(Minghui.org) Accounts of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners were made into a documentary and aired on the national TV program Dateline on April 7, 2015. Political leaders chimed in with their own condemnation of the CCP's atrocities.
Federal Member of Parliament: Trying to Get the Persecution of Falun Gong Stopped
Graham Perrett, federal member of Parliament for Moreton, Queensland.
Mr. Graham Perrett, federal member of Parliament for Moreton, Queensland, is very concerned about the ongoing persecution in China. “I am familiar with this issue,” he said. “I know Chris Bowen, a former treasurer, knows a lot about this issue. He has spoken on it in Parliament. He said this is an issue that was not going away, and was not improving at all.”
“I am federal, so we are trying to get Julie Bishop (foreign minister and federal member for Curtin) to make representation to Beijing to try to get this stopped. We can also work with NGOs such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. So there are other groups which can raise this as an issue at the United Nations or directly with the Chinese government.”
“It's illegal now in Australia. There is criminal punishment available for people who are breaking the law like that, committing a crime to procure these organs, and we should be doing everything we can to make sure more people do donate their organs. That has increased slightly over the last few years.”
“But obviously anything that is done illegally we should be watching. We need to see proof (of Australians going to China for transplants) but anyone who has knowledge of that, they should notify the federal government, the Australian federal police to make sure that the appropriate responses are made.”
“The airing of the documentary on SBS is a proper indication that public awareness is rising. But obviously we can speak in Parliament about it and we can communicate this to other people, so that more and more people are aware of this issue.”
“A good government always listens to the people. There should be a proper investigation on it.”
Queensland Member of Parliament: Persecution Shouldn't Be Happening
Peter Russo, member of parliament for Sunnybank, Queensland
Mr. Peter Russo is a member of parliament for Sunnybank, Queensland, where many Chinese immigrants reside. “It's wrong and it shouldn't be happening,” he said.
“And we just have to do our best to educate the community that this is not the correct way to do things. And there is support out there in the community for, you know, if you live in Australia and if you are in need of organ donation, there is a system that works, from my understanding, quite successfully. So you don't have to put yourself in danger to engage in activity which is illegal here in Australia.” said Mr. Russo.
Leeanne Enoch is Minister for Housing and Public Works and Minister for Science and Innovation.
Ms. Leeanne Enoch was just sworn in as Minister for Housing and Public Works and Minister for Science and Innovation in February. She was shocked to learn about the Chinese authorities' systematic persecution of Falun Gong and harvesting organs from the illegally detained practitioners. She wished that, as a signatory of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Australia would work with the United Nations in helping stop the persecution.
Director-General: Raising Awareness of Forced Organ Harvesting
Wei-Chung Lai, Director-General of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Brisbane, described organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners as brutal and inhumane. “The truth of what happened must be made known to everyone, so people will work to get it stopped," he said.
Former Presidential Policy Adviser: Everyone Should Care
Professor Chiu Chui-Liang, former Taiwan presidential policy adviser
Professor Chiu Chui-Liang, former Taiwan presidential policy adviser, believed that the Australian government should pay attention to China's human rights violations. He said that organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners in China has been exposed for almost ten years. Two Canadian human rights activists have been working hard raising awareness of this issue. On the other hand, the Australian government hasn't been doing much about it.
Mr. Chiu said that the Australian government and media should pay more attention to the organ harvesting in China, especially after Dateline's in-depth report. The Australian government should know that although economic ties with China are important, protecting basic human rights is a universal value and should not be ignored.
If the Australian government chose to be silent, it's not necessarily good for the economy in the long run. Mr. Chiu said. Many countries in the UN have already expressed their concern for China's human rights record. We really expect to see the Australian government exert its influence on China for a good cause.
