(Clearwisdom) As a part of the "SOS! Global Walk" that is also taking place in the U.S., Europe, Australia and Asia, on September 7, 2001, five female Falun Gong practitioners began a journey on foot from Toronto to Ottawa to gather support from citizens, MPs and Mayors along the way and bring an appeal to the Prime Minister. They are calling for the urgent rescue of the Falun Gong practitioners in China who are persecuted for their belief in the practice based on "Truthfulness-Compassion -Tolerance".

These practitioners will deliver tens of thousands of signatures by fellow Canadians and request that the Prime Minister, who is traveling to China next month, make every effort to secure the release of illegally imprisoned practitioner Shenli Lin, husband of a Canadian Citizen, and urge the President of China to end the brutal persecution of Falun Gong.

The 20-day walk covers 45 Ontario cities and towns including Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa, Trenton, Kingston, Brockville and others. They plan to arrive in Ottawa around September 27.

A press conference and kick-off ceremony were held at 11 am in front of the city hall. Major Western and Chinese media such as: CBC French, Global TV, Toronto Star, Fairchild TV, Ming Pao Daily and World Journal attended the conference and interviewed some practitioners. After the ceremony, five practitioners delivered an information package to the Major's office.

The journey symbolizes the courageous, determined efforts of hundreds of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners who have appealed in China, and is a call for the immediate release of all who are jailed, tortured for their practice of Falun Gong and an immediate end to the killing.

After the Toronto to Ottawa leg of the SOS! Global Walk is completed, practitioners will walk to the United Nations in New York City to appeal that UN sends an independent investigation team to China on the brutal persecution.