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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 Zhen, Shan, Ren -
being true, good, and enduring, which is also translated as Truth, Compassion
and Tolerance.
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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.
Our top story this week:
Falun Dafa helps young offenders in Taiwan
In the summer of 2003,
authorities at the Changhua Youth Jail in Taiwan invited Falun Gong
practitioners to give weekday seminars for the month of August.
They wanted to relieve
the psychological stress on the inmates and provide a change to their
intellectual studies.
About 70 young
offenders took part in the reading and exercise sessions.
Mr. Wang,
the education section chief told the practitioners that after these inmates
learned Falun Gong, they not only became more energetic, but quarrels and
fights among the students were significantly reduced. He said, "They did
not violate any rules this month."
One of
the inmates recorded his life-changing experience: "Having been nurtured
in Falun Gong for nearly a month, we experienced countless changes in our minds
and bodies, in our daily life and our relationships with each other. How should
I describe it? Before learning about Falun Gong, I was an aimless person, and I
did not know what I wanted. I lived a dissipated and ignorant life. It seemed
that there was no goal in my life's journey, and I never knew how to plan my
life. At that time, I really always thought that I was like a dying tree. Sometimes,
I really wanted to give up on myself, but it seemed that there was a voice in a
corner of my heart which always drew me and asked me not to give up my
life."
Moving now to Chicago…
It rained
on the parade – but that didn't seem to matter to the crowds that turned out in
Chicago recently!
Along
with the cheerleaders and the bands and marchers, the Falun Dafa float showing
the exercises, and Chinese schools and associations, a very happy lady in
bright green, and a traditional lion dance added lots of colour to brighten up
a very gray day.
The weather wasn't much better in
Hong Kong either!
Typhoon
force winds and rain didn't stop practitioners from bringing out their banners
and marching to continue their peaceful appeal to authorities to release the
Falun Gong practitioners detained in China for their beliefs.
Associated
Press reported on an appeal in the High Court of 16 practitioners fined after
being convicted of public obstruction during an appeal outside the the Chinese
government's liaison office on March 14, 2002.
Ms. Jie
Lu, one of the 16, said that "This is absolutely a politically motivated
prosecution. We took up a small space." Ms. Lu called the appeal a
"symbolic" case to show whether Hong Kong's rule of law can withstand
political pressure from Beijing.
Falun
Gong is banned in mainland China, but remains legal in the former British
colony that reverted to Chinese rule in 1997.
Rescue Charles Li Tour Reaches
Toledo, Ohio
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Everywhere they travel through the USA, reporters are
interviewing the practitioners who have taken time off from their jobs and
their studies to raise awareness of the plight of Dr. Charles Li.
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Dr. Li, an American and a resident of Menlo,
California, is currently being held and tortured in Nanjing Prison in China.
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Leejun Ivie of the Times Union newspaper in Albany,
N.Y. wrote, "I find it hard to believe that he would travel all the way to
China to damage some equipment. It is far more likely that he wanted to tap
into a local broadcast (which can be done without damaging equipment) to expose
the brutal persecution.
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When hearing about the plight of Dr. Li, one might
ask, "Why did he go to China, knowing how dangerous it could be?"
Undoubtedly, Dr. Li knew the risks involved. But, like the 9/11 firefighters
who lost their lives in trying to save others, he probably didn't give it a
second thought."
September is back to school month
after the summer holidays and around the world, new Ming Hui schools are springing up, giving
children the opportunity to learn more about traditional Chinese culture, to
study the poetry and teachings of Falun Dafa, and to practice the exercises
together.
Looks as
if the three year-olds are having the best time of all!
Thanks for watching the FGMtv weekly news review.
I'm Susan Mitchell. See you next week!