Xu Minzi

Translated from World Journal, Western US Edition, June 6th, 2001

[San Francisco, reporter Xu Minzi] More than 50 Falun Gong practitioners from the Bay area gathered again in front of the Chinese consulate on June 5th for a group practice, protesting the continued crackdown against the group by the Chinese communist regime. The gathering on the 5th also demanded the immediate release of 5 detained practitioners with non-Chinese residency. The consulate, however, refused to accept the appeal letter from the demonstrators. Dr. Sherry Zhang, the contact person for Falun Gong, said to the media that she was "very disappointed" at the consulate's reaction.

The Falun Gong group, which included Chinese as well as non-Chinese, young and old, middle-aged and elderly, gathered across the street from the consulate at 11AM. Some of them wore yellow T-shirts with the characters, "Zhen-Shan-Ren" (Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance); some also had stickers with the same message on the rear windows of their cars. The group practiced their exercises following the music, with their eyes closed and arms held up. The banners behind them read, "We Call for the Immediate Release of Dr. Teng Chunyan and Other Detained Falun Gong Practitioners."

The gathering was part of a global demonstration of Falun Gong. Similar activities were held simultaneously in Sydney, Tokyo, New York, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Montreal, Toronto, Dublin, Gothenburg, Hong Kong, and other cities.

Sherry Zhang said in a statement to the media that the laws in over 40 countries worldwide protect the Falun Gong practice, but in China the crackdown has been taking lives and has continued to worsen recently. Last month over a hundred Falun Gong practitioners holding foreign passports were denied entrance to Hong Kong; officials from Mainland China spread slanderous materials to foreign countries and detained practitioners with foreign residencies who were traveling in China. The statement calls for the immediate release of the 5 detained Falun Gong practitioners from outside China, including Ms. Teng Chunyan.

After presenting the statement, Zhang and 5 others went to the consulate to deliver an appeal letter. The letter listed the cases of Zhao Ming from Ireland, Teng Chunyan from the US, Zhu Ying from Canada, Hu Guoping from Japan, and Chu O-ming from Hong Kong, and condemned Jiang Zemin, the president of China, for "changing mainland China into a country full of secret agents and Nazis."

After consulting with the relevant parties, the receptionist at the consulate told Zhang and others that "the consulate does not accept letters from Falun Gong." Reporters and photographers from quite a few Chinese and mainstream media were in the crowded hallway at this time for the interview. The receptionist then came out of her room to send people away, saying she was going to "lock the door."

Because Zhang and others were still trying to deliver the letter, and the media would not leave either, a staff member from the consulate called the police in from the outside, sent the crowd away, and locked the door. Zhang was surrounded by the media and asked how she felt about being rejected. "I am very disappointed," she repeated several times.

Zhang said that people came here only for a peaceful appeal. It was disappointing that the consulate would reject such a small request of accepting an appeal letter. She said that the constitution of the People's Republic of China guarantees many rights to the people, but the constitution is not being implemented. "Basic human rights must be respected if China is to become a strong and rich country," she said.

Photo: Bay Area Falun Gong contact person Sherry Zhang (middle) saying to the media that she was "very disappointed" after the Chinese consulate refused to accept the appeal letter.

Posting date: 6/9/2001
Original article date: 6/6/2001
Category: News & Media Reports

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