HONG KONG, Oct. 1, 2001 - More than 40 Falun Gong practitioners peacefully petitioned at the Central Government Liaison Office this morning, strongly urging the Chinese Authority to close the "610 Office" set up solely for the persecution of Falun Gong, and to bring its ringleader Luo Gan immediately to justice.

Young practitioners send forth righteous thoughts	Practitioners petition in front of the Central Government's Liaison Office and call for closing the 610 office and bringing Luo Gan to justice	On the morning of October 1, 2001, twenty practitioners hold two banners as they petition in front of the Central Government's Liaison Office

Over the last two weeks, 20 verified cases of wrongful death of Falun Gong practitioners in China were revealed, bringing the total number of documented deaths to 289.

Through prior consultation with the Hong Kong police, a total of 40 practitioners divided into two groups were allowed to stage their silent protest in turn right in front of the entrance to the Office for more than half an hour. One practitioner read the open letter while others stood in silent meditation.

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The open letter:

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October 1, 2001

A Few Words on the Day of the Mid-Autumn Festival

To All Kind-Hearted People: Please Help Rescue Falun Gong Practitioners

It is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and families are celebrating this special day together with delicacies and laughter. To Chinese people, it looks as though nothing brings more satisfaction, and nothing is more important than the entire family being together and well. Yet, happiness cannot be assumed, and peace isn't easy to come by either.

At this very moment, when you share moon cakes with your parents, there are still many others who don't even have a chance to visit their parents. When you enjoy your time with your children, there are people who have to leave their young children and even infants behind, and have to leave their homes to avoid illegal arrest. When you savor the delicacies with your loved ones, there are people who live in hunger, exposed to the cold wind of autumn. When you are immersed in the warmth of family affection, there are still people undergoing unimaginable cruel tortures in jail and facing death every moment. These are true pictures of the conditions that millions of Falun Gong practitioners in Mainland China are in. All this happened because they believe in "truthfulness, compassion and forbearance." Heaven and earth are witnesses to the tribulations they're going through. Like us, those practitioners hope that people will respect and love one another. They work hard and enjoy a peaceful life. The only difference is that they have deeper respect for life and a stronger pursuit of spirituality. They have chosen to follow the path that returns to their original true selves. They adhere to the universal characteristics of "truthfulness, compassion and forbearance," holding themselves to higher principles. Considering others first under all circumstances, they improve themselves morally. These acts do not only bring personal changes, but also changes to the entire society and even to humankind. Only when everyone demonstrates a sense of righteousness will genuine peace and happiness take place.

When people were shocked to disbelief over the [World Trade Center] tragedy of 9/11, when they were sighing about how fragile human lives were, people started to discover that evil actually is present among us. And the origin of the evil comes from the fact that those vicious people have lost their sense of righteousness and humanity in their souls. As a result, they are causing people tremendous pain.

The persecution and torture of the Jiang Zemin regime against those who believe in "truthfulness, compassion and forbearance" precisely tries to destroy the fundamental human values and sense of righteousness, and thus to bring evil to our nation. When the sense of righteousness and conscience is not recognized, isn't this nation in danger? Falun Gong practitioners in Mainland China have used their lives to safeguard "truthfulness, compassion and forbearance," and to spread kindness and purity to humankind. We urge all people with conscience to extend their help openly and nobly. With your loving heart and passion for life, appeal with us to help stop the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, help their families get back together. Supporting them is upholding kindness and peace. When we possess justice and peace, evil will not dare approach. Only then can evils be eliminated.

The "610 Office" that implements the state terrorism of persecuting Falun Gong practitioners has to be closed immediately. Its ringleader Luo Gan has to be brought to justice.

The world needs justice, kindness and peace. All sentient beings need "truthfulness, compassion and forbearance". Hong Kong Falun Gong Practitioners