Sharing with Fellow Practitioners in Singapore Regarding the Merlion Park Incident

By Zhong Gu

(Clearwisdom.net) On April 27, 2005 the Singapore court found two women Falun Gong practitioners, Ng Chye Huay and Cheng Lujin, guilty and levied heavy fines against them. At the first hearing, the judge arbitrarily rejected the lawyer's defence. He tried to defend their rights according to Singapore's Constitution and according to generally accepted human rights. The judge also dismissed the fact that the prosecutor was unable to produce evidence for a number of the government's accusations, and insisted on the heavy fines. In essence, the unfair verdict constitutes participation in the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. As Dafa disciples, we know that nothing is accidental. Since this incident occurred in Singapore, I feel that we Singapore practitioners should think deeply about it. Here I would like to share some of my personal views.

Soon after July 20, 1999 when the Chinese Communist government started to openly persecute Falun Gong, the Singapore government also started to restrict Falun Gong practitioners' activities in Singapore. For the past few years, the Singapore government has all along taken a negative attitude towards Falun Gong and has chosen to act as an accomplice to the Chinese Communist regime in the persecution of Falun Gong. The following are some of the things they have done in this respect:

• Both the Singapore government and the media know about the persecution of Falun Gong in China and they both know that Falun Gong is well received in the international community. They also know that Falun Gong practitioners are good people who conduct themselves according to the principles of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance." The authorities in Singapore, however, still chose to take an opposite stand and to restrict Falun Gong activities. The media also actively and constantly reprint slanderous articles from the Chinese Communist media, to poison the minds of the people in Singapore by feeding them negative and false images of Falun Gong.

• In the Merlion Park Incident, the authorities in Singapore stirred up the case against Falun Gong. At the first hearing, the judge refused to allow the defence lawyer to defend his clients according Singapore's Constitution and human rights. When the prosecutor failed to provide effective evidence for a number of the accusations, the judge still insisted on passing a very unfair verdict against the two Falun Gong practitioners. This is already an act of pandering to the persecution policy of the Chinese Communist regime and an act of cooperating with the Chinese Communist Party in its suppression of Falun Gong in the international community.

• They ignored the repeated appeals from one of the practitioners--that she has a nursing baby--and unreasonably refused their right to post bail. They then forcibly sent the practitioners to jail, thus turning the court into a tool for the authorities to persecute Falun Gong practitioners.

• The MacRitchie Incident and the Merlion Park Incident are only the cases of persecution of Falun Gong practitioners at the hands of the Singapore government that have become known to the public. In fact, ever since the Chinese Communist regime started to persecute Falun Gong, the authorities in Singapore have actively pandered to the Chinese Communist regime and have carried out various forms of persecution against Singapore Falun Gong practitioners, such as canceling permits for Falun Gong practice sites at community clubs and other locations, refusing Falun Gong practitioners' application for residency status; the police openly using intimidation tactics against Falun Gong practitioners who practiced the exercises outdoors; officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs forcing employers to cancel Falun Gong practitioners' employment; deporting Falun Gong practitioners with limited visas, without any consideration of the dangers they would face back in China, and other such incidents.

On the one hand, they instigate the Singapore media to constantly reprint slanderous propaganda against Falun Gong concocted by the Chinese Communist regime to poison the minds of the Singapore people; on the other hand, they hinder and restrict Falun Gong practitioners' truth-clarifying activities, reject Falun Gong practitioners' application for appeal in front of the Chinese Embassy without any valid reason, and refuse to publish any articles by Falun Gong practitioners to expose the facts of the persecution in China, so as to further deceive the people in Singapore.

The authorities in Singapore have gone further and further in their opposition to Dafa, to the point of passing this unjustifiable verdict and sentencing the practitioners to detention. Under such circumstances, we should see through the nature of this incident, firmly step out to clarify the truth and expose the persecution.

At the same time, we should realize that under such autocratic rule, the people in Singapore tend to listen and believe what the government says. The media is the main source of information for the people in Singapore. Due to the lies and slanderous propaganda from the media over the past few years, the people in Singapore have developed a rather strong feeling of prejudice against Falun Gong, and they have been led to a very dangerous situation. Our clarifying the truth and exposing the persecution is truly offering sentient beings salvation. Once the people get to know the wrongdoings committed by the Singapore government, the unfair verdict passed by the judge, the unreasonableness of the police and the profound compassion and forbearance demonstrated by Falun Gong practitioners, they will make the correct choice and be saved from harm.

In fact, in this case, the true victims that are harmed are the misled people in Singapore. Everything we do is for saving sentient beings and is truly responsible to the people in Singapore. We must accept this responsibility and fulfill our duty. I remember that Ng Chye Huay said to me not long ago when I met her in the USA, "I really wanted to come here before I came. Now that I have come I feel like going back sooner, because I just cannot keep those several million people in Singapore off my mind." I was really touched by her strong sense of responsibility.

