20-01-2003

CHEEZONG Lee knows how lucky he is. He can drive his van covered with messages about Falun Dafa around Homebush without fear of being beaten and jailed. His fiancée, Li Ying was not so lucky.

As a practitioner of Falun Dafa in China, her lifestyle of meditation and exercise led to her arrest in October 2001 and she is serving a two year sentence in a Chinese labour camp. "I've had no contact with her at all," Mr Lee said.

"My fiancée is still suffering the risk of torture while I am unable to obtain a visa to visit her in China."

He tried to send her a Christmas gift but the guards would not allow it.

"I told the guard to just say hello from me and she said no, she didn't even mention that I called," Mr. Lee said.

Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, promotes a lifestyle of truth, compassion and tolerance, Mr. Lee said.

Falun Dafa refers to meditation to achieve a healthy mind and Falun Gong refers to exercises to achieve a healthy body. It was banned by the Chinese government in July 1999.

"I couldn't believe it when I first heard Falun Gong was banned."

"How can the Chinese government be scared about truth, compassion and forbearance?" Mr. Lee said.

Last year, in an effort to raise awareness of Falun Dafa in Australia and to help free Ms Ying, Mr. Lee rode his bike to Canberra for an appointment with Foreign Minister Alexander Downer. Along the way he met with local politicians who offered their support.

Ms Ying's application to move to Australia is being processed. The application requires her to have a health check.

"The police haven't allowed her to have a health check because she's in the labour camp," Mr. Lee said.

The Australian Government has given Ms Ying an extension until the end of February to get the health check done.

"Through all of this I cannot imagine how much she is suffering," he said.

Article from: http://www.falunau.org/indexArticle.jsp?itemID=285