News and Events from around the World -- December 10, 2006

Issued by Clearwisdom Net

On December 7, 2006, Australian Senators Andrew Bartlett (Democrats) and Kerry Nettle (Greens) and MP Chris Bowen (Labor) jointly held a press conference outside the Australian Parliament Building to announce the establishment of the Austrian Delegation of the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG). The delegation demands the Chinese Communist regime to open all labor camps and hospitals in order to allow CIPFG members to perform an independent investigation into the persecution of Falun Gong and the harvesting of organs from Falun Gong practitioners. Senator Bartlett said that the Australian delegation is ready to enter China to perform an investigation. Reporters from many major mainstream media outlets including TV 9, TV 10, ABC TV, Australia Press, 2GB Radio and SBS Radio attended the press conference.

Senator Bartlett said that he was ready and willing to enter China to investigate the persecution of Falun Gong

MP Bowen: "If allegations of organ harvesting are true, that is why they don't issue us visas"

Senator Nettle: "The Green Party is very proud to support the investigation delegation to enter China"

The press conference attracted many reporters from various mainstream media

At the press conference, Democrats Senator Andrew Bartlett told the press: "Australia has major trade and diplomatic relation with China; however, the government cannot thus overlook the allegations of the Chinese Communist regime's atrocities of harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners." He believed that there were people from every political party who were concerned about this issue. He said that he was willing to go to China to investigate and he was ready, if they could perform an independent investigation without interference.

Senator Bartlett said that keeping continuous pressure on the Chinese government is very important. He told local practitioners that he can guarantee that many politicians from all parties are very concerned about this issue and believe that these allegations should be thoroughly investigated. He also hoped that the Chinese community will have a wide consensus in condemning these atrocities happening in China.

Senator Bartlett welcomed two Queensland hospitals' "No Cooperation" policy [with Chinese hospitals]. He said that it was a major process for some Queensland hospitals to refuse to train Chinese surgeons who may be involved in organ transplantation. He said that the public should make further progress and he would try his best to support and participate in related activities.

The Senator believes that human rights in China have in fact deteriorated in the past years, even though China promised to improve human rights when it was applying to host the Olympic Games. He said that now was the time to press the Chinese Communist regime to improve its human rights record. He also promised to continue to raise this issue in Parliament.

At the press conference, Member of Parliament Chris Bowen said that the efforts to improve human rights in China have made some progress. For example, he said that the Matas-Kilgour report investigating allegations of organ harvesting are being read by more and more people and an increasing number of Australian hospitals have started to refuse to train Chinese surgeons. He said that he supported an independent investigation and demanded the Chinese Communist regime to issue visas to members of the investigation group. He said that the Chinese authorities have a very simple choice in which to deny these allegations, which is to allow independent investigations. If they believe that these allegations are not true, they shouldn't have anything to hide. If allegations of organ harvesting are true, that will be the reason that they refused to issue us visas.

Senator Kerry Nettle called on the Chinese authorities to allow investigation groups to enter all Chinese labor camps and hospitals without restriction, in order to perform on-site investigations. She said that the Greens Party is very proud to support the investigation delegation entering China and said that she will write a letter to the Chinese ambassador to request that the regime allow the investigation group to enter China and execute the recommendations made by Matas and Kilgour in their investigation report. She said that China has a long history of trampling on freedom of religious belief and human rights, as well as destroying the environment. Senator Nettle said that the Greens have been repeatedly urging the communist regime to pay attention to these areas.

At the press conference, a representative of the CIPFG also read a letter from a Christian priest to the Australian Prime Minister. In the letter, the priest requested his government to help the CIPFG, deny entry for Chinese doctors who have been involved in organ harvesting, request doctors to provide the source of organs used in transplants, and discourage academic exchange and cooperation between Australian research institutes and the Chinese government.

Wuhan Falun Gong practitioners sent a support letter to the CIPFG Queensland group. In the letter, the practitioners provided evidence of the illegal organ harvesting practice in Wuhan and invited the group to visit Wuhan first.

