December 29, 2001
AFTER reading your article on Falun Gong (Page 1A, Dec. 23), I realized that as a Falun Gong practitioner in the Bay Area, I need to do a better job in exposing the severity of the persecution of Falun Gong in China.
For more than a year now, I have been going to local colleges and events or simply handing out fliers in front of local markets to let my fellow Americans know that Falun Gong is good, it has made a great impact on my life, and thousands of people are being tortured and even killed for practicing it.
If I did not stand up for them, who would? The persecution of good people cannot be tolerated. If I can be the voice of all the practitioners in China suffering from unspeakable torture for persisting in their beliefs, all my efforts will be worth it.
Many other Bay Area practitioners have also dedicated much time to revealing the truth about the persecution of Falun Gong to people and media in the Bay Area. So why, then, would a more than two-page special report on Falun Gong in the Mercury News not cover the persecution in depth or allocate space for the victims' stories?
Many practitioners from San Jose have been arrested, detained and abused in China; some were simply visiting relatives or vacationing. Where are their stories? I hope the Mercury News will also write an article about the human toll of the persecution.
Chun Lee
San Jose
THE lengthy Mercury News article on Falun Gong did not present an accurate and balanced account of the practice, or the persecution in China.
The current regime in China is engaged in a heart-wrenchingly cruel campaign of terrorism against its own people. The victims are from all walks of life, and they are being persecuted simply because they refuse to give up their peaceful belief and practice of Falun Gong and its principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance.
The [Jiang Zemin Regime] has relentlessly assailed Falun Gong practitioners in an attempt to control their hearts and minds, using the most sinister methods of torture and killing. The world should be wary of China, because as the tragedy of Sept. 11 illustrates, state terrorism can escalate overnight into world terrorism.
Falun Gong is tolerant of others' beliefs, and it does not interfere with prevailing attitudes in society. Its standards are suggested for practitioners because, similar to Buddhism, the individual's ultimate goal is spiritual enlightenment through the eventual abandonment of all attachments.
Things taken out of context are detrimental to the fundamental understanding of any belief system, and can promote hatred and intolerance. As a Falun Gong practitioner who has received innumerable benefits from the practice, including a deeper insight and respect of traditional Chinese culture, I recommend that others read journalist Danny Schechter's book, ''Falun Gong's Challenge to China.''
Estelle Morgan
Mountain View
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Category: Falun Dafa in the Media
