(Clearwisdom.net) On July 23, 2006, Ms. Jenny Macklin,
MP, Deputy Leader of the Opposition Labor Party of Australia wrote a letter to
Australian citizen Ms Chen Muhan concerning the CCP's abuse of the human rights
of Ms. Chen's mother and other Falun Gong practitioners in China. MP Macklin
said in the letter: "Human rights abuses, wherever they occur, are
abhorrent." Below is the text of the letter. Deputy Leader of the Opposition Dear Ms Chen Thank you for your letter. I understand your concerns for
your mother. Human rights abuses, wherever they occur, are abhorrent. My
Party is committed to the essential democratic principle that the rights and
freedoms of all people should be protected and enforced. Similarity we hold a
fundamental belief that members of all religions or philosophies have a right to
practice their beliefs in peace and freedom and this certainly includes
practitioners of Falun Gong. We wholeheartedly support the rights of all peoples
as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and all other
international treaties to which Australia is a party. All information related to the suppression of human rights is
constantly monitored by us as we continue to pursue our human rights objectives
and in the development of our human rights policy. I am aware of a report
presented to the UN Human Rights Commission by the United Nations Special
Rapporteur on Torture, Professor Manfred Nowak following his visit to China in
December 2005. Labor has also noted with concern reports from the US State
Department and Amnesty International about the Chinese Government's treatment of
Falun Gong supporters. There is no doubt that human rights abuses continue to occur,
even though there have been significant human rights improvements in China over
the last 25 years. These improvements include significant legal reforms which
have reduced but not eliminated the likelihood of arbitrary arrest. Labor will continue to raise human rights concerns with the
Chinese Government and we will continue to push for China to ratify the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Yours sincerely Jenny Macklin MP 23 July 2006
Federal Member for Jagajaga
Deputy Federal Labor Leader
Shadow Minister for Education, Training, Science and Research
Posting date: 11/27/2006
Original article date: 11/27/2006
Category: Worldwide Support
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.ca/mh/articles/2006/11/25/143220.html