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Mr. Soren Espersen, Foreign Affairs spokesperson for the People's Party and member of the National Assembly of Denmark, was interviewed by The Epoch Times newspaper regarding the CCP secret concentration camps, killing Falun Gong practitioners, harvesting organs from live Falun Gong practitioners for profit and finally cremating the remains to destroy the evidence. The following is a transcript of the interview:
Reporter: Many people felt shocked when they heard about the concentration camps and the organ harvesting from the bodies of living people. What was your first response when you heard this?
Soren Espersen: When I heard this, my first response was that it's simply too horrible that this kind of thing can still happen nowadays. I had only heard that this kind of thing happened in the Gulag concentration camps established by the former Soviet Union during Stalin's time and the Nazi concentration camps in the 1940s. It is really horrible to think that it's still happening in 2006.
Reporter: It is said that you have written a letter to the Foreign Minister of Denmark especially regarding this matter. What have you written in the letter?
Soren Espersen: I requested the Danish government to seek an enquiry from the Chinese authorities into whether this is fact or rumor, and urged the CCP to allow the International Red Cross and representatives from the United Nations to investigate this matter in prisons, labor camps and concentration camps in China. As far as I know, there are quite a few concentration camps of this kind in China. It is extremely essential to allow the International Red Cross and representatives of the United Nations to conduct an independent investigation.
Reporter: Did you get a reply?
Soren Espersen: I delivered my letter after I read related reports a few days ago; I expect to get a reply from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in one week. It is very important that all western governments exert pressure on the CCP and force them to stop this kind of conduct. If the CCP regime wants to enter civilized society, it must stop doing this kind of thing.
Reporter: During World War II, a similar situation developed in the Nazi concentration camps. The truth was not revealed to the public until the end of the war due to the western media and governments keeping silent. The present situation seems similar. Why do so many western media and governments keep silent regarding this matter? What is your view regarding this?
Soren Espersen: This is a good question. In fact, it is very interesting if we judge this matter from the historical angle. Reviewing history, we know that many Chinese people were the victims of the Japanese concentration camps during the World War II; Chinese people clearly knew what concentration camps were. China itself was the victim of the crimes conducted by Japan in the Southeast countries, now the CCP turns out to be the persecutor.
Reporter: Do you think lessons could be learned from this?
Soren Espersen: This kind of thing must be stopped. What I mean is that the International Red Cross should be allowed to investigate the true situation in there, just as the situation happened in the Gulag concentration camps and Nazi concentration camps in those years. It is most important that the international community investigate what has really happened there, rather than merely base the situation on this report. There's a lot at stake, so the international community should exert pressure on the CCP.
Reporter: What do you think the Danish Government should do about the concentration camps?
Soren Espersen: As far as the Danish government is concerned, Denmark is a member of the UN Security Council and has an influential voice in European society. There is also the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; in many aspects we could exert pressure on the CCP regime. It is very desirable for Denmark to respond to this matter.
Reporter: The most recent witness, a senior military doctor, indicates that the CCP established thirty-six concentration camps and they could destroy all the evidence in a few days or weeks. It may not be useful even to launch an investigation in China. Moreover, the CCP only expressed denial three weeks after this matter was exposed to the public. What is your view of this?
Soren Espersen: This is the reason why I think the International organizations must enter China to investigate this matter and exert pressure on the CCP regime. Today I learned that there is more than one concentration camp in China. Although we cannot accurately know what has happened there, it is important for us to enter into those concentration camps to conduct an investigation even if the CCP destroyed the evidence. Of course, destroying evidence itself is also a terrible thing. However the most important thing is to close those concentration camps. People cannot be treated like this nowadays.
From May 4 to 6, 2006, an international liver transplant technology exchange meeting was held in Milan, Italy. The participants were famous surgeons and professors from countries all over the world. Practitioners revealed to the participants the Chinese Communist Party's savage act of stealing and selling Falun Gong practitioners' organs.
After getting approval from the police without problem, on May 6, practitioners went to Milan's Marriot hotel where the meeting would be held to set up display boards at the gate and distribute handouts to pedestrians and participants at the conference. A practitioner obtained the agreement of hotel personnel and stood at the main entrance of hotel to distribute handouts to every guest going in and out. Inside the hotel, a lot of people were reading the handouts. Some people did not take the leaflets while entering the door, yet after they saw a lot of people were reading the leaflets, they went out to ask for a copy from the practitioners.
A professor from Canada requested the handouts from Falun Gong practitioners. He said he would be going to a hospital in Tianjin next month and would read the handouts conscientiously. A lady participating in the meeting took several copies of handouts and said she would show them to her colleagues.
Many participants took photos of the display boards after requesting consent from the practitioners. Two medical professors of surgery coming from Egypt's Cairo University told practitioners that they had patients who went to China for organ transplant operations, which were very cheap. They said they did not know about this thing in the past, which should be known to more people and exposed worldwide. Patients should not go to China for organ transplants, and Chinese doctors should be forbidden to participate in international academic conferences. They also invited practitioners to meet the executive chairman of the meeting.
