Video: FGM TV News - 07/30/2002
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Falun Gong is freely practiced in at least 57 countries around the world, but relentlessly persecuted in China. The peaceful courage of practitioners there has shocked their oppressors and moved the people of the world. While China continues to block all information, FGMtv brings you the stories you may not hear anywhere else.
Hello, and welcome to the FGMtv Weekly News Review on July 30th, 2002
I'm Susan Mitchell.
And I'm David Tompkins.
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The number of Falun Gong practitioners in China verified to have died as a result of mistreatment by Jiang Zemin's regime is 447. However, sources in China put the actual number in the thousands.
- In the past week the Falun Dafa Info Center has received reports of 10 practitioners being killed for upholding their belief in 'Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance';
- And in that same period of time, 300 people have declared that the
documents they signed while enduring torture were null and void, and that they will continue to practice Falun Gong.
Our top story this week:
The US Congress unanimously passes a resolution supporting Falun Gong, condemning the Chinese government's actions, and pledging to use every means to encourage an end to the persecution.
And some of our other stories:
- More suspected interference from the Chinese Embassy in Auckland, New Zealand
- Over 1,000 practitioners in Taiwan join together to bring awareness of the persecution on the 3rd anniversary of the crackdown
- The Hong Kong Bar Association rejects Beijing's new subversion law
- Japanese lawmakers form a group to seek release of Chinese Falun Gong practitioner married to a Japanese businessman
- 'World Youth Day' pilgrims learn the Falun Gong exercises in Toronto;
- "Physicians for Human Rights" speaks out for Falun Gong
First, our top story: US Congress Resolution 188
- On July 24, 2002 the U.S. Congress unanimously passed Resolution 188, urging the Chinese government to stop persecuting Falun Gong practitioners.
- While introducing this resolution to the House, Rep. Lynn Woolsey said, "Shockingly, China's campaign against the Falun Gong has extended here to the United States. Chinese government officials have pressured American city and county government leaders to rescind their support of the Falun Gong. In a democratic nation that values free speech and freedom of religion, this action by the Chinese government is unacceptable."
- She added that "Many local leaders have an incentive to appease the Chinese government in order to continue international trade relationships. But, we must not abandon our values to fill our pocketbooks. We must make it clear that democracy and human rights are a priority in America and that persecution-including that of Falun Gong practitioners and those that support them--is intolerable.
- She received a standing ovation. While Resolution 188 urges the Chinese government to cease its persecution of Falun Gong, it also instructs the US Government to investigate illegal activities by diplomats of the Chinese Government concerning harassment of US citizens and residents who practice Falun Gong and of US officials who support Falun Gong.
- Florida congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the chair of the International Operations and Human Rights Committee, initiated Resolution 188, and it was co-sponsored by more than 100 congresspersons.
- FGMtv joins millions of practitioners around the world in thanking the US government for its increasing support in such a difficult time.
More suspected interference from the Chinese Embassy in Auckland:
- Once again, it is suspected that the Chinese Embassy has put pressure on authorities to remove Falun Dafa ads in Auckland, New Zealand - this time from buses.
The Hong Kong Bar Association rejects Beijing's new subversion law
Over a Thousand Practitioners from Southern Taiwan Hold Various Activities on July 20th, the 3rd anniversary of the crackdown
- Practitioners from Kaohshiong have reported that on July 20, over 1200 Falun Gong practitioners from areas south of Yulin County including Taichung and Penghu counties held a series of activities.
- The day began with the opening of the photo exhibition, "Journey of Falun Dafa" in the Chongcheng Cultural Center.
- In the afternoon, accompanied by a beautiful Falun float, 1,000 people marched solemnly through downtown Kaohshiong. Along the route practitioners demonstrated Dafa exercise and sang Dafa songs to show the beauty, serenity and purity of Dafa.
- Kaohshiong city councilor Jian Jincheng sent dozens of boxes of spring water to express his support to Falun Gong.
- As night fell, a thousand candles were lit and the practitioners held a silent vigil to honour the millions who are suffering unjustly and the thousands who have died.
Hong Kong Bar Association rejects Beijing's new Subversion Law
- Agence France Press reported on July 23 that the Hong Kong Bar Association expressed concerns about the new subversion law sought by Beijing. In their report, they said that existing Hong Kong laws were sufficient to prohibit acts of "treason, sedition and subversion", as listed in Article 23 of the territory's constitution, the Basic Law.
- Fearing that the new law would be used to prohibit freedom of belief and freedom of speech they added that, "Pure expression of opinion should not be criminalized."
Moving now to Japan,
where the Kyodo News, reporting from Tokyo on July 29th said that
- Twenty-one lawmakers have formed a group to seek the release of the Chinese wife of a Japanese businessman who was sentenced by China to labor reeducation due to activities related to Falun Gong.
- Yoko Kaneko was sentenced to one and a half years labor re-education by Beijing police on June 24 for distributing Falun Gong-related materials on Beijing's streets in May.
Pilgrims attending Pope John Paul II's "World Youth Day" celebrations in Toronto learn the Falun Dafa exercises:
- Toronto hosted approximately 280,000 young people from around the world who came to attend Pope John Paul II's "World Youth Day" celebrations from July 23rd through July 28th.
- Many of the visitors took the opportunity to visit places of interest throughout the city and were interested and eager to learn both the truth of the persecution of Falun Gong and also to try out the exercises.
- Toronto practitioners took the celebrations as an excellent opportunity to send the message of truth with the pilgrims who would return to their home countries and report what they had learned and experienced not only to their families, but also to the congregations they represent in hundreds of thousands of Roman Catholic churches.
