Falun Gong Practitioners Throughout Hong Kong Commemorate the April 25 Appeal

(Minghui.org) On April 25, 1999, 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners went to the Appeals Office near Zhongnanhai in Beijing to petition peacefully. They called on the authorities to release the practitioners that were illegally arrested. On the eve of the 25th anniversary of April 25 Appeal, some Falun Gong practitioners in Hong Kong held up banners and took group photos to commemorate the occasion.

Video: Hong Kong practitioners commemorate the 25th anniversary of the April 25 Appeal

Practitioners at the Mei Foo and Lai Chi Kok practice sites in Hong Kong hold up a banner to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the April 25 Appeal.

Practitioners at the Wong Tai Sin practice site in Hong Kong put up a banner to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the April 25 Appeal.

Practitioners at the Causeway Bay practice site in Hong Kong commemorate the 25th anniversary of the April 25 Appeal.

Practitioners at the Tai Po practice site in Hong Kong commemorate the 25th anniversary of the April 25 Appeal.

Practitioners at the Kowloon Park practice site in Hong Kong commemorate the 25th anniversary of the April 25 Appeal.

Practitioners who participated in the commemorative activities said that the April 25 Appeal embodies the tenacious spirit of Falun Gong practitioners in peacefully resisting the persecution. In the past, practitioners held a rally and parade in Hong Kong around April 25 every year. Although it is difficult to hold large-scale events in Hong Kong now, they continue calling for an end to the CCP’s persecution.

Beijing Police: I Really Admire Your Master

Ms. Lam, a 74-year-old practitioner, has been practicing Falun Dafa since 1996. She recounted her experience of going to Beijing to petition on April 25, 2000, the first anniversary of the April 25 petition.

Ms. Lam said she and two other practitioners in Hong Kong flew to Beijing. “When I arrived near the Appeals Office, I saw that more than 100 public security and state security officers surrounded the office and took the petitioners away.” The three of them took a detour to the Appeals Office, but they were locked up in a small room by police for questioning. Ms. Lam told the police that they traveled from Hong Kong to Beijing to speak for Falun Gong.

That night they were taken into custody. They meditated in the conference room. Ms. Lam remembers that a police officer in charge of guarding her told her, “I really admire your Master. He is amazing. You practitioners are all meditating so beautifully.” 

Ms. Lam told the police, “Master Li taught us to behave according to Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, that is, to tell the truth and do good deeds, to be kind is to be merciful and to treat all people with kindness; and to endure is to not fight back and not scold back. We are guided by these principles, and we do not do anything bad. Why does the government want to suppress good people?” 

She also advised the police not to participate in the persecution: “You are the police and your job is to maintain law and order. Now you are suppressing a group of good people, don’t you feel uneasy?” The police officer said helplessly, “I have no other choice.”

When the police learned that they were from Hong Kong, they did not send them to prison, but drove them to the airport the next day. They charged them 3,000 yuan for the “fare.”

Ms. Lam continued to participate in activities in Hong Kong to expose the persecution. She marched carrying photos of practitioners who had been persecuted to death, joined the protest in front of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government, and often distributed materials throughout Hong Kong. 

Looking back over the past 25 years, Ms. Lam said that more and more people now know that Falun Gong was wronged, that the April 25 Appeal was a legitimate petition, and that “Tiananmen Square self-immolation” was fake.

Tour Guide: They Are Telling the Truth

Ms. Kwan started practicing Falun Gong in Hong Kong in 1998. After the persecution began in 1999, she often participated in marches and distributed materials to expose the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong.

In 2000, she clarified the truth about Falun Gong to a group of tourists at a pavilion. Many tour groups from China passed by, and one of the tour guides pointed to the picture of the April 25 Appeal and told the tourists: “I was there. What they say is the truth. They did not besiege Zhongnanhai - the central government compound. The practitioners were all peaceful.” 

At that time, many tour groups were under pressure from the CCP, and they were not allowed to view practitioners’ display boards. So, Ms. Kwan was very moved by the righteous words of the tour guide.

Now, after 25 years, Ms. Kwan said that more people know the CCP is persecuting Falun Gong. Some say, “We admire Falun Gong. You are remarkable.” She even became friends with some people she clarified the truth to. She said these days, more young people are learning about Falun Gong.

Today’s Society Needs the Spirit of the April 25 Appeal

Ms. Wang said she hadn’t heard of Falun Gong in 1999. In 2007, when she and her husband were working in Kosovo, Europe, she often watched New Tang Dynasty programs such as the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and read articles written by Falun Gong practitioners, so she began practicing.

Looking back on practitioners’ experience in exposing the persecution for more than 20 years, she said the spirit of peaceful protest on April 25 is particularly important for today’s society. Nowadays, people are very angry, and some people look for revenge after being treated unfairly. Falun Gong practitioners have been brutally persecuted for 25 years, but they persist in calling for justice and conscience in a peaceful and rational way, and never resort to violence. 

When she and other practitioners took a group photo to commemorate April 25, a young lady stopped across the street, and watched. She walked around the iron railing to the other side of the road and offered to help practitioners take pictures. Ms. Wang said, “I’m touched that so many people have become supportive and happy to see Falun Gong practitioners.”