By An Australian practitioner
After I arrived in Australia after being persecuted severely in China, fellow practitioners made great efforts to contact the media in a hope to have my story covered. I was interviewed by quite some reporters. Almost all of them were sympathetic when listening to my story and turned out to be very helpful later.
However, there was one in Sydney who was different. Not long after I started talking about my experience in the labour camp, he said in a teasing and not very respectful manner, who knows what you are saying is true? It seemed to me that he regarded me as somebody who was making up some miserable story in order to get something from the passerby like a beggar in the street.
Usually I would talk in a very female, gentle and timid tone; but upon hearing this I instinctively said in the most determined manner with a overwhelming momentum:” I dare anyone who challenges the truthfulness of my words to go back with me to China if he can guarantee my safety. I can take him directly to the gate of the labour camp. I can tell him all the names of the police there, I can tell him all the names of the prisoners there, I can even tell him where the toilet is. Or, even if he cannot guarantee my safety, I’ll still go with him; only I hope that he will tell the world what happened to me if I get arrested at the gate of the labour camp. Is there anyone going?”
I said all these in one breath and with so much truthfulness and determination. I could feel that he could feel I meant every word I said. I was really willing or not afraid of going back to China to prove to the world that what I said is true. His attitude and manner changed at once. Deep in his heart he was shaken by the righteousness in my strong words and he could never treat me with disrespect afterwards.
Another little story I would like to share is the experience with ABC radio. I did a pre-recorded interview in their studio in last August. Just before they finished the editing and were about to air it, my husband in China was arrested because I kept on exposing the persecution here. I immediately informed them this news, in a hope that they would add this in the interview, which they did, but not until chatting with me about the consequences. They were worrying that to air the interview would make my husband’s situation worse.
I shared my understandings and expressed my wish to still have the interview aired. Then they became worried for my refugee application. They said that airing my interview might bring a negative impact on my application, because if a person acts with too high a profile, the immigration department may doubt his/her intention and may thus damage the application. Usually people will keep quiet before they gain residency and their own safety is in certainty.
I answered in an email: It is up to the immigration to decide whether I am a refugee or not; but it is up to me to decide what I am going to do with my time here when actually allowed to stay. Then I talked about why it is important to me to tell my story to the world.
Well, after all these exchanges my interview was finally aired in November. The response was remarkably good. The interviewer told me she received so many phone calls, one of the audiences even sent a letter to her and asked for a copy of the interview. A principle in Sydney invited me to go his school to talk to his students. A western practitioner’s friend called him to say now he finally understood why this practitioner chose to travel all the way to China and displayed a banner in Tian’an Men Square.
Recently there are some discussions about refugee application among practitioners. I would like to share some of my understanding too.
Dafa has its dignity, so do Dafa disciples. Our applying for refugee status is our right given by the international law. We are not begging anything from anybody. The philosophy or the concept of ýrefugeeý came into being because there is persecution and because the international world admits that human being should live with dignity. Australia signed the convention and is obliged to protect us. We must have this understanding very clear in the back of our minds whenever dealing with any refugee issues.
An executive officer from Catholic Commission for Justice, Development and Peace once informed me that any refugee applicant who had been waiting for more than six months could apply for financial aid from Australian Red Cross if in necessity. He stated definitely and clearly: “It is not a charity, it is a right.”
However, if we ourselves still have everyday people’s attachments, or don’t have a right understanding of our position, we could be treated as those who would do everything including making up sham marriage to obtain a residency.
So we must discard all our everyday person’s attachments and obtain a righteous understanding first. Then we will be able to uphold our own dignity, as well as safeguard Dafa and offer salvations to sentient beings.
Posting date: 6/March/2003
Original article date: 5/March/2003
Category: Open Forum