Following is a short excerpt from a July 20th , 2002 statement by the organization Physicians for Human Rights:
- There are many revolting human rights abuses in the world. But there are none more despicable than a government punishing people for their thoughts and peacefully expressed religious views. The Chinese government's persecution of the Falun Gong has earned it a disgraceful place in the world.
- On this third anniversary of the beginning of the Chinese Government's campaign to persecute and eradicate the Falun Gong, Physicians for Human Rights offers its sympathy and support
- We appeal to China to lift the ban on Falun Gong, release all those jailed for the peaceful expression of religious views, and make restitution to the family members of those Falun Gong members who died in official custody.
- ...it is worth remembering the fate of other regimes who punished and abused peaceful practitioners of their faith or values.
- Gone are the days when governments can jail, torture, and murder their citizens in secret. Today's gathering by faithful adherents of Falun Gong in memory of their brothers and sisters and the support by hundreds of Members of Congress as well as American non-governmental organizations shows that the worlds knows -- and is horrified by -- what the government of China has done to the Falun Gong. It can never occupy a respected place in the international community while such abuses continue and proliferate.
Retribution for bad deeds:
- Practitioners of Falun Gong believe that the noble qualities of Truth, Compassion and Forbearance make up the intrinsic nature of our universe and they do their best to live by them. It follows that someone who lives in harmony with the universe will prosper, whereas people who slander, fight and murder others will suffer. Each week, Clear Wisdom Web site receives stories of those who persecuted Falun Gong and died. We re-tell some of those stories to remind people that evil deeds are indeed being punished. For instance, in China today, practitioners are desperately risking their lives to distribute flyers, dvd's and cd's telling the actual truth of the persecution, because government's slanderous propaganda has poisoned peoples' minds against the practice:
- Jiang Guohua, an employee from the Accounting Department of the Number One Heavy Equipment Company in the Fulaerji Section of Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang Province, always slandered both the Teacher and Falun Gong. He called police many times when he saw practitioners distributing Dafa truth-clarification materials. About one month ago, on June 28th, during a drinking binge at a hotel, he was stabbed to death.
- In Yan Village, which borders the Nanda Xiang River, in Xingcheng City of Liaoning Province, Wang Qingwei, Subsidiary Committee Secretary, always tore up Dafa flyers. Dafa practitioners told him to stop tearing up the Dafa materials. He boldly stated: "I will not believe, unless I were to die as a result of it!" He was killed on July 1st when his motorcycle crashed into a large car.
Drought continues in Shandong Province
Falun Gong's Teacher Li Hongzhi wrote in his book Essentials for Further Advancement, "When people do not have virtue, natural calamities and man-made disasters will abound."
- On July 18, the China News Agency in Shandong province reported that continuous high temperatures and low precipitation has caused a serious drought situation in Shandong Province, a major agricultural area of China.
- By July 15, the drought had affected 16.5 million Mu (1 Mu = 0.1647 acre) of farmland and 1.24 million people. In addition, 820,000 livestock suffered a temporary shortage of drinking water.
Signs Explaining the Truth about Falun Dafa Appear in a City in Northeast China
- At great risk to their lives, on July 16, 2002, practitioners in a city in Northeast China hung four large banners explaining the truth about Falun Dafa in the busiest downtown area.
- They also broadcast Dafa truth-clarifying information through loudspeakers on July 17 and 18.
- Painted signs clarifying the true facts of the persecution against Falun Dafa could also be seen in many places. Because of the total information blockade, practitioners have had to resort to unusual methods to get the truth out to their fellow citizens.
And now to a letter from a Falun Gong practitioner who was illegally
arrested and sentenced to prison, and her experiences at the Beijing Female Forced-Labor Camp. She
says,
- "Their so-called 'reformed education' means that you cannot have your own beliefs and personal freedom and you have to absolutely obey their orders and methods of 'reform.' For those Dafa practitioners who refused to obey, guards either beat them or cursed at them.
- The guards also had prisoners torture many practitioners who didn't cooperate. Those practitioners were not allowed to sleep and eat, and they were not even allowed to use toilets.
- While the prisoners were beating practitioners, the guards would close the doors so others could not hear the sound of the beating or the practitioners' cries of pain.
- They also used underwear soiled with menstrual blood to stuff in practitioners' mouths.
- Some practitioners were beaten until they had bruises all over their bodies, and those bruises stayed for 3 or 4 months.
- When another practitioner was sent to the forced-labor camp, her lower back was severely twisted. Her head had been twisted for about 150 degrees and was almost facing her back.
- When I first saw her, I thought she was in her 70s. She told me that her lower back had been twisted because the guards in the detention center handcuffed her hands and feet together for over ten days after other excruciating tortures were performed on her.
- When she was sent to the first forced-labor camp, because she didn't cooperate with the vicious people there, they then twisted her neck. After she was sent to this forced-labor camp, the guards started torturing her.
- They didn't let her go to bed for 9 consecutive days and nights, forced her to stand still without moving, didn't give her any meals and even forbade her to use the toilet.
- Not until then did I know that she was actually only in her 40s and her height was 5'7". A person in her 40s had, through torture, been made to look like someone in her 70s, simply because she upheld her belief in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. "
And finally, contemplative moments in Greece...
- People the world over love the peaceful tranquility of a woodland glade, a shimmering lake, or a majestic mountain.
- Falun Dafa practitioners are no exception and often take the opportunity to meditate in such places.
- During an SOS walk through Greece earlier this year, a Canadian practitioner made time for quiet contemplation and meditation, sometimes alone and sometimes with other practitioners.
Thanks for watching FGMtv, dedicated to breaking through China's information blockade, revealing propaganda, and bringing you the truth of Falun Gong.
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