Le Soleil (Canadian French Newspaper) : Hunger Strike to Denounce Chinese Government Persecution of Falun Gong

Elisabeth Fleury

March 29, 2002

Falun Gong practitioners protest Chinese government's massacre of practitioners in Changchun

A follower of Falun Gong from Quebec City, Nicole Milot, began a hunger strike yesterday that she will continue until tomorrow in front of the parliament "to heighten government and public awareness of the massacre, by the Chinese government, of Falun Gong practitioners in Changchun."

"Anyone can take a concrete action to denounce this situation. People can sign our petition, which will be presented in Parliament, and our elected officials can write to representatives of the Chinese government to invite them to respect human rights", explained Mathieu Hodgson to Le Soleil, who was among a dozen of followers of Falun Gong reunited in front of the parliament yesterday.

According to him, the Chinese government has, since the beginning of the month of March, ordered the detention of more than 5000 Falun Gong practitioners et caused the death of a hundred more in Changchun. "The Chinese president, Jiang Zemin, ordered the death of the practitioners after a group of people tapped the signal of an important television station to broadcast programs denouncing the continuing campaign against Falun Gong."

Mr. Hodgson maintains that an illegal crackdown was put into action after estimates revealed that the number of Falun Gong practitioners exceeded the number of communist party members. Yet, he explains, "Falun Gong is nothing more than a peaceful practice and meditation that brings inner peace and health to people's lives."

According to Mr. Hodgson, there would be about 100 followers of Falun Gong in Quebec.

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/soleil/actualites/0203/act_202030082119.html

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