Daily Texan: U. Texas Falun Gong supporters stage hunger strike despite tragedy

By Miguel Liscano

Thu, Sep 13 12:00 PM EDT

(U-WIRE) AUSTIN, Texas -- Two University of Texas students went on with a hunger strike Wednesday despite conflicting feelings caused by Tuesday's hijacking attack.

Joy Zhou and Danielle Wang originally intended for the 24-hour strike to focus attention on the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners by the Chinese government, but changed it to include a call for peace around the world, said Zhou, a mathematics graduate student.

"We wanted to show our compassion for [Tuesday's] tragedy," she said. "We wanted to show our sorrow."

Zhou said she was confused about whether or not to go along with the hunger strike and presentation but ultimately decided to continue with her plans, keeping the tragedy in mind.

Now, its focus is to tell people that evil must be "suffocated" around the world, Zhou said. But, the main theme of the speech given at the presentation focused on Falun Gong persecution.

Falun Gong, a practice in which mind and body exercises are used to cleanse and heal, is also known as Falun Dafa.

Wang, a civil engineering sophomore, said the Chinese government attempts to coerce Falun Gong practitioners into giving up their beliefs by taking away their freedom and means of survival.

Wang, whose father is in jail for practicing Falun Gong, said many other practitioners have also been jailed.

"My father is only one of the millions of victims of the brutal crackdown in China," she said. "My family's tragedy is just one of the countless tragedies happening to Falun Dafa practitioners' families in these times."

Tuesday's tragedy and the persecution of practitioners in China are related because they are both done with evil in mind, she added.

The strike for the two students will last 24 hours because an extended lack of food could interrupt their studies, Wang said. She said 130 Falun Gong practitioners in a Masanjia Labor Camp have put their lives on the line by staging a hunger strike that has lasted more than 20 days. She added that she supports those practitioners and will hold another hunger strike during winter vacation.

Wang said she extends her compassion to the victims of the crashes, adding that she demands justice for her people in China just as everyone demands justice for the terrorist attacks.

"We don't want a third World War," Wang said. "We don't know much about what happened [Tuesday], so right now we can only call for peace and justice, and also show our sorrow for the events that happened."

(C) 2001 Daily Texan via U-WIRE

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