TORONTO, August 11 - At a news conference in Toronto on Friday, local Falun Gong practitioners called on the Canadian Government to remove from Canada visiting Chinese official Dong Yiming, Department Chief of the Beijing Appeals Office, who is responsible for the illegal detainment, torture and murder of Falun Gong practitioners in China.

Falun Gong also requested that Canada bar from future entry all officials responsible for persecuting Falun Gong practitioners in China, including Chinese president Jiang Zemin.

On Thursday, a visiting delegation from China, including Dong, held a one-day 'open-house' for overseas Chinese to air their grievances in Toronto's Chinatown.

Ms. Haiying Liu, was reportedly grabbed and dragged as soon as she identified herself as a Falun Gong practitioner. A reporter with the Sing Tao Daily Chinese newspaper took photos of the attack.

In front of the police, this reporter was later physically pushed by the Chinese Vice-Consular General, Xu Jinzhong. The reporter and Xu had a short confrontation. The reporter was eventually forced out of the room, as reported Friday in Chinese newspapers.

Falun Gong spokesperson Cindy Gu said, "In China, president Jiang Zemin has turned the entire society into grounds for persecution against Falun Gong practitioners. The appeals offices are set up as the official channel for citizens to file complaints. But appeal offices have now become a gate to torture and prison in China for Falun Gong practitioners. Thousands and possibly tens of thousands of innocent Falun Gong practitioners have been illegally arrested, beaten and even killed after going to the appeal offices."

"What is most alarming is that the officials responsible for the atrocities in China now think that they can carry their violence into Canada." Said Gu. "We are asking that Dong Yiming be removed from Canada. We must not allow this vicious persecution to exist in any form in our country."

Xueye Zhu, a Concordia Ph.D. student and a new Canadian citizen, recounted his experience of appeal in Beijing in December 1999. When he arrived at the Appeals Office, he was immediately arrested, detained for 12 days and deported from China.

He said, "At a time that many people in China had become demoralized and focused only on making money, Falun Gong had brought moral values and inner peace to millions of people. The persecution is wrong. So I went to Beijing to appeal."

"It was the worst suffering I have experienced in my life," said Zhu. "They forced my family to choose between losing their jobs and persuading me to give up practicing Falun Gong."

Montreal artist Jinyu Li visited the Beijing office with her husband in late 1999. The two were arrested and Li was deported. Li's husband, a Chinese citizen, remains in labour camp today for his refusal to give up Falun Gong.

Both Zhu and Li had the opportunity to meet Dong Yiming at Thursday's 'open house'.

Li said, "When I told Dong it was a crime to have arrested my husband and I in the appeal office, Dong said 'Even if it is a crime, we would still arrest you.'" Zhu said Dong told him, "Arresting people is exactly what we want to do."

Falun Gong also requested that Canada bar from future entry of the head officials of national and local branches of the "610 Office", the Public Security Department, the State Security Department, the Police Bureau, and the Appeal Bureau.

The "610 Offices" were set up centrally, in all provinces as well as in each city and town on June 10, 1999 (hence the code name 610), for the sole purpose of the systematic and brutal crackdown of Falun Gong.

Last month in New York City, Falun Gong filed a lawsuit against the visiting Public Security Chief and the second-in-command of the "610" office for Hubei Province of China, alleging torture, murder and crimes against humanity.

Falun Gong is a spiritual practice and has deep roots in Chinese culture. Its main premise is a teaching of Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance. It incorporates five sets of gentle meditative exercises. Over 100 million people practice Falun Gong in 40 countries worldwide.

According to human rights group Amnesty International, at least two hundred practitioners have died in the government ordered crackdown, since it began in July 1999.