Issued by Clearwisdom Net

On December 10, 2006, International Human Rights Day, the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG) Asia Delegation was formed. It is another regional delegation of CIPFG after the establishment of the Australian Delegation. There are ninety members in CIPFG Asia, including local council leaders, administrative leaders, non-governmental leaders, figures from human rights circles, law, medicine, professionals and media.

In March this year, several witnesses disclosed the CCP's atrocities of organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners for profit. On July 6, a Canadian independent investigation team released its report, which concluded that allegations of the CCP's live organ removal for profit were true. The CCP's atrocities of live organ removal caught the attention of the international community. More and more important figures around the world have requested the CCP to allow an investigation.

The Director of CIPFG Asia is Mr. Lai Ching-te, a member of the Taiwan Legislative Council and a doctor. Dr. Lai hosted a public hearing on live organ removal in the Legislative Council during the visit of Canadian investigators in October. Individuals in law and political circles in Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Malaysia were appointed as vice directors in each country/region. The CIPFG Asia delegation mainly consists of lawyers, doctors and non-governmental organizations. The delegation will invite other regions in Asia to join and expand the team.

CIPFG Asia will cooperate with other CIPFG delegations to take joint actions and request the CCP to allow an independent and unrestricted investigation of jails, labor camps, detention centers and military hospitals in Liaoning, Shandong, Henan provinces and Tianjin. It also requests the CCP to implement the suggestions listed in the Canadian independent investigators' report to safeguard human rights, and stop killing innocent people and harvesting organs for profit.

People throughout law, political and medical circles in Asia have formed a delegation across borders to voluntarily support and safeguard Falun Gong practitioners' basic human rights. Due to the Asian countries' geological and historical relations with China, the delegates transcend political and commercial interests and speak out on behalf of the kind practitioners. Their actions will become a model for human rights in Asia and exert pressure on the CCP over the brutal persecution of Falun Gong.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2006/12/10/144359.html

At noon on December 8, 2006, Falun Gong practitioners in Australia held a press conference in front of the Hilton Hotel in downtown Sydney and announced that Falun Gong practitioners Xie Yan and Li Fuying had filed a petition to New South Wales Provincial High Court. They were suing Chen Shaoji, Vice Secretary of the Guangdong Communist Party Committee and Chairman of the Political Consultation Committee, who led a delegation to Sydney, for his crimes of illegal imprisonment and torture Falun Gong practitioners. The court papers were delivered successfully. Reporters from 2GB TV, NTDTV, and The Epoch Times attended the press conference and covered the event.

Falun Gong practitioners serve papers to Chen Shaoji

Press conference in front of Hilton Hotel

John Deller, spokesperson of the Falun Dafa Association Australia, said at the press conference that Guangdong Province is one of the most severe provinces in China in persecuting Falun Gong. Since July 20, 1999, Chen Shaoji actively participated in the persecution when he was Secretary of Guangdong Political and Judicial Committee and Director of the Provincial Bureau of Public Safety. He instigated, planned, ordered and motivated judicial staff and the public to hate Falun Gong. He also ordered, manipulated, assisted and instigated police to enhance the brainwashing and persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. As a result, practitioners in Guangdong suffered severe persecution. As of October 2005, the documented deaths of practitioners due to the persecution were 64. The torture means were extremely cruel. Chen led the 610 Office and ordered the persecution of Falun Gong. He must be held responsible for crimes against humanity in Guangdong.

One of the practitioners who filed the petition, Li Fuying, 78 years old, was illegally imprisoned in Guangzhou twice for persisting in the practice of Falun Gong. Her daughter Haiyu Yan was sent to Chatou Women's Forced Labor Camp for a two-year term without any legal procedures. She was tortured and forced to work 12 hours per day. After the term ended, she was forcefully transferred to the Chatou brainwashing center and detained in a small room less than 15 square meters together with 30 other practitioners. They were allowed to go out of the small room once every day. She was tortured physically and mentally. Ms. Li said, "Chen Shaoji was head of '610 Office'. Now he comes to visit Australia. It is time to bring him to justice."

Plaintiff Li Fuying

The other plaintiff, Xie Yan, said that she was imprisoned for two years and three months in a labor camp for distributing truth-clarification materials. She was tortured many times. A practitioner who was three months pregnant and imprisoned together with her was tortured to death. She is one of tens of thousands Falun Gong practitioners who have been persecuted. She was rescued and has escaped overseas. There are still many practitioners in Guangdong being tortured. Thus she would like to adopt legal means to sue Chen Shaoji and bring the CCP officials who are active in the persecution of Falun Gong to justice.

Plaintiff Xie Yan

Besides these two plaintiffs, many Australian residents and their family members in Guangdong Province were persecuted. The husband of Australian citizen Zhizhen Dai was tortured to death in 2001. Australian citizen Cuiying Zhang was illegally imprisoned for eight months in 2000. Yiwen Tang, sister of Australian citizen Lisa Tang, was tortured for two years in labor camps and her legs were broken. Alian Zhang, sister of Australian citizen Xiaogang Zhang, was illegally imprisoned and tortured in Nanzhou Detention Center and Chatou Woman's Labor Camp.

