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"Clarify the truth thoroughly, eliminate the evil with righteous thoughts, save all beings, and safeguard the Fa with determination" (Dafa is Indestructible) Statement at Embarking on a Cycling Tour across Ireland in Support of "SOS! Urgent Rescue The Falun Gong Practitioners Persecuted in China" Falun Dafa Practitioners in Ireland Ladies and Gentlemen: Falun Dafa, an ancient spiritual practice and form of
meditation, was introduced to the public in 1992. Since then, Falun Dafa, also
known as Falun Gong, has become popular in over 40 countries around the world
with more than one hundred million practitioners. It has received awards and
recognition in many countries. It is applauded by the public worldwide due to
its beneficial effects in improving people's physical and mental health, while
also raising people's moral standards. However, from 20th July 1999, Jiang Zemin's regime
in China has outlawed Falun Gong out of his own fear of its popularity. After
making it illegal to hold the values of "Truthfulness, Benevolence and
Tolerance" in one's heart, a brutal, nationwide crackdown was initiated and
it has continually intensified for two years. According to human rights groups,
over 250 practitioners have been tortured to death, over 10,000 have been sent
to labor camps, over 600 healthy practitioners sent to mental hospitals, and
numerous practitioners have been arrested and detained. Millions of families
have been broken. In particular, two mass killings have been reported in the
past few weeks. Fifteen female Falun Gong practitioners were beaten and tortured
to death in the Wanjia Labor Camp and over ten male practitioners of Falun Gong
were beaten to death at Changlinzi Labor Camp in northeast China. The
persecution is still escalating. The latest reports indicate that Jiang Zemin's
regime is systematically killing Falun Gong practitioners. Zhao Ming, a postgraduate student at Trinity College Dublin,
went to China in 1999 to visit his family. He never returned to Ireland. He was
sentenced to one year in the Beijing Tuanhe labour camp and later transferred to
Xin'an labour camp without trial. He was severely tortured in the labour camps
by both prisoners and his captors. On May 12 this year, Ming was supposed to be
released. However, the police took him away a few days later. Ming's current
whereabouts are unknown. To draw the awareness and attention of the international
community to the on-going and systematic slaughter of innocent people, and to
end this inhuman and brutal tragedy, we Falun Gong practitioners in Ireland
announce that today, we will join the worldwide campaign entitled "SOS!
Urgent Rescue the Falun Gong Practitioners Persecuted in China" by
embarking on a Cross-Ireland Cycling Journey. We appeal to the Chinese government to:
We call on the world to urge China to respect the UN Covenant
on Civil & Political Rights that they have signed and to end the crisis
through peaceful dialogue. Thank you.
Posting date: 7/18/2001 |