Australia Falun Dafa Info Centre – Ms TANG Yiwen was abducted on Monday night (23 February 2004) in Guangzhou City, China for refusing to give up her practice of Falun Gong, one month ahead of the United Nations Human Rights Convention this March in Geneva.
Ms Tang, 36 years old applied for a passport from Guangzhou police on Monday. She was told it was the policy of Guangdong Province that, “Falun Gong practitioners are not allowed to leave China”.
Australian citizen, Lisa Liang is concerned for her sister Ms Tang who had been recently released after a three year illegal detention. Ms Tang was released in August 2003, due to her critical condition of being exposed to prolonged extreme torture in the Chatou Women Labour Camp in Baiyun District, Guangzhou City.
The UN Commission on Human Rights begins 15 March 2004, of which Australia is the elected Chair for this year. Guangdong Province is one of the biggest trade partners of New South Wales.
Media Conference of the appeal to the public will be held by Falun Gong practitioners at noon time in front of the Chinese Consulate at Dunblane Street, Camperdown.
Background Information:
Recent Australian Events
December 1, 2003, Motion 704 was passed in the Australian Senate to call on the Australian Government, in the context of the human rights dialogue, to raise the issue of the continued detention of Falun Gong practitioners with close family ties to Australia.
More Australian family members in China
There are over 20 verified cases of detention of Australian citizens’ family members in China since the beginning of the persecution of Falun Gong in China in 1999 by Jiang Zemin. Other Australians fear for their family members lives as they are detained, tortured, released and then detained and tortured again. Sydney engineer, Richard Chen’s brother Ruichang Chen and Wollongong researcher, Dr Youlai Zhang’s sister, Yaping Zhang are just two examples of many lives at risk of death from torture in Chinese labour camps, simply for not giving up their conscience and their belief.
Posting date: 25/Feb/2004
Original article date: 25/Feb/2004
Category: Media Release
