[name and address withheld]
October 17, 2002
Dear Supervisor,
Re: Request for leave of absence for a week
I am writing this letter requesting a leave of absence for one week, from October 21 to October 25, 2002. I would like to pay a visit to the United States during that week.
As you may know, I am a practitioner of Falun Gong, which is a very good cultivation way to improve one's physical health and spiritual realm. Falun Gong teaches "Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance", and consists of five sets of very gentle meditative exercises. Since I started practicing Falun Gong, I have benefited a lot physically and spiritually. However, the practitioners in China are not as lucky as I am. Falun Gong is facing a grave persecution in China right now. Since Jiang's regime in China started to persecute Falun Gong in 1999, they have lost their freedom to practise this cultivation.
I have a friend in Toronto whose mother is an award-winning high school teacher in China. In the past she had suffered from several illnesses, but they all disappeared since she began practicing Falun Gong. In 1999, Jiang's regime feared that the number of Falun Gong practitioners was growing and outnumbered the Communist Party, so it ordered a ban on this exercise and put many practitioners in jail. My friend's mother was put into Masanjia Forced Labor Camp, a hideous place. In "A Witness to History", you may find a few stories about what happened there.
In trying to cover up the persecution and avoid sanctions by the international community, Jiang's regime has tried various schemes to spread slanderous rumors against Falun Gong. For Jiang's visit to the United States next week, the regime has spent a lot of money to spread these rumors again. This is only for sustaining the persecution. Everyone with a righteous thought will take action to stop it. As a Falun Gong practitioner, I will go to the States to tell people over there how good Falun Gong is, and how bad the persecution by Jiang's regime is. I am sure I will tell you more fascinating stories after I come back
I will greatly appreciate your approval of my sincere request.
Sincerely Yours,