Mid-November 2000

Dear Friends and Family,

I hope this letter finds you well!

I am writing this with regard to the current extensive and severe human rights violations and persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. This has lasted over a year now, during which time (as verified by recognized organizations such as Amnesty International) tens of thousands of practitioners have been detained, at least 10,000 have been sent to labor camps without trial, around 600 mentally healthy people have been forced into psychiatric facilities (and suffered abuse by sedative and anti-hypnotic drugs and electroshock 'therapy'), over 450 have been put on show trials and been sentenced to up to 18 years in prison, where many have suffered tortures and other ill treatments (including rape, forced-feeding, beatings, forced abortions, electric shocks etc.) to date, at least 78 Falun Dafa practitioners have reportedly died from maltreatment while in police custody. This is indeed a very grave situation and has recently been escalating in intensity. I shed many tears after hearing that recently, in Masanjia Labor Re-Education Camp, 18 female practitioners were stripped naked by the guards and thrown into a large cell at the mercy of the general male inmate population; one can but shudder thinking of the disgusting abuses that followed: rape and beatings.

All practitioners wish to do is to elevate their moral standards by following the principle of "Zhen(Truth, Truthfulness)-Shan(Compassion, Benevolence)-Ren(Forbearance, Tolerance)", values which resonate as good in many people's minds around the world, and improve their physical health through practicing the five sets of Falun Dafa exercises and meditation on their own time. Practitioners also have families and careers and strive hard to improve the societies they live in, obey the laws, consider others before themselves, and make the world a better place for all. In the other 40-odd countries of the world where many practitioners live and work, Falun Dafa is not only legal, but has also been heralded as good by many people and governments. Here in Canada, dozens awards and proclamations were issued this year, including congratulations from the Governor-General, the Heritage Minister, mayors, provincial premiers and many MPs.

Practitioners in China and overseas are working tirelessly to try to clarify the facts to the Chinese government and the people of the world in order to clarify the truth and engage in open dialogue to peacefully resolve the crisis.

In the one year I myself have practiced this ancient system of cultivation of mind and body, I have personally experienced its incredible effects on my physical health and state of mind. I, like 100 million others, have been able to turn my back on drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, and many harmful behaviors, achieve increasing inner peace, have perfect physical health, live more stress-free and happily, overcome previously unimaginable difficulties the list of benefits goes on and on. I have never paid a cent to anyone to learn or practice this, nor have I ever been obligated to do anything: the practice is open and free, and the focus is on one's own individual improvement.

As such, I cannot stand by idly as I hear about the horrible sufferings of practitioners in China, and the slander propagated by the Chinese president Jiang Zemin (and a couple of other high-level officials). The Chinese people are gradually starting to see through the lies, and are realizing that it is the persecution, not the practice, that is truly disrupting their country. The crackdown violates China's own constitution as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, both of which have been signed by China.

Kind-hearted people worldwide have started to raise their voice and call for an end to the persecution: through petitions and letters our own government has received a steady stream of feedback. Please find enclosed some small 'Appeals For Peace', which only need to be signed and dropped in a mailbox in order to address these concerns to the Prime Minister. There is also some other information about Falun Dafa itself

Friends and family, those who know me well, please search your hearts and think about what kind of world you would like to live in, what kind of world you would like your children, grandchildren, descendants--all people--to live in, and sign the Appeal For Peace and do whatever else you can to help end the crackdown and herald in this new age of "Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance". I am certain that you will not regret it.

"Mankind! Wake up! The vows of Gods throughout history are being fulfilled. Dafa is evaluating all lives. The path of life is under one's own feet. A single thought of his own will also decide his own future" (-Li Hongzhi)

Sincerely,

A Falun Dafa Practitioner