The doctor mentioned that he shared the view of the scholars participating in the conference, which is that organ transplants should be agreed upon by the donor in advance and should follow accepted medical moral standards. Otherwise it is unacceptable. He also said that although he did not know about Falun Gong practitioners' organs being stolen, he knew about China's taking organs from people on death row. Taking organs without the owner's consent is an act of stealing, which is unacceptable in any case. Unfortunately, the international media has not paid enough attention to the issue. Everybody needs to make joint efforts.
Outside the hotel, residents of Milan passing by were shocked too. A woman with tears in her eyes said after seeing the handout, "I have a liver problem and need to have a transplant badly. However if I know someone would lose their life because of me, then I could not really live. I would rather give up this opportunity. The Communist Party is too bad. My family was once persecuted by the Communist Party in eastern Europe."
Another lady said after seeing the display boards, "I felt suffocated from shock. It is really unimaginable that such a thing could be happening at the present time. How can people just sit and watch?"
The participants came in and out in an endless stream. Almost all the people accepted the handouts, causing a shortage of materials. Fortunately, there was a copy shop nearby so that people with predestined connections had a chance to learn the truth.
On Friday, May 5, 2006, Falun Gong practitioners in France went to the Convention Subway Station in Paris to expose the evil deeds of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). They played recordings, displayed poster boards, collected signatures, and distributed truth-clarification leaflets. People condemned the CCP's crimes and appealed to the world's people to stop the CCP's cruel killing. Many citizens signed the petition to the French President. They urged the French government to make efforts to rescue Falun Gong practitioners who are being persecuted in CCP' labor camps, prisons, and concentration camps.
French students listen to the facts seriously.
French people sign the petition to support Falun Gong practitioners.
One French lady who has been to China said she already knew that the CCP persecutes Falun Gong practitioners. She told us her experience of applying for a visa at the Chinese Embassy and her journey in China. She said: "I know this issue because when I went to apply for a tour visa to China, I happened to see some activities similar to this in front of the embassy. I took some handouts. When I entered the embassy, the door guard asked me to throw away the handouts and newspapers about Falun Gong. I refused and said to them: 'I haven't seen them yet; you can't force me to do things! This is not China!' They then became very angry. After 15 days, I picked up my visa and went to China, and stayed there for about 10 days. However, my luggage was slashed and broken. I don't know whether it was because I read some Falun Gong newspaper and attracted their attention, though it could be a coincidence. When I was in China, I indeed couldn't appreciate some Chinese peoples' behavior. There were many soldiers spying on the tourists all the time. I know that one lady and her entire tour group were taken to the police station and kept there for a whole night. All of their film was taken out of their cameras. The police inspected all of their photos without giving any reasons. I guessed that they thought that there might be some photos regarding Falun Gong practitioners. From then on, I started to realise what had happened. But I never knew about the organ harvesting. It is so horrible! In a time like now, they (CCP) still torture these people! It is too cruel! I think you people are very courageous. What you have done is very good. We must let people know all about this."
Another lady said: "I don't know the entire situation of organ harvesting. I have seen the letter to the President. I hope more people can come to sign it. I hope we can stop what is happening. We must expose it to the whole world. All of these things just cannot be accepted. We must take some action, spread this information to more people, to let people know what still exists in this world. Apart from our actions, the French government can make some effort as well. I hope we can make something happen to stop these atrocities."
A young lady said: "I think this is too cruel, we need to take action now. The media need to report more news, and let more people stand up against this crime. I think the French people can put some effort into this."
One student said: "I think this is unacceptable, such a thing should not happen in this century. We haven't seen this since the 'Nazi years during World War II. Organ harvesting is totally intolerable to me, which is why I signed the petition. For me as a young person, I think I should put some effort for the future."
Mr Joelle, a Cuban who has obtained political asylum in France, said: "I used to be a reporter in Cuba. Under the communist rule, if a reporter wants to tell the truth, he faces the danger of being persecuted to death. We do not have freedom of speech, everything is under the government's close control."
Ms. Alice said: "It is unbelievable! How can such a thing happen! This is shocking. It's horrifying! The French government must do something. I would feel ashamed if my country doesn't take any action."
Ms. Alice signs the petition together with her child.
Mr Saloum said angrily: "This is a disaster. Communism is always like this. The high-ranking people in the government get all the benefits while the people are dying. I hope the situation will change one day."
Since the CCP's harvesting of organs from live Falun Gong practitioners was revealed, Falun Gong practitioners have organised several activities like this to expose the crimes to the French public. The French people's' responses have been very strong, with lots of voices supporting Falun Gong practitioners in urging the international community to stop the atrocities. Falun Gong practitioners indicated that as long as the persecution continues, they will not stop exposing the evil nature of the CCP, and urging the international community to take action immediately.