(Minghui.org) There are facts that we have to face on a day to day basis. The Boston Marathon bombing, the missing Malaysia Flight MH370, the sunken South Korean passenger ferry. Words like “terrorism,” “corruption,” “murder” and “scandals” fill the headlines. Yes, we are living in a troubled world.
After the Cold War, the world entered a new stage of economic globalization. China, a country that had natural resources, a seemingly unlimited supply of cheap labor, and the world's largest consumer base, attracted the world's interest. Investment poured into the country. As of 2013, cumulative foreign direct investment had reached more than 1.3 trillion US dollars, which made up a large part of the country's foreign exchange reserve.
The economic development, however, didn't bring freedom to the Chinese people. With the world's leading nations tied to the Communist regime's purse strings, voices from Western countries that have raised concerns about human rights suppression in China can barely be heard. Out of greed, the rest of the world turned a blind eye to the Communist regime's continued suppression of its own people.
On April 25, 1999, a large group of Falun Gong practitioners, who placed enormous hope and trust in the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) government, gathered in a quiet demonstration at the Central Appeals Office in Beijing. This is the famous April 25 Falun Gong peaceful demonstration.
It all began when several slanderous articles were published in the Tianjin College of Education's Youth Reader Magazine, followed by harassment carried out at several Falun Gong practice sites.
Practitioners went to the magazine's office to refute the slanderous reports. However, over 40 of them were arrested. This led to the peaceful demonstration of 10,000 practitioners at the regime's Central Appeals Office.
The publication of Falun Gong books had been banned in China since 1996. Guangming Daily, the regime's mouthpiece, also published several slanderous articles against the practice.
With the escalating repression, the practitioners wanted to safeguard their freedom to continue their belief in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, the principles of Falun Gong, and simply make a peaceful statement for the right to be a good person.
China's then premier instructed the Central Appeals Office staff to meet with the practitioners' representatives on the day of the demonstration. The General Office of the CCP Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council, soon published an official announcement that “The government at various levels have never banned any normal qigong exercises that strengthens health.”
Three months later, however, this historic demonstration was used as an excuse for the regime's former leader, Jiang Zemin, to begin a campaign to wipe out Falun Gong in China. Every avenue of the state's power was exploited for this brutal persecution that continues today.
Officials who took part in the persecution were promoted or rewarded. Families of practitioners were implicated and dragged into the persecution. Even schools and institutions of higher learning were forced to include propaganda into their curriculum. It's not a stretch to say that everyone was impacted by this persecution in some form or fashion.
As a result of the suppression of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in China, that society's morality and the once noble spirit of its people steadily declined.
Without Truthfulness, the society suffers from a credibility crisis. Fake and toxic food products have flooded the market.
Without Compassion, the society is full of violence and human life isn't valued as it should be.
Without Forbearance, people cannot uphold their principles or conscience. Driven by greed, people's morality and principles are easily compromised.
The same is true for the whole world. Never before has the world needed Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance so much.
Through Falun Gong practitioners' persistent peaceful resistance, the Chinese people who continue to be suppressed by the CCP, are seeing the hope of a new China where traditions and morality are revived.
Inspired by practitioners, many human rights activists and organizations and government officials from western countries, have also spoken up and are calling for an end to the persecution. Global condemnation of the state-sanctioned organ harvesting from non-consenting Falun Gong practitioners is on the rise.
In the United States, House Resolution 281 that calls on the regime to immediately end the practice of organ harvesting from all prisoners, has received more than 170 co-sponsors from Congress and is on its way for a vote.
On March 12, 2014, Canada raised the issue of organ harvesting in China during the 25th regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
On December 12, 2013, the European Parliament passed a resolution “expressing deep concern” over “credible reports of systematic, state-sanctioned organ harvesting from non-consenting prisoners of conscience.”
China needs Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and so does the world.
Practitioners' persistent efforts to end the persecution over the past 15 years is fulfilling their belief in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. It's the continuation of the spirit of the April 25 peaceful demonstration, and the pursuit of freedom and peace. It's not just for themselves, but for the whole world.
Category: Perspective