To date, the CIPFG Australian group has more than 60 members, including senators, MPs, provincial representatives, community leaders, religious leaders, lawyers, medical experts, human rights activists and journalists.

At the invitation of Belgian MP Jan Loones, independent Canadian investigators David Kilgour and David Matas held a press conference at the Belgian Parliament, concerning organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners.

N-VA Party (Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie) MP and Foreign Affairs Committee member, the Honorable Mr. Jan Loones, hosted the press conference. He said that like other people, he has been extremely concerned that western countries including Belgium are only paying attention to doing business with China while almost totally ignoring human rights issues. He stated his grave concerns in a press release on March 18th this year.

Mr. Loones stressed that from reports by Amnesty International, corruption and abuse of power is widespread and very serious in China. The shooting of refugees by Chinese border guards and the arrest of the renowned human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng were among the latest abuses of power. The brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners is especially of concern. He has already requested the Belgian Foreign Affairs Committee to formally open investigation into China's human rights problems. Today's press conference was just the beginning of the process.

MP Loones said that David Kilgour and David Matas carried out independent investigations into allegations that the Chinese Communist regime harvests organs from living Falun Gong practitioners. Although the allegation is so shocking and difficult to believe, the conclusion of their investigation confirmed that the Chinese Communist regime persecuted a large number of Falun Gong practitioners, and their organs were taken and traded at high prices. This happens at the time when the Chinese regime claims that it is in the best period of human rights in China. Mr. Loones hoped that the western governments would raise the human rights issue with China openly , not just conduct human rights dialogue behind closed doors. He praised the recent action by the Canadian Prime Minister, who insisted that Canadian values and principles on human rights come before trade with China, and cited it as an example for other countries.

In his press release to the media, Mr. Loones demanded that the dictatorial Chinese Communist regime open prisons, labor camps and other facilities where Falun Gong practitioners are being illegally detained. He called upon the Belgian Parliament and various governments to support the investigation.

Following Mr. Loones' speech, the two independent Canadian investigators, David Kilgour and David Matas introduced their investigation reports and the latest progress. They appealed for united action by all political parties to stop the continuing atrocity by the Chinese Communist regime.

A Falun Gong practitioner from France, Chen Ying described her own experience of being subjected to brutal persecution in a Chinese labor camp because of her belief in "Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance." After the atrocity of the regime's organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners were exposed, Ms. Chen remembered that in the labor camp, she was subjected to various medical examinations, including tests of her heart, blood and eyes, while being tortured (obviously the medical examinations were not to ensure practitioners' physical health). She appealed to western society to help stop the persecution, and rescue Falun Gong practitioners who face the threat of death.

The Belgium representative for the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong in China (CIPFG), Mr. Ivan said in his speech that since the Chinese regime's organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners was exposed in March, the CIPFG was established with the sole aim of investigating and stopping the large-scale persecution by the Chinese Communist regime against Falun Gong, especially the atrocity of organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners.

He said that currently, members of CIPFG in China, such as human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng and Yang Zaixin, have been harassed and arrested. Large numbers of Falun Gong practitioners are still detained in prisons, labor camps and other facilities, and subjected to torture. They can become victims of organ harvesting at any time. The international community has a responsibility to immediately investigate and stop this crime against humanity.

Mr. Ivan said that a group to conduct an investigation in China has recently been formed and plans to go to China to investigate the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and the atrocity of organ harvesting from living people. Many people from various professions have applied to join the group. They plan to go to China to carry out thorough and independent investigations. CIPFFG sub-groups from Australia, Europe, North America and Asia have already formed or are being formed. Mr. Ivan demanded that the Chinese regime keep its promise to the international community, assisting the investigation group to openly investigate all allegations without interference.

Mr. Ivan said that the group would inform governments and media of the whole progress, including its members' applications for visas to enter China, and the investigation in China. He called for the support and concern of the international community.