New Zealand Welcomes the Arrival of Falun Gong Practitioners (Photo)

(Clearwisdom.net) At 4:00 p.m. on January 15, 2006, in the waiting hall of the Bangkok International Airport in Thailand, Falun Gong practitioners held a farewell ceremony for Huang Guohua and his four-year-old daughter, Huang Ying, who would soon fly to New Zealand.

Prior to this, Huang Guohua had been illegally detained at the Bangkok Immigration Detention Center for a month for protesting in front of the Chinese Communist regime's embassy in Thailand over the Chinese police's acts of violence. Through Falun Gong practitioners' efforts and with help from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the New Zealand government, Huang Guohua and his daughter were eventually freed to be resettled by the UNHCR in New Zealand.

Stuff.co.nz, New Zealand carried a report entitled "Falun Gong refugee flies to NZ from detention in Bangkok" on January 17, 2006.

"A member of China's banned Falun Gong spiritual movement who was arrested in Thailand's capital Bangkok for protests outside the Chinese embassy there, has flown to Auckland with his four year-old daughter. Huang Guohua and his daughter Huang Ying plan to settle in New Zealand after Mr Huang spent a month behind bars at the Bangkok Immigration Detention Center."

Mr Huang told journalists at the airport that he was pleased to finally find a home again in New Zealand. He said he had not expected the Thai government to support the Chinese Communist Party regime.

"Cozying up to an evil regime is a pity and a shame. I hope that the Thai government can stand on the side of righteousness and bravely release the four Falun Gong practitioners still detained," he said.

Mr Huang said that Chinese Communist regime's persecution and torture is severe. His wife was three-months pregnant at the time of her death due to torture. This case has been documented by several international human rights bodies, including the UN Human Rights Commission.

About 40 supporters had a farewell gathering for them at Bangkok's Don Muang International Airport. "Thai officials should not have had police escort Mr. Huang to the airport directly from detention." said Teresa Vilaidaraga, 29, a Thai Falun Gong practitioner.

The article noted that UNHCR is working to have the other four detainees move to a third country. So far four practitioners were still being detained in Thailand. Their family members said that the practitioners and family members will go to Norway under the arrangement of UNHCR.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2006/1/19/118993.html

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