimes against humanity and I think this poster quite
clearly depicts the character that he is behind the mask.
Czechoslovakian born practitioner: Originally I was from
Czechoslovakia. I grew up in a
communist country and now I live in Pennsylvania. We are here to bring attention to our world about the genocide of
Jiang Zemin did in China today. So that
is why we are here.
Dr. Hu:
I am Dr. Hu from Taiwan. We are
here to tell the wold to bring Jiang Zemin to justice.
Susan: Thanks Christine
No More Big Boxes of Medicine!
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A woman from China wrote to the MingHui
Web site saying, "I used to have gastroenteritis, bone spurs in my neck, a
herniated disc, and severe rheumatism. I often experienced much difficulty
making my way up and down the stairs.
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In the summertime, I did not dare have
fans blow on me. I had to buy my medication in big boxes and I would take over
100 pills every day in order to stay alive.
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Each hospital treatment would cost
about three months' salary. I was struggling just to survive.
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One of my relatives introduced me to
Falun Gong, and after practicing for a period of time, my body gradually
recovered.
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I no longer felt tired going up and
down the stairs, and my indigestion was gone. After practicing for another
period of time, joints in my hands were no longer painful and the swelling
reduced.
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One elderly friend of mine was amazed,
"In the past you bought medicine in big boxes, but now you no longer need
to buy any medicine. You are even in high spirits. It is wonderful."
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I told her, "It is because I
practice Falun Gong that I have recovered. It is truly the power of Dafa, and
it is Dafa that gave me a second life."
Thanks for watching the FGMtv weekly news review.
I'm Susan Mitchell. See you next week!