News and Events from around the World -- August 16, 2005

Issued by Clearwisdom Net

Content


  • UK: Activity at Edinburgh International Art Festival to Rescue Orphaned Children of Falun Gong Practitioners Receives Strong Support

  • Sweden: A Program About the Persecution of Falun Gong on Presens TV in Stockholm



  • UK: Activity at Edinburgh International Art Festival to Rescue Orphaned Children of Falun Gong Practitioners Receives Strong Support


     In order to promote the rescue of the orphaned children of Falun Gong practitioners cruelly persecuted to death by the Chinese Communist Party, UK Falun Gong practitioners held an activity on Prince's Street on August 7th, 2005, the opening day of the Edinburgh International Art Festival. Practitioners used various means including music, singing, dances, demonstrations of Falun Gong exercises, a photo exhibition and petition signature collection, to let people know about the persecution and to appeal for people's support. Many onlookers were deeply shocked when they learned about the situation in China and offered their support.


    Female chorus recounting the story depicted in the painting

    Learning about the facts of Falun Gong in front of the display boards

    Numerous tourists were deeply impressed by the dance, "Falun Gong is good" and the lion and dragon dances performed by Falun Gong practitioners during the parade. They were also very glad to enjoy the open-air concert conducted by practitioners.

    A banner in the background was very eye-catching and it read, "Rescue Orphans of Murder & Torture Victims". Several display boards were set up besides the stage, which told stories: A little girl went home after school, but her home was sealed up and she became homeless. (Her parents were all arrested and detained by police because they practice Falun Gong. A little girl whose father was tortured to death for his practice of Falun Gong, holds her father's photo and says, "I want my daddy!" A little boy who is locked with his mother in a cell grasps the iron bars and looks very confused. A little girl in rags stands on a street with her bare feet... These display boards already deeply touched people's hearts. Visitors all showed their expression of sympathy. On the information desk some materials were displayed to introduce Falun Gong and expose the facts of the persecution. There were also some petition forms calling for the rescue of children orphaned in the persecution of Falun gong. Before the concert began, people already started signing the petition.


    Many spectators signed the petition with tears filling their eyes. Sometimes, people lined up in a queue to sign the petition.


    Falun Gong exercise demonstration on the plaza

    Vocal solo

    Most of the dances, songs and music were composed by UK Falun Gong practitioners. The female chorus, "Stories in the Paintings" was composed based on the paintings described above. Accompanied with the reciting of a poem, the stories depicted in the paintings unfolded in front of the audience. The solo, "Rainbow in my Dream" described the dream of a little girl who was incarcerated. In her dream, her mother stood on the rainbow and her back was shown in colorful sunlight. The girl wishes the beautiful rainbow will always stay in the human world and guide people to search for their wonderful future. A song sung by a man and a woman, "Flower of Spring" expressed a mother's thoughts about her son who was imprisoned for practicing "Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance". An Argentine practitioner performed a dance to the solo, "Thinking of My Son". Her mother, a vocalist from Argentina, performed the song, "Dove High Over the Storm". Practitioners also performed the music, "Pudu", "Heaven's Gate Opens" as well as the "Fan Dance," "Lotus Flower Dance" and "Colorful Umbrella Dance." They also demonstrated the Falun Gong exercises.

    At the same time, some practitioners distributed flyers and collected signatures to support the rescue effort. Many spectators signed the petition with tears in their eyes. Sometimes, people even lined up in queue to sign the petition. Over the two-hour performance, nearly 1000 signatures were collected.

    There were quite a number of Chinese students among the tourists. They silently watched the performances and the display boards. Because of the Chinese Communist Party's hate-propaganda, they were so fearful that they dared not to sign the petition. Their eyes, however, expressed their sympathy.

    A young student girl from Mainland China told a practitioner, "My parents are both cadres at a certain level. They all know the truth. Talking about the persecution, they know more than you do. They said that they knew the "Tiananmen Square Self-Immolation" was staged without even watching it. This is not the first time such a thing has happened in our history." She also said, "You are working so hard. You will definitely succeed. I will tell my friends what I saw here."

    Chinese version available at http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2005/8/13/108326.html


    Sweden: A Program About the Persecution of Falun Gong on Presens TV in Stockholm


    A television program about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China was transmitted by a television-station, Presens TV, on Stockholm's Open Channel on July 22nd. The program was very well done with pictures from different events.

    As an introduction, two pictures of Falun Gong practitioner Gao Rongrong were shown, one before and one after she was tortured. The reporter Mr. Askensten said, "China is counted as one of the worst human rights violators in the world when it comes to proportion and continuity."

    The reporter explained that in a country with a dictatorship there is opposition both among the intellectuals and among farmers, but in China the opposition is very brutally intimidated into silence. He continued to say that in countries outside China there exists also an opposition, an example of that being Communism and Human Rights in China, a seminar held on June 13th 2005 at the ABF Parliament Building in Stockholm.

    The seminar, which was sponsored jointly by the China Democratic Movement Overseas Association, The Epoch Times, China Independent Writers Association and the International Human Rights Association, generated a positive re-action from Swedish communities and the media alike. A large audience at the ABF-house listened to keynote speakers, including chief editor of The Epoch Times Ms. Annette Jun Guo, vice chairman of the China Independent Writers Association Mr. Maiping Chen, Swedish human rights lawyer Peter Bergquist, former Chinese political prisoner Professor Shizhong Chen, an expert on persecuted faith-based groups in China, Professor Sen Nieh, and Chinese business professional Mr. Man-Yan Ng.

    The program focused on a speech given by human rights lawyer Mr. Bergquist, who initiated a lawsuit against the previous Chinese president Jiang Zemin and some other human rights criminals in the Chinese regime.

    Mr. Bergquist mentioned that there are three circumstances that are favorable for such a process:

    1. China has ratified the Convention against Torture.

    2. The crimes committed inside the country are against China's own laws.

    3. There exists a clear disagreement on the subject of Falun Gong within the regime in China

    The reporter Åke Askensten from Presens TV showed at the end of the program once more the pictures of Falun Gong-practitioner Ms. Gao Rongrong and said where she was from in China, that she had worked as an accountant, that she was a Falun Gong practitioner and that she is now dead.

    He mentioned that this only is one example of many similar cases where the Chinese Communist Party persecutes innocent people with another political view or belief and peaceful groups such as Falun Gong.

    The program urged the general public to show interest and take an active stance on this issue and gave examples on how to do that: For example, you can join a human rights organization or start a purchase boycott against China.

    Footnote:

    Falun Gong practitioner Gao Rongrong, a staff member of Luxun fine arts college in Shenyang city, was killed after being disfigured and suffering enormous torture. During the illegal incarceration, Gao Rongrong lost her hearing in one ear, her face was disfigured from seven hours of electric baton shock torture, her bodily organs were atrophying and she became just skin and bone. Her life was in grave danger. Gao's case has received broad attention within the international community. Her case was also the first case study in the "2004 United Nations Human Rights Report on China's Persecution of Falun Gong". She was once successfully rescued by other Falun Gong practitioners. The photo of her disfigured face strongly exposed the persecution of Falun Gong by the Jiang regime and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). After the exposure, the CCP not only did not repent or stop, but instead became angry and carried on a more hidden and despicable persecution. The 610 Office head Luo Gan personally took charge of the continued persecution plan against Gao Rongrong. One member of the Judiciary said, "Luo Gan gave the order. He said that this matter [Ms. Gao's torture case being exposed] had too much international impact. We must handle it carefully now indicating that further persecution would be carried out secretly." Gao Rongrong was unfortunately re-arrested in March 2005 and then persecuted to death in police custody.