By practitioners from Australia
Australian
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer will go to Beijing on August 16, 2004 for a
two-day state-visit. On August 13, Falun Gong practitioners in Australia held
a press conference in Capital Canberra and delivered an open letter to Mr. Downer
as well as a list of Australian residents’ family members who are subjected
to persecution in China for upholding their practice of Falun Gong. Practitioners
called upon the Foreign Minister to openly condemn the ongoing persecution of
Falun Gong in China during his state visit to China. They hoped that the Minister
would request China to release those Australian residents’ family members.
 Delivering an open letter |
 Delivering an open letter |
 Ms. Jane Dai speaking at the press conference |
 Kay Rubacek of Australian Falun Dafa Association speaking |
 Practitioners demonstrating the Falun Gong exercises outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
 Outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
Practitioners
peacefully practiced the Falun Gong exercises and sent forth righteous thoughts
outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The press conference began at noon.
Kay
Rubacek represented the Australian Falun Dafa Association to read the open letter
to Minister Downer. In the open letter, practitioners expressed their appreciation
towards Australian government for their effort in rescuing Australian Falun Gong
practitioners and their family members who were persecuted in China. At the same
time, practitioners hoped that the Australian government would continue to uphold
justice and prevent the Jiang Zemin regime’s state-run terrorism from exporting
to other countries. The letter wrote, “Australia’s silence would prolong
the suffering of those innocent Falun Gong practitioners. Australia has the responsibility
to openly condemn and help stop this brutal suppression.” Up to present, there
are still three Australian Falun Gong practitioners’ family members being
unlawfully imprisoned in labor camps or jail. Ms. Rubacek said, “We request Mr.
Minister of Foreign Affairs to urge China to unconditionally release them.” Ms.
Rubacek said that if China improves its human rights situation, its society would
become more stable and that will benefit the mutual trade between the two countries.
Practitioner Jane Dai who just came back to Sydney from Athens on August
13 also went to Canberra with her daughter. Ms. Dai recounted with tears how her
husband was tortured to death in China for upholding his belief in Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance
and not giving up his practice of Falun Gong. In order to prevent such tragedy
from happening again, Ms. Dai became one of the plaintiffs of several lawsuits
filed in different countries against Jiang Zemin, the chief perpetrator of the
persecution. Over the past two and half years, Ms. Dai and her daughter traveled
to nearly 40 countries to tell people her family’s plight. She said that
people should not keep silence for the sake of economic interests. She said that
silence would not only tolerate but also support the persecution. Four months
ago, Ms. Dai’s mother passed away. Her mother’s last wish was to see
granddaughter little Fadu, but the Chinese Consulate denied Ms. Dai and her daughter
Fadu’s visa application because they are Falun Gong practitioners. More similar
tragedies are still taking place in the human world. Ms. Dai called upon all people
to bravely stand up to stop the killing of Falun Gong practitioners.
Falun
Gong practitioner Ms. Xie Yan who was just rescued from China and came to Australia
two weeks ago expressed her thankfulness to the Australian government and officials
for their great support and help to allow her fiancé and her reunite. In the meantime,
she hoped that the Australian Foreign Minister would raise China’s human
rights issue during his state visit and urge the Chinese government to stop the
persecution of Falun Gong. Ms. Xie Yan said, “True free trade can only exist in
a country where there are freedoms of expression and belief.”
After the
press conference, Kay entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building and delivered
the open letter and related materials.
Australian
TV station SBS, ABC and Channel 10 came to gather news.
Note:
There are still three Australian Falun Gong practitioners’ family members
currently imprisoned in China’s labor camps and prisons. They are:
Ms.
Tao Yuelan, 47 years old, younger sister of Ms. Tao Yuefang, resident of Sydney.
Detention
time: unlawfully sentenced to 8 years in prison
Detention
place: No 6 division of the Beijing Woman Prison
Phone:
(86)-10- 60276833; (86)-010-60276688, ext: 8061 or 8062.
Ms.
Li Hong, 39 years old, sister-in-law of Australian citizen Mr. Li Qizhong
Detention
time: September 2002, sentenced to two and half years in forced labor camp.
Detention
place: Tianjin City Dagang Banqiao Woman Forced Labor Camp. Zip code: 300270
Phone:
(86)-22-63251823; (86)-22- 63251619 (office), (86)-22-63251069 (section of education)
Mr. Wang Jianping, 46 years old,
Australian citizen Christine Hond’s ex brother-in-law.
Detention
time: September 2000, sentenced to 8 years in prison.
Detention
place: Shanghai City Tilanqiao Prison 082-026, zip code: 200082
Posting
date: 17/Aug/2004
Original article date: 16/Aug/2004
Category: Australian
News
