The Chinese Consulate Fails to Prevent Falun Gong Practitioners from Celebrating the Chinese New Year

January 27, 2004

(Clearwisdom.net) The Spring Festival is a traditional holiday for Chinese people all over the world. Overseas Chinese also celebrate this holiday with many events and activities. Recently, the New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV), headquartered in New York City, held the first Global Chinese New Year Gala on January 17 and 18. The performers in the gala included renowned musicians from China and other countries, including some Falun Gong practitioners. Jiang's regime instructed the Chinese consulates to intervene, but these attempts failed.

According to a report in the Epoch Times on January 22, 2004, on the day when the renowned Australian bassist Christian Bischoff flew to New York City to attend the Gala, he received a telephone call from the Chinese consulate in Australia. The officer from the consulate told him that NTDTV was associated with Falun Gong. The officer said a lot of defamatory things against Falun Gong, tried to persuade him not to attend the activities, and even asked him to cancel his performance. The officer talked with him for at least 15 minutes. Mr. Bischoff said that his home telephone number is unlisted, and it was quite rude and intrusive for the Chinese Consulate to call him at his home. Although Mr. Bischoff felt anxious about the Chinese consulate, he decided to participate in the New York New Year's Gala.

In order to prevent overseas Chinese communities from participating in or supporting the gala, some officers from Chinese embassies and consulates sent threatening letters to Chinese community leaders. Some of the recipients of these letters stated that the content included accusing NTDTV of having "political motives", framing Falun Gong as "anti-China", claiming that the gala was "against humanity", etc. Also, the letters "advised" the community leaders to decline interviews from NTDTV, not to support NTDTV or Falun Gong, and not to attend activities involving Falun Gong.

NTDTV was interfered with by Jiang's regime because it is an independent people's media, which is not influenced by the Chinese embassies or consulates. Also, it follows ethical principles and does not succumb to pressure, telling the truth about Falun Gong and the Jiang regime's lies on a range of topics. For these reasons, Jiang's regime hates - and is scared of - NTDTV. They flagrantly spread lies slandering NTDTV and Falun Gong, and interfered with and sabotaged the activities of overseas Chinese celebrating the New Year.

Despite the interference from Jiang's regime, the "Global Chinese New Year's Gala" was held as planned in New York City's Manhattan Center. The tickets for the two evening performances were sold out, and the gala was a great success. It included a number of performances celebrating the Spring Festival, and mainly reflected the culture of the Tang Dynasty during its height. It helped to enrich the lives of the local Chinese residents and to help build a bridge between East and West.

When French Falun Gong practitioners applied to join in the Spring Festival Parade in Paris on January 24, they were faced with the intervention of the Chinese Embassy in France. The Chinese embassy refused the application from Falun Gong practitioners without giving any written explanation. The embassy openly sabotaged the French spirit of "freedom, equality, and universal fraternity" on French soil. Meanwhile, the French police and Parisian government were also pressured by the Chinese embassy.

Facing unreasonable interference from the Chinese embassy, French Falun Gong practitioners decided to invite practitioners from other European countries to Paris to hold two parades. About 1,000 Falun Gong practitioners from France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Holland, England, Ireland, Italy, and Taiwan held a Spring Festival parade with decorated cars and colorful costumes. Some local Chinese who love Chinese culture and support Falun Gong also joined the parade. The parade was held to warm applause and was well received by the locals.

Since July 1999, Jiang's regime has repeatedly tried to extend the persecution of Falun Gong overseas. However, its efforts are in vain.

Falun Gong, advocating "Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance" and transcending the barriers of nationality, race, and culture, has spread to over 60 nations. Wherever it reaches, people are able to attain physical health and improve their moral character. In recognition for contributions to society, Falun Gong has received over a thousand proclamations from many countries and different levels of government. The various activities of Falun Gong practitioners to spread Chinese culture are welcomed by people everywhere. The governments and citizens of these nations are also beginning to realize the evil nature of the Jiang regime's persecution.

After learning the facts about the persecution, many people condemned the crimes of Jiang's regime in violating the basic human rights of Falun Gong practitioners. The Vancouver Sun published an article with the title: "Chinese officials on RCMP watch list", with the subtitle "Fifteen high-ranking people have been accused of torturing members of the Falun Gong". The article reported that Canadian Falun Gong practitioners have filed a lawsuit against 15 Chinese Communist Party officials, including Jiang Zemin and Liu Qi, for illegally arresting, torturing, and killing Falun Gong practitioners. The police have confirmed that the RCMP has received the list and the 15 officials have been put on the watch list. Any of these 15 officials will be investigated upon entering Canada.

Jiang's regime has failed in their persecution of Falun Gong overseas, and has been widely condemned by international organizations. The Human Rights Committee of the United Nations condemned Jiang's regime for its violation of Falun Gong practitioners' human rights in different reports for several years running.

The U.S. Congress passed Resolution 188 by 420 to 0, urging Jiang's regime to end the persecution of Falun Gong. Many congressmen have stated that Jiang's regime is the one of the most notorious human rights violators in the world. The British Foreign Affairs Department pointed out in their 2003 human rights report that the British government is "concerned with a series of human right problems in China, including: freedom of religion and the sufferings of Falun Gong supporters", and condemns China's human rights record.

Falun Gong practitioners from the United States, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Taiwan, and South Korea have filed lawsuits against Jiang and the "610 Office." The "Global Coalition for Bringing Jiang to Justice" was founded in Washington D.C. in September 2003.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2004/1/27/65955.html

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