Chen Shaoji is the third high level official of Guangdong Province, after Guangdong Governor Huang Huahua and Secretary of Guangdong Communist Party Committee Zhang Dejiang, to be sued overseas for their participation in the persecution of Falun Gong.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2006/12/10/144360.html

On December 8, 2006, Boston Falun Gong practitioners held a peaceful protest in front of the Boston Branch of Singapore's Economic Development Board over a Singapore court's unjust ruling against two innocent Falun Gong practitioners. The Singapore regime is aiding the CCP for economic interests and ignoring human rights.

Practitioners hold banners to explain the facts in the cold weather

The assistant at the Singapore Economic Development Board was reluctant to meet practitioners. One practitioner managed to go to his office via security personnel. The practitioner explained the facts, handed over a protest statement and requested the board to forward it to the Singapore government. The practitioners requested the Singapore government to withdraw the charges and release practitioners Ng Chye Huay and Erh Boon Tiong. The protest statement was also faxed to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, TV Channels 4, 5, 7, New England TV and many radio stations.

The Boston Branch of the Singapore Economic Development Board is located in Boston's financial center. Many people entering and exiting the building could see the practitioners' banners worded "Singapore, I am crying for you", "Singapore court: infringe human rights, unlawfully imprisons Falun Gong practitioners", "Singapore court: forgets justice in the face of commercial interest and assists CCP to persecute kind people". Many people accepted flyers and came to know the facts. One person who works in the building, said that he was surprised that Singapore imprisons people without good reason. A democratic country should not allow such things to occur.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2006/12/10/144361.html

After the Singapore Subordinate Court rushed to its verdict on the "July 20" (See below) case on November 30, a pretrial meeting was held on December 8. The meeting was to schedule a trial agenda for other practitioners who have been prosecuted by Singapore police on other fabricated charges. However, the Judge said that the plaintiffs have requested an extension of a week to consider adding new charges against the practitioners. The Judge has accepted the request and thus a pretrial hearing will be held on December 15.

On October 22, 2005, five practitioners distributed fliers downtown ("October 22" Case) On October 23, 2005, six practitioners distributed fliers downtown ("October 23" Case) On July 12, 2006, Ng Chye Huay protested Li Lanqing's visit outside the Chinese Embassy ("July 12" Case) On July 20, 2006, Ng Chye Huay, Erh Boon Tiong and Chen Peiyu protested the 7-year persecution of Falun Gong outside the Chinese Embassy. ("July 20" Case)

The "July 20" lawsuit ended on November 30 with Ng Chye Huay and Erh Boon Tiongand being sentenced with fines or detention terms while another practitioner defendant, Ms. Chen Peiyu, was deported after the Singapore government rushed to drop charges against the 73-year-old woman. The remaining cases involve a total of nine practitioners, and several practitioners were charged in more than one case.

During the pretrial hearing held on December 8, the Judge announced the trial of the "October 22" case will start on January 22, and the "October 23" case is expected to start in February. As no practitioners raised an objection, typically a pretrial hearing would then conclude. However, the Judge then added: "The plaintiffs have requested an extension of one week to confirm the trial schedule because they are considering adding new charges, and whether these new charges should be added to these current cases. The next pretrial meeting will be held on December 15."

Practitioner Ms. You said that the pretrial hearing was scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. but it was delayed for 2.5 hours. When the hearing started, a major witness of the Singapore Police told a practitioner defendant that he had recently received many phones from overseas Falun Gong practitioners.

These calls were to protest the Singapore Court's unlawful trial and verdict against innocent practitioners involved in the "July 20" case. They demanded the immediate release of the practitioners, and urged the witness not to persecute Falun Gong for his best interest. During the past several days, other police officers involved in the cases and government officials have also received many phone calls.

Regarding the possible new charges, a Minghui reporter interviewed practitioner defendant Ms. Wang: "What are the possible new charges and what is the purpose for them to announce this at the court?

Ms. Wang said: "All their charges are fabricated anyway. For example, before Ms. Chen Peiyu was deported, policemen Huang Yaozong [phonetic] brought her a pile of "Serious Warnings". All of them were about her activities of distributing Falun Gong truth-clarifying materials in the past several months. That a 73-year-old senior can harass others by distributing fliers--it is totally ridiculous. All we can do is advise them not to do things against their conscience, and yet it is still up to them to decide what they are going to do."

Upon hearing the Judge's announcement, all practitioners at the pretrial hearing were very calm, though they knew very well that this was just to intimidate them. Several practitioners said: "Though they may add new charges, we will deal with these with the same attitude. However, we will try to advise them not to do so for their own benefit. It is so evident that they are very weak inside. From conducting secret trials against us, banning media reports, to intimating us with such statements--they are so afraid to have their wrongdoings brought into the daylight and they apparently don't have any good methods."

Practitioner Ng Chye Huay, who is still under detention, was also brought to the Court. As soon as she entered the courtroom, she shouted: "Falun Dafa is Good." It was a really touching moment. She seemed to be very calm. She briefly told fellow practitioners: "Practicing Falun Gong is the most righteous and I am very relaxed." Ms. Ng was sentenced to prison for 15 days for conducting a protest outside the Chinese Embassy.

Reportedly, practitioner Erh Boon Tiong was released at noon on December 8 and his relatives and several practitioners welcomed him outside the prison. Mr. Erh was sentenced to prison for 10 days for the same reason.