The Australian Democrats are calling for a bi-partisan approach to the passing of motion through Federal Parliament to ensure the safety of one of its citizens.
The following article was written by a member of the Australian Democrats calling for an end to persecution of Falun Gong and this article has been sent to Ausnews, which is a global news network with 60,000 readers worldwide.
Justice Sought for Mother and Child!
The death of a husband and father is bad enough. But when the widow is too afraid to travel overseas to collect the ashes, then their grief is only compounded. This is the situation faced by Australian citizens Zhizhen Dai and here daughter Fadu at this time.
Zhizhen Dai and her 18-month-old daughter Fadu are seeking justice following the death of Zhizhen's husband, Chenyong, earlier this year in China. Both Zhizhen and Chenyong are practitioners of Falun Gong, a spiritual movement now persecuted by the Chinese government.
"I had to learn about my husband's death through a website," said Mrs Dai. "Upon seeing the news I was completely speechless and trembling all over my body."
"Why did my husband die? All he ever sought was to promote Truth, Compassion and Tolerance. And for this he was killed! Why is the Chinese Government persecuting Falun Gong when we believe in such things?" asked Mrs Dai.
As if the death of her husband was not enough, the family have been dealt numerous blows since. Her sister-in-law, who had to identify the badly decomposed body, has since been sentenced to two years in a labour camp. Her father-in-law, following these two tragedies, suffered a heart attack and died. Zhizhen's brother has been threatened with the loss of his job and house unless he agrees to give up the practice of Falun Gong.
Falun Gong has been persecuted by the Chinese Government since 1999, even though Falun Gong is not a political movement. There are documented cases of the deaths, disappearances, brutal beatings and torture of practitioners.
"So many families in China have been torn apart because of the crackdown on Falun Gong," said Mrs Dai. "This is a real act of terror that the leaders of the government have inflicted on their own people," she concluded.
Over the years many Australians have responded to the plight of those who have been the victims of persecution. Now Zhizhen Dai and Fadu need help. They are need a visa to go to China to collect the ashes of Chenyong. They need the help of the Australian government to ensure their safety. They want an international investigation into the death of Chengyong and the persecution of Falun Gong.