A Non-Practitioner's View: Falun Gong Practitioners Inside and Outside of China Are Acting Together As One Body

By Zhang Weiguo
Reprint from New Century Net, March 16, 2002

(Clearwisdom.net)

John Pomfret, the Washington Post's resident correspondent in Beijing, recently published an article raising a very important point, stating that, "The Chinese government and the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement have taken their two-year-old battle to the United States, using American courts and city halls as part of their struggle at home. In recent months, Falun Gong activists have sued four senior Chinese officials visiting the US, including the mayor of Beijing and the Party Committee Secretary of Sichuan Province, for allegedly ordering the violation of human rights, torture and death of Falun Gong practitioners in China."

Falun Gong practitioners living outside of China have been peacefully appealing in front of the Chinese Embassies and Consulates in various cities. John Pomfret points out, "The movement of the battle over Falun Gong to the United States marks an important escalation in China's struggle with the group." Falun Gong practitioners have begun to make use of legal procedures. They have exposed the crimes by filing lawsuits against the officials participating in the persecution of Falun Gong, the mouthpieces for Jiang's regime or the Chinese media abroad that are controlled by or in favor of the Chinese [party name omitted] Party. Western practitioners have also taken turns going to Tiananmen Square to appeal for Falun Gong. Indeed, Falun Gong has already become a real "international issue." Because practitioners are free to move around and have freedom of speech in countries around the world, Falun Gong practitioners' actions abroad are more visible. However, it would be too superficial to claim that Falun Gong's major "battlefield" has been moved abroad. What John Pomfret said might be closer to the facts, which is, the battlefield abroad is a "part" and an "extension" of the "struggle at home."

The cruel persecution has been going on for over two years. Some political observers and critics thought that Jiang's regime had completely crushed Falun Gong. Practitioners had taken their appeals for Falun Gong underground and the government had taken this as a sign that "Falun Gong has been eliminated." And thus they drew a conclusion that Jiang's high-handed policy had succeeded. However, just as they were talking about this, on the evening of March 5^th, right after the opening session of the National People's Congress [China's legislature] the cable TV network in Changchun City of Jilin Province broadcast pro-Falun Gong videos for about fifty minutes. The whole country was shocked.

During the past two years, Chinese security forces have killed hundreds of Falun Gong practitioners. At least ten thousand practitioners have been incarcerated in forced labor camps or jails. All the while, Falun Gong practitioners have not given in. On the contrary, they are determined to stand up for Falun Gong, and are continuously making progress. It is actually one of the main reasons why Falun Gong has grown and received support outside of China. Reflections on what Falun Gong practitioners abroad have been doing during the past two years has shown that their primary purpose is to support their fellow practitioners inside China.

Perhaps it is because of their common belief in Truth, Compassion, and Forbearance that Falun Gong practitioners living inside and outside of China understand each other so well. They see each other as a family. In the face of the Chinese [party name omitted] Party's inhumane persecution, they unite and complement each other. The more pressure they experience at the hand of Chinese [party name omitted] Party the more they cooperate. In the face of obstacles, practitioners are even more determined. Even in the religious history of the world this is a rare phenomenon. Based on the recent "Changchun Cable TV Network Event" and Western practitioners' continuous appeals in Tiananmen Square, it is obvious that practitioners understand the power of their determination and common belief. Wherever there is persecution against Falun Gong, practitioners will appeal and not rest until the truth is revealed.

It is also interesting that John Pomfret refers to Falun Gong as a "spiritual movement." During the past two years, Falun Gong has borne the harshest persecution ever launched by the Chinese X [party name omitted] Party. Because of their courage, practitioners have created an unprecedented space for Chinese religions to develop freely. Ordinary Chinese people are embracing religions and religions in China are flourishing. During his visit to China, President Bush specifically addressed the issue of freedom of belief in his conversations with Chinese leaders. Also, Falun Gong has made extraordinary contributions to strengthening traditional Chinese culture and promoting human civilization. As Ma Yingjiu, the Mayor of Taipei, said in his commemoration for the Epoch Times, "World peace will be achieved if ordinary people can abide by Truth, Compassion, and Forbearance."

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Reference:

The original media report by John Pomfret can be found at

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10930-2002Mar11.html
Chinese version available at http://minghui.cc/mh/articles/2002/3/17/26794.html

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