Brisbane, Australia: Falun Gong Practitioners Win Award at World Refugee Day Festival (Photo)

By Chen Xinning, Minghui/Clearwisdom reporter

(Clearwisdom.net) Since the United Nations designated June 20 as World Refugee Day in 2000, on this day every year, there are various celebrations and ceremonies around the world, honoring refugees for their contributions and also expressing the world's support, concern and respect for them.

On June 24, 2007, the Volunteer Refugee Tutoring and Community Support Program (VoRTCS) in Brisbane, sponsored by the Brisbane city government and the Queensland Multi-cultural Department, held a World Refugee Day Community Festival at Annerley Soccer Club Fields in the south district of Brisbane. Local Falun Gong practitioners were invited to participate in the event.

The practitioners demonstrated the five sets of Falun Gong exercises, performed Chinese dances and traditional waist drum performance on the stage. The sponsor issued them Best Participation Award.

Folded paper lotus flowers hanging at the Falun Dafa booth attracted the attention of many people who came to learn how to make the paper flowers. While making paper lotus flowers, practitioners explained to people about the wonderfulness of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance," and told them about how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) persecutes Falun Gong practitioners in China. They talked about how many practitioners have had to become refugees because they persisted in their belief. The practitioners also explained the symbolic meaning of the lotus flower - that after going through hardship one will obtain something wonderful, just as the lotus flower blossoms from the mud.

A western Falun Gong practitioner said that the practitioners were very pleased to be invited to take part in the day's activity. Because Falun Gong has a close relationship with traditional Chinese culture, they were happy to share with the Australian people the wonderfulness of Falun Dafa, even though the persecution is still happening in China. Though under persecution in China, Falun Gong has been introduced widely to the world.

A young man who had learned the facts about Dafa told practitioners that he was shocked upon learning that Falun Gong practitioners have their organs harvested in China by the CCP. He thought that such acts are inhuman atrocities.

Another woman passed the booth and walked up to ask practitioners, "Can I sign my name to support you?" She said she had learned about the persecution of Falun Gong by the CCP, and hoped to try her best to oppose the persecution.

During the activity, there were many people who wanted to learn Falun Gong. A Westerner named Jeff said that he has been searching for such a practice since childhood, and he found it today. He could feel that the energy field of Falun Gong is righteous.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2007/6/25/157578.html

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