Harstad Tidende (Norway): Support Persecuted Falun Gong Practitioners (Photo)

By Gurid Ivarhus Næss

Thursday the 30th of June 2005

(Clearwidom.net) Editor's note: Two Falun Gong practitioners in Norway toured around Northern Norway to visit journalists and raise awareness about the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong in China. The following is the English translation of an article published by Harstad Tidende, a newspaper in Norway, on June 30.

Simon and Terese practice Falun Gong together with 100 million others. Chinese practitioners are persecuted by the authorities.

Peaceful method

Simon Miller and Terese Eriksen practice Falun Gong several times a week, alone or together with others. It is best to do the exercises outdoors, they feel.

Terese Eriksen from Harstad has practised Falun Gong for four years, and has now received a visit from Simon Miller, an English practitioner, who is travelling around Northern Norway to raise the awareness of the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.

"You can call it a SOS tour to make people aware of what is happening in China. Falun Gong has nothing to do with politics, it is not a religion, and it is based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance," Simon says.

"I have gained better physical health after four years of practice in this method. Still, the mental gain is the greatest. Falun Gong is like a travel within ones inner self, and I have come to know myself better," says Terese.

The two practitioners hope that people from Harstad may also pay attention to those [practitioners] who are persecuted.

Today, Falun Gong practitioners in China are one of the largest persecuted groups in the world. People can support them by, for example, writing a letter to the Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik. One can make him aware of the problem and send him an invitation to put pressure on the Chinese authorities. Simon Miller said that one can also send an email, letter or fax to the Chinese embassy.

• It has five powerful and peaceful exercises that cultivate the body and soul. It is practised in 78 countries.
• The method was first publicised in China in1992, and approved by the authorities. The founder has been nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Price.
• Chinese authorities banned Falun Gong in 1999, because practitioners far outnumbered the members of the Communist party.
• Since then, several thousand Falun Gong practitioners from China have been persecuted, illegally jailed, tortured or sent to forced labor camps. Several thousand have been killed.

Original version available at: http://no.clearharmony.net/articles/200507/624.html

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