A family of Falun Gong practitioners have called on the Federal
Government to condemn China’s persecution of Falun Gong.
Campbelltown resident Stacey Wang is concerned people, including her
family members, are being persecuted by the Chinese government for
practising Falun Gong.
Falun Gong is an ancient practice of refining the body through special
exercises.
Mrs Wang was a victim of the persecution.
When she was seven months pregnant she went to China with two friends to
visit her family. She was caught reading a book about Falun Gong on a
train from Hong Kong to Beijing.
In Beijing, she was arrested and taken to a room for questioning.
Her friends, Australian citizens, escaped and left her in the room.
She was kept for two days with no food and no water.
It wasn’t until she was speaking to an officer who wanted to study abroad
that the police found out she was a permanent resident in Australia.
She was then taken back to Hong Kong.
Her parents-in-laws’ passports are invalid because they will not denounce
their affection for Falun Gong.
They have been granted a visa to stay in Australia.
“They miss their grandchildren and their family in China,” Mrs Wang said.
“They want to live in Australia but want to see their family.”
Mrs Wang said her aunts had asked her to stop writing to them for fear of
being persecuted.
She said that the human rights violation had to stop and wants the Australian
Government to do something about it.
Australia is the chair of the United Nations Commission on Human rights, which
convened on Monday.
The United States introduced a resolution at the commission “calling upon
the People’s Republic of China to end its human rights violations in
China and meet internationally recognised standards for human rights.”
Posting date: 28/Mar/2004
Original article date: 24/Mar/2004
Category: Media Reports
