8/15/2000
Monitoring News of the Persecution of Falun Gong

FALUN DAFA INFORMATION CENTER - Contacts: Gail Rachlin 212-501-8080, Erping Zhang 917-679-6944, Feng Yuan 917-912-3301, or Levi Browde 914-720-0963. Email: faluninfoctr@nycmail.com

  • AUSTRALIA TO QUESTION CHINA'S LEGAL TREATMENT OF FALUN GONG
  • 30,000 CHINESE FARMERS PROTEST GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION, INACTION
  • CHINA DUBBED "ENEMY OF THE INTERNET"

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AUSTRALIA TO AIR HUMAN RIGHTS CONCERNS WITH CHINA

CANBERRA, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Australia is to raise concerns with China over its human rights record, particularly treatment of Falun Gong followers, during talks next week, a foreign ministry official said. ``Over the past year there has been some negative developments and we do intend to raise them in the course of these talks,'' a senior foreign ministry official told reporters on Thursday ahead of the 12-member Chinese delegation's August 13-18 visit. ``The way the Chinese authorities have treated practitioners of Falun Gong does raise issues, in our view, relating to freedom of expression, association and assembly,'' the foreign affairs official said. ``It also raises issues about the way the legal system is used in relation to these people.'' He said Australia has the world's highest level of dialogue with China on human rights, with this year's delegation to be led by vice-foreign minister Yang Jiechi.

30,000 FARMERS IN CHINA PROTEST UNFAIR RESPONSE TO APPEALS

HONG KONG, Aug 11 (AFP) - Some 30,000 farmers in China's northern Shaanxi province signed a petition to the provincial high court calling for the release of a lawyer jailed for lodging complaints over taxes, a Hong Kong rights group said Friday... The sentencing of [the lawyer involved] highlights an increasing incidence of Chinese citizens jailed after they have sought to lodge formal complaints to the government through designated and legal channels. Thousands of members of the outlawed Falun Gong spiritual sect have been detained and arrested after coming to Beijing to lodge formal complaints with the government over the ongoing crackdown on the group. The numbers of Falun Gong protesters coming to Beijing have resulted in both the Complaints Bureau of the State Council and the National People's Congress removing signboards outside their premises in what Falun Gong protesters say is an effort to end continuing complaints.

CHINA VOWS TO BATTLE "ENEMY FORCES" ON INTERNET

BEIJING, Aug 9 (Reuters) - In one of China's clearest statements yet of its ambivalent embrace of the Internet, the Communist flagship People's Daily said the global computer network had made ``political thought work'' more efficient but brought unwelcome ideas. The Internet had extended the government's reach, but ``has also become an important thought and public opinion battle front and a new realm for the struggle of international opinion,'' the newspaper said in a commentary. ``Enemy forces at home and abroad are sparing no effort to use this battle front to infiltrate us,'' it said The call to party and state media to be as well-wired as China's critics came a day after foreign human rights criticised Beijing for shutting down what they said was the country's only China-based, openly pro-democracy website. Members of the banned Falun Gong spiritual group have also been arrested for using the Internet to spread information about their faith and about government efforts to crush the movement and to organise protests against the year-old crackdown.

CHINA ATTEMPTS TO INFLUENCE LOCAL LEGAL POLICY IN SINGAPORE

AFP, August 7, 2000. The Falun Gong spiritual movement launched a promotional campaign in Singapore Monday, claiming members were being harassed by authorities although the group is legally registered. Falun Gong, banned in China as a subversive organization, booked half-page newspaper advertisements which gave an introduction to the movement and its principles of "truthfulness, compassion and forbearance." The advertisement stressed that Falun Gong has been legally registered in Singapore as the Falun Buddha Society since last year. "Even if we are registered in Singapore, some policemen still approach our members who gather and tell them they are banned," he told AFP. "We cannot accept things that are happening in China. A lot of our followers are being sent to jail without trial," Hao said, adding that his 54-year-old mother is currently serving a one-year term at Shanghai prison.

NEWS FROM CHINA: UPDATE ON THE CURRENT CONDITION OF MS. ZHAO XIN

Note: As was reported here previously, Zhao Xin, a 32-year-old Falun Dafa practitioner was rushed to a local hospital after a number of her vertebrae were fractured while in police custody. The following is an update on her condition:

At the present time, Ms. Zhao is unable to move any part of her body below the shoulders. It is very difficult for her to speak, and she is in constant pain. She is unable to see with her left eye due to injuries. She is suffering from frequent infections and high fevers. She relies on IV's to sustain her life, but because of the length of treatment, the blood vessel walls of her arms have collapsed, and the nurses can no longer locate healthy veins in which to stick the IV needles. Fortunately, Ms. Zhao can now breathe on her own after working hard to get rid of her dependence on the ventilator, bottled oxygen, and the machine that removes phlegm. Police are holding her family responsible for her medical expenses, but because they are unable to pay the huge bill, the hospital will only provide minimal care and medication.


NEW PUBLICATION AND VIDEO AVAILABLE: "The Falun Dafa Quarterly," a journal for community leaders and concerned individuals, plus "Falun Gong: The Real Story, Part 2," a 30-minute docu-video with rare footage of interviews from inside China, as well as commentary from top scholars and human rights experts. Contact the Falun Dafa Information Center for complimentary copies for the media.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE FALUN DAFA INFORMATION CENTER - Contacts: Gail Rachlin 212-501-8080, Erping Zhang 917-679-6944, Feng Yuan 917-912-3301, or Levi Browde 914-720-0963. Email: faluninfoctr@nycmail.com

Category: Accounts of Persecution