The Immigration Department states
that the two would not face danger on the grounds that they are not leaders,
but only ordinary practitioners, do not hold.
The persecution of Falun Gong has been carried out systematically
by the state under President Jiang’s directives. The “6-10 Office” was set up
by the President of China on June 10, 1999 to specifically persecute Falun Gong.
(“6-10” refers to the date of creation). This organization is used at all levels
of government, from state to municipal to national, and it’s mandate is to terrorize
and eradicate Falun Gong using torture, brainwashing, and by spreading defaming
propaganda, both inside China and abroad. Its authority supersedes all legal,
judicial, and governmental bodies and influences all facets of society, including
schools, communities, and workplaces, to harm their own.
On July 4, 2001, ABC TV reported that “close to half”
of those held in China’s forced labour camps are Falun Gong practitioners. (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2001/07/item20010704200115_1.htm)
Based on various estimates of the total population in these camps, this translates
to somewhere between 235,000 and 2 million practitioners being held in China’s
forced labour camps. In addition, there are local jails, “transformation centers”
and “brainwashing centers” created to torture and brainwash every single practitioner
who refuses to give up the practice after being picked up by the police. Even
mental hospitals are utilized to incarcerate and abuse healthy, sane practitioners.
Nearly every type of human rights abuse is visited on
Falun Gong practitioners. The tortures are unimaginable. Women suffer all kinds
of sexual humiliation and abuse, including rape and even gang rape. Children
are abused, as are the old, even those who are very old. Millions of practitioners
and their families have their jobs, homes, scholarships, pensions, and savings
taken from them. They have no rights at all. Practitioners are arrested arbitrarily,
sentenced without any legal formalities of any kind, and punished without limit.
Practitioners being tortured are told “if you die we will cremate the body and
count your death as a suicide.”
“In the case of Falun Gong practitioners, this means
that anyone who has petitioned the authorities or taken part in peaceful assemblies
or demonstrations against the ban on the group, or who continue to practice
Falun Gong despite the ban, is liable to be punished”.
— Amnesty International
Sending Mr. and Mrs. Wang Back to China will Let Them Face Persecution
Amnesty International pointed out that this couple has
“well-founded fear for persecution”.
While other democratic countries and international organizations
are making their best efforts to rescue Falun Gong practitioners persecuted
in China, the Australia government needs to understand the severe persecution hence to compassionately help those people who are in need of asylum. So far in the world, only Cambodia has deported Falun
Gong practitioners back to China. All of these practitioners were arrested and
are currently incarcerated in China.
In the past 2 years, nine Falun Gong practitioners have
been released from China’s labor camps with the help from Canadian people and
the Canadian government. In October 2002, The Canadian House of Commons unanimously
passed motion M-236 requesting Prime Minister of Canada to ask the Chinese president
to release the 13 incarcerated Falun Gong practitioners, family members of Canadian
residents. (See http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2002/10/25/28015.html
)
To protect freedom and basic rights is the founding principle
of a democratic country.
We ask for your help to urge the Australian government
to change its position. Australia has enjoyed a good reputation in dealing with
world human rights issues until now. Please help today! Thank you.
Attention to the Minister: Fax – 0061 2 6273 4144
Posting date: 12/March/2003
Original article date: 12/March/2003
Category: Open Forum
