Halifax Daily News (Nova Scotia, Canada): Falun Gong wants feds to take a stand

August 2, 2006

Several concerned Chinese-Canadians in Halifax attended a rally at city hall yesterday, calling on the federal government to take a stand against the Chinese government to stop harvesting organs from live people.

Four teams of Falun Gong practitioners are traveling the country, trying to raise awareness of the allegations that China's Communist government is facilitating taking organs from live Falun Gong practitioners.

A Clayton Park woman, who asked not to be identified to protect her family in China, says Falun Gong is a harmless and peaceful act that has improved her health.

"I haven't taken a pill for any health problem in at least seven years," said the woman who immigrated to Canada in 1984. "It has wonderful benefits for me physically, mentally and spiritually."

Persecuting

She says in 1999, when the Chinese government started persecuting practitioners and spreading slander about Falun Gong, she decided to research it herself.

"The stories painted a picture of Falun Gong practitioners as being so dangerous, so it struck my attention," she said. "There are two very different pictures. The practitioners I have seen are very kind and very peaceful and on the other hand people hear all kinds of evil stories coming from the government that aren't true."

She continues to be a faithful follower, but her family in China doesn't practice Falun Gong because they fear the consequences.

"They are afraid of persecution," she said. "They have all kinds of worries and they won't even talk about what's going on on the telephone or in letters."

The woman considers herself lucky to live in Canada, where she is free to practice any type of faith she desires. She calls the events in China horrific crimes.

"It took a long time for us to comprehend that this has been ongoing for years," she said. "This is not just a crime against Falun Gong practitioners, it is a crime against all of humanity."

Elaine Xie fears for her mother-in-law's safety in a Chinese prison, where she and other followers of Falun Gong are being persecuted.

"The atrocity was exposed in March this year, but because there was no third-party investigation on this allegation, no media dared to report it," said the Toronto resident. "But after two months' investigation by David Kilgour and David Matas, they released their report on July 6 on Parliament Hill, and it confirmed that the allegation of organ harvesting is true."

Highlights evidence

The report highlights evidence, including recorded phone conversations, that suggest the allegations are true.

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