(Minghui.org) I just came back from a tour to Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. Here are some thoughts on what I saw and what others on the tour expressed to me.
Thailand
The tour guide in Thailand was a third generation Chinese immigrant. He said to the tourists, “Have you seen those Falun Gong people over there distributing materials? They ask people to go against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Chinese government in order to get a Thailand green card. They can get it after doing that for one year.”
Singapore
Practitioners did the fifth exercise on a meadow at a Singapore tourist site to clarify the truth and validate the Fa. The exercise music was beautiful and their yellow outfits drew the attention of many tourists. But without signs or banners such as “Falun Dafa is good,” the tourists did not know what it was, and many thought it was yoga.
When we approached the practitioners, we saw two of them in the sitting meditation but they were bent over (as opposed to sitting up straight) and their heads were very low. They appeared to be in pain. One Chinese tourist told another, “Look, they are suffering. It is not easy to work so hard in order to make money.”
Malaysia
Near the former Kuala Lumpur city government building in Singapore, one practitioner was walking by with a truth-clarification poster hanging around his neck. When someone came by, he would turn so that the person could see the poster. This did not seem appropriate, since, in China, many temporary workers looking for painting or plumbing work often do this.
Taiwan
When I spoke with one tourist about Falun Gong, she said, “I do not think Falun Gong practitioners are good. When I traveled to Taiwan last year, they offered me flyers, and when I refused to take one, they swore at me.” Could that have been someone who sought political asylum in the name of Falun Gong or a spy that pretended to be a practitioner?
Hong Kong
According to a person who often travels to Hong Kong, some practitioners really pressure people to quit the CCP. She said, “They pulled at my clothes and nagged me to quit the CCP. I was with coworkers, and I am a CCP member. How could I quit in such circumstances? I went to Hong Kong many times, and it was always like that.”
When I clarify the truth to tourists, most of them think Falun Gong is good, but they do not agree with quitting the CCP and its affiliated organizations. They often believe it is political and that overseas forces use Falun Gong to undermine China. I hope overseas practitioners can put more effort into this by focusing more on the benefits of Falun Gong as well as the brutal persecution.
Many people have seen truth-clarification materials in the past. They may not dare to accept materials on the trip to avoid trouble when they return to China. That is why few people voluntarily take the truth-clarification materials. We may need to set up other ways for people to see and hear the truth, because nobody can stop someone from hearing the truth with their ears or seeing the truth with their eyes.
The gap between the rich and the poor has increased in China, and only those with money and status are able to travel overseas. Arrogant and convinced of their superiority, they tend to treat the poor or the disadvantaged with contempt. This means we have to establish a decent image of Dafa overseas so that tourists will know it is well respected in Western society.
In order to achieve the best truth-clarification results, I hope overseas practitioners will put some effort into improving the setting and quality of truth-clarification sites. Here are some suggestions: