Guelph Mercury (Ontario, Canada): Falun Gong benefits can't be overlooked

By David Meek

April 19, 2003 Saturday Final Edition

Editorial, Pg. A6


Dear Editor - When I read the letter written by Tao Liu regarding Falun Gong, I couldn't help but feel sadness in my heart.

People of global social conscience are faced with the task of undoing the slanderous propaganda campaign that the Chinese government has chosen to disseminate.

In 1993, Li Hongzhi (founder of Falun Gong) was awarded the prestigious Frontier Science Award in China and has also been nominated for the Nobel Peace prize on two consecutive occasions. [Editor's note: Mr. Li has been nominated for Nobel Peace prize on four consecutive occasions from the year of 2000 to 2003.] Throughout 1992-94 the Chinese government even arranged for Li Hongzhi to give lectures throughout China. Further, the Falun Gong teachings discourage mixing politics and the practice to prevent this problem from happening.

Sources inside China report that over 2,000 innocent people have been murdered by the state persecution. To me, this makes the Falun Gong situation one of great urgency. To date, the Canadian government has aided in the rescue of seven Falun Gong practitioners who have family in Canada. The U.S. Congress has unanimously passed Resolution 188, calling the Chinese
government to cease the persecution of Falun Gong. As well, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have heavily supported all Falun Gong practitioners in China and worldwide.

The actual programme that Liu saw in China where a man said to practice Falun Gong murdered his family was also shown in Canada. The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council stopped the airing of the Chinese state-owned news programme. The CBSC decision stated: "...it is nothing more or less than a biased attack on Falun Gong by the producer of that news item... The
Council has found that the news item relating to murders committed in Mainland China was unfair and improper in its method of linking the murderer to Falun Gong..."

I truly feel sorry for what the Chinese president has done to the minds of his own people. If Liu still doesn't believe the effects of this persecution maybe we can get him in touch with one of the 13 Ontario residents who have family members still being tortured in Chinese labour camps, or one of the seven Falun Gong practitioners who have been rescued by the Canadian government, or perhaps the Ottawa university student whose mother was murdered by Chinese officials because she appealed for an end to the persecution.

Falun Dafa teaches simple exercises and moral principles encompassed by truth, compassion and forbearance.

Practitioners live passively and selflessly, and always contribute to society as best they can. The propaganda that started in 1999, seven years after Falun Gong's first appearance in public, has always been irrational and senseless when viewed dialectically.

Falun Gong is taught free of charge in over 50 countries around the world. It has received over 700 proclamations in North America from government and non-government organizations. It is only persecuted in Mainland China, and not even in Hong Kong or Taiwan (where there are over 300,000 practitioners). For anyone who might want further information please visit www.faluninfo.net or come to the 5th floor (room 533) of the University Centre, University of Guelph, Saturdays at 10 a.m.

David Meek
Milton

 Yearly Archive   Printer Version