Ariadne Massa

July 25, 2001

Falun Gong practitioners yesterday finally achieved their aim of attracting the attention of Chinese President Jiang Zemin, despite frantic attempts by Chinese officials to pressure Maltese police into suppressing the peaceful protest.  

Five practitioners, accompanied by Alternattiva Demokratika members and chairman Harry Vassallo, gathered in Zachary Street, Valletta yesterday evening shortly before Mr Jiang and his wife Madame Wang Yeping were due to visit St John's Co-Cathedral.

The practitioners had been unsuccessfully trying to attract Mr Jiang's attention since Monday.

As he was walking out of the cathedral, Mr Jiang smiled when he heard the chants of "murderer" and told a Maltese policeman standing by the barrier that "it is no problem".

Initially, the small group had been kept stationed in the corner between Melita and Zachary streets and prevented by police from walking further down towards the Cathedral.

Assistant Commissioner John Rizzo said when asked why the small group was kept so far away from the cathedral, that they posed a security risk.

"We have instructions to keep them at a reasonable distance from the VIP section. In my opinion this is an appropriate distance," Mr Rizzo said.

However, when more reporters gathered in the area, the group was allowed to walk to the end of Zachary Street, just before the entrance to the square in front of the cathedral.

Plainclothes policemen strictly barred their path and the practitioners, who say they do not form part of either a political or religious group or sect, started their meditation exercises.

Falun Gong is an ancient spiritual practice based on truth, compassion and forbearance to help tackle daily stress and instill a sense of healthy well-being and peace. It has around 70 million practitioners all over the world.

The presence of the group flustered Chinese officials who scurried back and forth from the cathedral to the protesters, insisting with Mr Rizzo "to make sure they do not cross the line", then that they "do not shout" and then "to remove the banner."

Mr Rizzo politely but firmly stood his ground and each time the Chinese officials approached him to express their disapproval, he insisted he was obeying orders and that the protesters were only being asked to stay behind the line established by the police.

Once the president had arrived, in a desperate attempt to shield the protesters from his view, the Chinese officials ordered the minibus drivers of their delegation to move up and park in a line in front of the cathedral. However, police ordered the minibus drivers to move away.

Dan Alfjorda from Sweden, a Falun Gong practitioner, said after Mr Jiang's visit that he was glad that their aim had been achieved.

At a press conference prior to the peaceful protest, Dr Vassallo said AD was contemplating filing a case because their human rights had been violated during their attempt to protest in front of the Chinese embassy on Monday.

The press conference was held by Falun Gong at AD's premises in Valletta, to express their disapproval at the way they were treated.

They claimed that on Monday their human rights were violated and suppressed when they were prevented from protesting peacefully next to the War Memorial in Floriana.

Mr Alfjorda was accompanied by three other practitioners: Alex Rostron from the UK;

Qian Ling Song, a Chinese who resides in England; and Dr Jimmy Zou, a Chinese who is an American citizen and resides in Washington DC.

"We could not understand how the public was allowed to stay and we were pushed 10 metres away and escorted to Freedom Square, Valletta by about seven policemen," Mr Alfjorda said.

The group said it was obvious that the police were being pressured by Chinese officials to stop them from exercising their rights.

Ms Song and Dr Zou have both been victims of abuse at the hands of Chinese police.

During a visit to China in December, 1999, Ms Song was detained in prison for three days and expelled from China for admitting she was a Falun Gong practitioner. Dr Zou, who visited his parents in China in November 1999, was beaten and tortured. He was kept in prison with other practitioners and given electric shocks.

Posting date: 7/27/2001
Original article date: 7/25/2001
Category: News & Media Reports

 Yearly Archive  Printer Version

_____Related Articles_____ The Ultimate Power of the "610 Office": Pulling the Strings of Operations against Falun Gong [7/27/2001] AP: China Pres Ends Malta Trip, Pressed On Falun Gong [7/27/2001] 120-hour Sit-in in Front of the Chinese Embassy by a British Practitioner Calling for the Chinese Government to Stop the Brutal Crimes of Jiang Zemin's Regime [7/26/2001] Times of Malta: Falun Gong Staged Protest  [7/25/2001] Reuters: MALTA: Chinese President arrives in Malta amid Protests [Excerpt]  [7/24/2001] Cartoon: “Human Rights Scoundrel” Jiang Zemin [7/23/2001] Media Advisory: Falun Gong to Go to Malta to Demand that Jiang Zemin stop the persecution [7/20/2001] Dafa Saved a Life -- Jiang Zemin's Allies Took it Away [7/17/2001] Photo Report: Practitioners in France Hold Press Conference to Expose Jiang Zemin's Persecution of Falun Gong [7/16/2001] Norwegian Practitioners Call for the Chinese Government to Stop the Criminal Acts of Jiang Zemin and His Cohorts [7/14/2001]