Reporter
[Practitioners]
of the Falun Dafa Association of Saipan conduct one of their meditation
exercises. (Photo by Agnes E. Donato)
The Falun Dafa Association of Saipan is now conducting a signature drive to
support a petition letter addressed to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.
The group's spokesman, Vincent Perez, said he drafted the letter, which the
group plans to send to the Secretary of State immediately after the Flame Tree
Arts Festival.
As of yesterday, more than 50 have already signed the petition letter and Perez
said the group hopes to get more signatures before the festival ends in April.
Perez said the petition letter is based on similar petitions that other Falun
Gong groups have initiated all over the world. The group is also known by that
name.
The one-page letter states that the undersigned community members call on the
United States to demand that the government of the People's Republic of China
cease its persecution of Falun Gong immediately. It also asked for the release
of all Falun Gong prisoners in China.
"We will extend it [signature drive] until the end of the Flame Tree
festival," said Perez. "Hopefully by sending this letter to the
Secretary of State, they would know that the people of CNMI are also concerned
about the issue."
Perez also stated on the letter that Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch,
and a host of other human rights organization have reported that tens of
thousands of Falun Gong practitioners in China have been arrested on spurious
charges, with thousands more being sent to slave labor camps without trial.
"Torture is widespread, and now accounts for at least 1,500 deaths in
police custody. Thousands have been stripped of their homes, jobs, education,
and even families," said the petition letter.
Perez also said the suppression of Falun Gong by Chinese authorities has spread
overseas to democratic countries, "notably on American soil." The
letter alleges that China has attempted to influence and intimidate officials at
all levels of the U.S. government who support Falun Gong, as well as harass,
threaten and violently beat United States citizens.
The letter said the reported beatings of Americans has led the U.S. House of
Representatives to unanimously pass Resolution 188, calling for an immediate
investigation and action against any Chinese government personnel that are found
to be involved.
In addition, the resolution also condemns the persecution of Falun Gong
practitioners in China and in America.
"The PRC's cover-up of SARS has shown that there are global consequences
for lying, callous disregard for human life and denial accountability,"
said the letter.
Perez said they are doing this to let the international community know that
Falun Gong practitioners in the CNMI have a voice, too.
"Saipan Falun Gong are not afraid to go out in public on Saipan," he
said. "We are very much visible at the Thursday night Garapan Street
Market. We also practice every evening in the Immigration Building parking lot,
and also every Sunday morning at Banzai Cliff."
The Falun Dafa Association of Saipan was founded in 1996.
Visual artist Xiaoping Chen, who is holding an art exhibit at the Council of
Arts gallery, is encouraging everyone to view the exhibit and sign the petition
letter, which is also being circulated at the event.
Source: http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=1&newsID=45923
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