Statement About My Hunger Strike -- From a Young Mother in Canada

August 29, 2001

This round the clock vigil was initiated by my co-worker, Nortel Networks engineer Gerry Smith on July 5. The reason is that on June 25, 15 female Falun Gong practitioners were tortured to death in Wanjia Labor Camp in China. From that time, we have been sitting here to call upon the Chinese authorities to listen to our voice and stop the brutal persecution of innocent Falun Gong practitioners. However, the mass killing continues almost everyday.

Since August 2, 130 Falun Dafa practitioners started a hunger strike to reject illegal extension of their detention and to appeal for their release. They are now in their 5th week. To insist upon their belief in the universal principles "Truth-Compassion-Forbearance," they are enduring immense hardship that is difficult for us to imagine. Their lives are in danger. To date, 274 Falun Gong practitioners have been cruelly tortured to death.

I am very proud to continue this round the clock vigil. I am going to act from my heart by starting a week long vigil on September 3 and a hunger strike from September 4 to September 7.

Being a Falun Gong practitioner, in my seven years of cultivation, I have continuously purified my mind and body, given up all kinds of attachments and finally understood the true meaning of life. Together with millions of Falun Gong practitioners around the world, I greatly enjoy the health, happiness, and peace that Falun Dafa has brought to me. And yet, such a great law of the universe has been subjected to the most brutal persecution and most evil defamation for the past two years in China.

There is an expression in Chinese: "Being given a drop of water, I will reward the giver with a spring of water." Being a practitioner who benefits so much from Falun Gong, at this time when Falun Gong is being defamed and persecuted, it is our duty to appeal for Falun Gong and clarify the truth from our own experience. I am a mother of a 14-month-old baby. He needs my attention, but my hearts calls me to be here.

Several months ago, I was very sad to hear that a Chinese lady, Wang Lixuan, who was the same age as I, and her son, who was the same age as my son, were tortured to death in Beijing's Tuanhe Detention Center. Both the mother and the 8-month-old baby were covered with cuts and wounds.

Another Chinese lady who also shares the same age as me and also is a mother of a three-year-old boy was sentenced to 3 years of detention. Their only crime was peacefully appealing for Falun Gong. Because the news was blocked from China, we do not know how many mothers and children are enduring such brutal persecution. Like Lixuan, I love my son and my family very much, and I believe that what I am doing is the same as what they did; that is, to protect this most precious honesty and kindness for our kids.

I believe that this righteous belief and justice is the most basic value of humankind and that Falun Dafa guides people back to their genuine true selves of pure kindness. Because of this, the practitioners dare to tell the truth in front of evil threats and pressure, they insist on this righteous belief, and always face the unreasonable brutal persecution with great compassion and forbearance. The persecution towards "Truth-Compassion-Forbearance" is destroying the most precious beauty of human kind. It must stop! We have no choice. The evil is the common enemy of humankind. If we wink at it, we will be engulfed by it. I would like to protect the honesty and kindness of this world, revealing the great Buddha law with my life, and I believe that is the meaning of my life.

Being a person, my life is trivial and my voice is weak; however, I know that the "Truth-Compassion-Forbearance" in my heart is strong. My heart is together with my fellow practitioners who are enduring the most unreasonable hardships in China. We are barehanded, but we dare to calmly face the most evil persecution and defamation in the world.

I call on all kind-hearted people in the world, please lend a hand to help to suffocate the evil, protect and care for this most precious honesty and kindness in the world, and leave it as a most valuable gift to our children, family, friends and all people of the world!