2. Grasp the opportunity to cultivate; look inward and find the gap

From the perspective of cultivation, the current event is closely related to our cultivation state. Looking at this acute situation, Singapore practitioners' cultivation state as a whole reveals some problems. Some aspects really manifest in these issues.

• The number of island-wide outdoor exercise groups has been decreasing. Some claimed that nobody was watching our group exercises; that the effect from the group exercises was not significant, and therefore it was meaningless to have group exercises. So, we didn't persist in it anymore. In fact, during the island-wide group exercises, many practitioners practiced together and formed a strong field. The sharing before and after the exercises helped the practitioners to understand each other's cultivation state. We were able to find our shortcomings through communicating with fellow practitioners, which was beneficial to our striving forward together in cultivation. When we send forth righteous thoughts together, the power is very strong, and it can effectively eliminate the evil in the other dimensions.

• Singapore practitioners have not had large group Fa study for a long time. The group Fa study used to encourage many practitioners on their cultivation paths. We should not be stopped by the surface manifestations such as the facility's lease term has expired, yet we have not found a new location. We should make the right circumstances happen and actively organize group study and sharing. The strong and righteous field can bond people, increase righteous thoughts and remove worries.

• After the Nine Commentaries on the Chinese Communist Party was published, they have been taken seriously in many countries. Conferences on the Nine Commentaries have been held in many countries. Large numbers of articles have been distributed and these have helped many people to see clearly the nature of the evil Communist spirit. Yet activities like these have not been paid attention to in Singapore. The Nine Commentaries plays a great role in eliminating the evil Communist spirit and the Communist Party's evil elements in the other dimensions. The commentaries help people see clearly the evil nature of the Communist spirit, cleanse the poisonous information from their minds, and serve the purpose of saving people.

• Before and after the unfair court judgment in the subordinate court, we did not organize additional practitioners for group sharing to help us correctly understand the nature of this incident on the basis of the Fa. Some practitioners repeatedly complained to others and concealed their fears.

Such a state of mind has provided the evil with excuses to persecute and take advantage of Dafa practitioners. We should face our problems, dig out our attachments, take the incident as a cultivation opportunity, improve our Fa study and sharing, help the practitioners to upgrade everyone's understanding as a whole based on the Fa, and strive forward in cultivation.

The Singapore government has ruled the country via dictatorship over the past dozen years. It uses harsh law clauses, police and secret agents to create a strict rule and terrifying atmosphere. Having lived in this environment for a long time, people are used to the thinking pattern of unquestionably obeying the government and have developed a profound fear. They believe that they have to listen to the government, and there is no way to resist. Otherwise, they would be severely punished. Such fear is obvious among the local practitioners, too. Some have not been able to get rid of it for a long time. Such fear has hindered the righteous thoughts of the practitioners and stopped many practitioners from stepping forward to clarify the truth. Consumed with such fear, some even are afraid of others stepping forward to clarify the truth and believe it will irritate the government and damage Singapore's cultivation environment.

With such fear, some practitioners are not able to look properly at the tribulation. Some often cover up their decision of not daring to step forward to validate Dafa by criticizing other practitioners as conducting themselves wrongly or behaving in an extreme way. Such a phenomenon is rather apparent. Some practitioners have been holding onto such notions and don't want to let go of them.

The Merlion Park incident has provided us with a great opportunity to cultivate and upgrade ourselves. It exposed our deeply hidden fears and clearly revealed them to us, so that we can recognize them, toss them out of our mind, and get rid of them through cultivation. In fact, fear can only play its role when one doesn't know the truth, and it becomes intensified in an unknown, terrifying atmosphere. What Singapore's evil wants to maintain is this terrifying atmosphere. Once practitioners have recognized it, faced it properly and distanced themselves from the fear, there is nothing to be afraid of. It is like a person walking by a river. At first he worries that his shoes will get wet, but once one of his feet gets wet, he will just walk in the water and have no more fear.

As Fa rectification is progressing today, the evil is no longer strong. We have never feared the CCP's complete collection of evil, at all times and in all countries. Why should we fear that tiny bit of evil in Singapore? I recollect the time we started to send forth righteous thoughts. One day we as a group sent forth righteous thoughts in Pasir Ris Park. The dark clouds came with strong gusts and rain poured down on us. We were not perturbed by it and persisted in sending forth righteous thoughts. Haven't we overcome it? Afterwards we all felt good that we were not scared by the evil and did not withdraw. As a matter of fact, we had eliminated a lot of evil.

One's will is critical! The will of someone who persists in the truth is strong. Dafa disciples' firm righteous thoughts in Dafa make all evil tremble with fright. When we take the step to validate Dafa, we will experience the power of the righteous thoughts from Dafa and will discover the evil's impotence and weakness. The evil is nothing before the Dafa disciples' righteous thoughts. Having survived interference for so many years, all the Singapore practitioners want is to genuinely cultivate. We will pass this test and pass it well.

The above is my personal understanding. Please correct me if there is anything incorrect.

May 2, 2005

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2005/5/3/101045.html

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