The Chinese and Australian Foreign Ministers Meet; Australian Senator Questions Australian Government's Orders in Restricting Falun Gong Banners (Photos)

By Australian practitioners

(Clearwisdom.net)

The front of the Federal Parliament House	Walking from the Federal Parliament House to the Chinese Embassy	Senator Bob Brown in an interview
Practitioners in front of the Chinese Embassy	Bob Brown and Kerry Tucker walking towards the Chinese Embassy	Senator Bob Brown holds "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance" banner

About one hundred Falun Dafa practitioners from as far as Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria went to Canberra and peacefully appealed to end the persecution against Falun Dafa. This coincided with the arrival of the Chinese Foreign Minister's meeting with the Australian Foreign Minister to discuss trade.

A press conference was held with Senator Bob Brown of the Green Party and Kerry Tucker (State parliamentary official) with all of the major news networks covering the event. Senator Bob Brown asked the Australian government why Falun Gong members had been ordered to take down their banners in front of the Chinese Embassy that had been present there for the last nine months. In the interview he urged the Australian Foreign Affairs Minister to join him and have the banners reinstated in Falun Gong's ongoing peaceful appeal. Senator Bob Brown also expressed that people have a right to freedom of speech and that the Australian government had taken away that right.

A few days before, the Australian Foreign Affairs Minister in a letter asked that all Falun Gong banners be removed and all music stopped so as to "safeguard the dignity of the Chinese Embassy ... while the Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister was in Australia." This shocked many Australians.

Practitioners peacefully gathered outside of the Federal Parliament House and practiced the exercises while some held banners. We also spoke to members of parliament about the ongoing persecution against Falun Dafa.

With the help of local police, we then held a parade from the parliament house to the Chinese Embassy with our banners flying high. Once we arrived at the Chinese Embassy, we peacefully gathered across the street while still holding our banners. We sent forth righteous thoughts and then put down our banners and stood in silent tribute to our fellow practitioners been tortured to death in China.

At the end of the day, a few practitioners remained meditating in silence at the site across from the Chinese Embassy.

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