(Clearwisdom.net)

At 9:00 AM on July 13, practitioners in Auckland, New Zealand began a 130-hour silent appeal (sit-in) in front of the Chinese Embassy. Practitioners raised banners reading "253 People Were Persecuted To Death," "Stop The Brutal Killing In China," and "SOS! URGENT -- Rescue The Falun Gong Practitioners Persecuted In China" and also displayed posters clarifying the true facts of the persecution. The appeal was held to increase public awareness and to call upon the Chinese government to stop "human rights scoundrel" Jiang Zemin from continuing his brutal persecution of Falun Gong.

Winters in Auckland are quite rainy, and this July was no exception. Despite the rain, practitioners worked together revealing the truth about the persecution to the local people and sending out the message of Truth, Compassion, Forbearance. No matter if it was day or night, windy or rainy, the practitioners' serenity and tranquility deeply touched many kindhearted people. Their determination to continue their appeal effectively suffocated the evil. At the beginning of the appeal, the Embassy displayed a banner slandering Falun Dafa. It was taken down after 24 hours and later hung up again for a shorter time. At one point, it was even hung upside down. In the end, the banner came down for good. During earlier appeals, the Embassy distributed slanderous material whenever practitioners arrived. They no longer do so.

The appeal was reported on local television stations. After 18 days of appeals in front of the Embassy, practitioners from across New Zealand gathered in Wellington for a press conference.

July 24, 2001