October 18, 2001
PH -- Early in the morning, more than 100 Falun Gong practitioners from Taiwan and Paris assembled at the Place de Theatre (Theater Square) to peacefully demonstrate against the unlawful, state-sanctioned persecution of this movement in the PRC. So far, according to spokesperson Christine Ni, 304 practitioners have died at the hands of the police, although the real number may be much higher.
What is Falun Gong?
Christine Ni explains: contrary to statements by Chinese government entities, Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is NOT a fringe group, bent on overthrowing the government; instead, it is a genuine guide for life. Falun Gong is actually an ancient form of qigong, a practice that restores balance and harmony to body, mind and spirit, aided by meditative exercises. As does Taichi, qiqong has become part of daily life for many individuals in Asia. At daybreak in almost every public park in Asia one can see people giving themselves over to these gentle exercises. Falun Gong practitioners learn a total of five of these movements, four of them standing exercises and the fifth one a sitting one. These slow, gentle movements are suitable for any age group. Those who participate in these group exercises are seeking inner harmony and calm. The principles of this practice are contained in its three-word motto, "Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance." All practitioners strive to live their daily lives by these tenets. Nowhere, she declared emphatically, are names registered in any membership lists nor are people mentally manipulated, a circumstance so common to sects. Additionally she pointed out that it cannot be repeated often enough that Falun Gong is not a political organization.
A Brief Look Back
Falun Gong's methods are deeply rooted in Chinese civilization, harking back to the Buddha school. It is a system that has been passed down throughout the ages, from generation to generation, until Mr. Li Hongzhi made it public. Falun Gong does not differentiate between social classes. Anyone and everyone is welcome. The spokesperson told us also that over 100 million people in forty countries around the world have decided to practise this system.
Falun Gong's practice began in 1992 in northeast China. Some people view the practice as a type of "qigong school." A short four years later the book, which details the exercises becomes a best seller and the practice takes hold, not only in China but also in Western countries. By 1998, the number of students has risen to 70 million. The Chinese leadership is alarmed at this turn of events and outlaws the publication of the book "Zhuan Falun." As of July 22, 1999, Falun Gong is banned in China. Acts of propaganda by the Chinese government in Beijing are increasing and the first arrests are not far behind. The police in the nation's capital crack down severely against anyone who peacefully protests in Tiananmen Square. In spite of all this, China escapes international censure at the 57th annual Human Rights Commission Assembly in Geneva.
Misuse of power
With increasing use of state-sanctioned and state-ordered brutality and force, the numbers of victims among the Falun Gong practitioners also increases. Torture, rape and government-staged suicides seem to be the order of the day. Over 10,000 practitioners have so far been interned in the "laogai," which are Re-education-through-Forced-Labour-Camps, where the unfortunates also have to undergo brainwashing. Another Falun Gong statistic relates that between 800 and 1,000 mentally healthy practitioners were brought to mental health facilities against their will and injected with neuro-toxins. That is not the end of their hardships. Countless families are issued "warning citations" and fined exorbitant sums of money, which they are unable to pay, or their belongings have arbitrarily been confiscated or looted. They have lost everything and are facing economic ruin.
Once practitioners are arrested they are forced to denounce fellow practitioners and additionally declare in writing that they are giving up Falun Gong practice permanently.
The so-called "610 Office" plays a big role in all these undertakings. It is an agency especially created to persecute Falun Gong, with absolute power over each level of administration in the ruling party and all other political and judiciary systems. This agency is headed by Luo Gan. He and his office minions informed all police precincts, detention centres, prisons and mental hospitals that "In case of death of any practitioner from torture, do not be concerned about being punished. You simply record their deaths as 'suicide.'" All this, so says Christine Ni, happens with full agreement of and sanction by Jiang Zemin, the Chinese head of state. To effect this political pronouncement of duress and suppression, the government not only declared Falun Gong as unsuitable to the ruling party's ideology, but also declared it to be a threat to the country's stability.
Help from Abroad
Falun Gong practitioners depend on help from overseas, since it is virtually impossible to aid them from inside China. Several organizations and individuals have intervened for the practitioners in China: not only Amnesty International, but also the United Nations' "International Educational Development " group [Ed. Note -- actually an NGO affiliated but separate from the UN], European Union delegate Cecilia Malmstroem, French foreign minister Hubert Vedrine and the Swedish government -- to name a few -- in their respective documents, have voiced their opinions to the Chinese government regarding her repressive measures.
The foremost goals of the Luxemburg demonstrators are these: dissolve the notorious "610 Office;" bring Luo Gan to justice, and end the state-sanctioned domestic terror against Falun Gong practitioners.
Information about the Falun Gong movement may be found on the Internet at www.faluninfo.net.
Source: http://www.clearharmony.net/articles/1587.html
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Category: Falun Dafa in the Media