Apr 13, 2006

A Falun Gong practitioner in Ottawa holds a sign condemning the reported death camp in Sujiatun, northeast China. (Matthew Hildebrand/The Epoch Times)

David Kilgour, former Member of Parliament and Chair of the Parliamentary Subcommittee on Human Rights, says he is convinced "the new government of Canada does believe in human rights. But you have to keep pressure on them to make sure they act."

Canadian practitioners of Falun Gong have heeded this advice, given by Kilgour at last Monday's Parliament Hill rally at which Members of Parliament from all major parties urged Prime Minister Stephen Harper to investigate reports of death camps in China performing live organ extraction on Falun Gong prisoners of conscience. Since last Wednesday, Falun Gong practitioners have maintained a daily presence in front of the Foreign Affairs office to appeal for Canadian action.

On Wednesday, the Falun Dafa Association of Canada delivered another letter to Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay. According to Association President Li Xun, "while actions from our government are still pending, regrettably the communist regime has been acting much more quickly."

To respond to the urgent situation, the Association has initiated an investigative committee and is inviting other concerned organizations to join. The aim is "to go to China to perform an independent investigation of the persecution of Falun Gong in all the labour camps, jails, hospitals, and relevant facilities."

Li noted that three weeks after news of organ harvesting in a Chinese concentration camp named Sujiatun was brought to light, the practitioners held there have been reportedly transferred to other locations. Meanwhile, "tips from Mainland China and different investigations" indicate that hospitals and transplant centers in many provinces of China are currently operating overtime to perform transplants, and there has been confirmation that many of the organs are from live Falun Gong practitioners.

Foreign Affairs has not released further comments since telling The Epoch Times last week that the department was "currently seeking independent verification" of the reports.

Falun Gong practitioners have collected 16,000 petition signatures calling for Canadian action, Li said, while "every minute of delay will result in irremediable loss of innocent lives and will be a disgrace to the human race."

The association letter quoted MP and former Justice Minister Irwin Cotler from the book "Beyond the 'Never Agains'": "We as political leaders ultimately will be judged and held accountable, did we fulfill the commitments that we undertook in assuming these responsibilities?"

http://www.theepochtimes.com/news/6-4-13/40381.html