KPFA 94.1 Radio News on LA-SF SOS RescueWalk

Justin Herman Plaza -- Oct. 20^th, 2001

In San Francisco the practitioners of the Falun Gong meditation group ended their walk from Los Angeles today. They were walking to protest the imprisonment of American doctor Teng Chunyan and other Falun Gong practitioners persecuted in China for their beliefs. Lia Sheldon is live in the studio with this report:

After a 570 mile walk from Los Angeles to San Francisco, the ten Falun Gong practitioners arrived in Justin Herman Plaza to celebrate the end of their journey, but more importantly to bring attention to the killing, torture and imprisonment of Falun Gong practitioners in China. Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, was begun in 1992 by founder Li Hongzhi in Northeastern China. Practitioners describe it as a self-improvement practice of mind, body and spirit based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion and forbearance. With 70 million practitioners in China and 30 million more abroad, they ...are mainly a network of people transmitting information about the practice.

Steve Ispas, a rally organizer and Falun Gong practitioner describes why he thinks that the Chinese government has killed 300 practitioners and arrested over one hundred thousand more since they banned the practice in 1999.

"... the underlying thing behind their official claims is that it seems like they are afraid that it represents a threat to the government, to the power - and nothing else can be further away from the truth - from all the activities in the last 9 years of Falun Gong, there have never been any claims of political interest or power. But, most likely it is just that their fear of having a large group of people - 100 million practitioners as of two of years ago - having a different ideology, a different thought than the Chinese government that it may present a threat -- if people can think for themselves that is something they are not comfortable with."

SF Supervisor Chris Daly was at the rally to congratulate the walkers and has called Falun Gong a non violent and peaceful practice. He agrees that China has been spreading what he calls a campaign of misinformation against Falun Gong, and he discusses what San Francisco is trying to do about the gross human rights violations against the group.

"While on the road, you have probably heard that we have been trying here, in San Francisco to speak out on behalf of the people being persecuted in China, the Falun Gong practitioners who are being persecuted by the Chinese government. And we have been met with resistance here in San Francisco from the Chinese consulate, and people loyal to the Chinese government. Here in San Francisco, it has not been the same type of resistance that our friends in China have been met with, however it has been a campaign of misinformation, of telling lies, and trying to prevent good people from telling the truth of what's happening across the sea. And, unfortunately we took a small loss at the San Francisco board of supervisors last week on an 8 to 3 vote against condemning the Chinese government."

One of the ten Falun Gong walkers, MingJing Xue, was detained in China for a total of 104 days. In just one example of the torture she endured, she describes having to stand shackled to another prisoner for 3 days without food, sleep or a toilet. Through the use of an interpreter I asked MingJing Xue why China, and leader Jiang Zemin would go to such great lengths to stop what is known as a peaceful and non-political practice.

Translator: "This is her opinion - that Jiang Zemin is trying to solidify his tyrannical regime, because he said that Falun Gong is competing in people's minds with him - and he is jealous of our master -- that's her personal opinion. She thinks that he is perfectly aware of the fact that Falun Gong is very good -- it has really benefited a lot of people, he is perfectly aware of that."

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I am Lia Sheldon reporting for KPFA.

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