Supporting Voices Increase for China's Hunger Strikers

Inside Mainland China the Relay Hunger Strike for Human Rights, launched by Beijing lawyer Gao Zhisheng, has met with strong resistance from the Chinese Communist regime. As of writing this article, it has been reported that several supporters and co-workers of Mr Gao, who initiated this hunger strike, have either been abducted by police or placed under house arrest.

In response the relay hunger strikes have not slowed down but increased in number. Currently approximately 800 people are participating within Mainland China.

Meanwhile overseas support has also intensified.

Professor Chiou of the School of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Queensland told The Epoch Times that Mr Gao had attempted to address civil and human rights abuses through the legal processes in China.

"According to the Chinese constitution people have the right to freedom of association, freedom of religions, freedom of speech in China," said Professor Chiou.

"Clearly we know that in more than half-a-century there is no freedom of speech, of religion, of association, and of the press in China."

"I think we need to raise the consciousness not only in China but also in Australia and in other parts of the world. Maybe a hunger strike is a way to do it, so because of that I will support the action," Professor Chiou said.

In Australia relay hunger strikes are held outside the Chinese Embassy in Canberra and outside consulates in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

One of the participants in the relay hunger strikes in Australia was Chinese dissident writer and academic, Law Professor Yuan Hongbin, a leading figure in the democracy movement in China. He, along with high profile defector Chen Yonglin, the former First Secretary of the Chinese Consulate in Sydney, partook in the first 24-hour shift hunger strike on Friday, February 10.

Professor Yuan attended a peaceful rally on Sunday, February 19, in Sydney that supported the worldwide hunger relay strikes and also the 8 million withdrawals from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He told The Epoch Times that when the communist regime in China ends "China should construct a new legal system based on democracy and form a constitution in line with modern principles that should protect and guarantee the rights of all Chinese citizens."

The NSW leader of the Australian Democrats, Dr Arthur Chesterfield, also attended the rally and told the estimated 300-people gathering; "The Chinese [legal] system does not have to be the same as the Australian system but it has to be seen as doing the right things by the Chinese people. It is therefore very worrying when a lawyer [Mr Gao] who is taking cases that seem to have merit is not allowed to practice anymore."

Mr Gao is known for defending Christians, dissidents, disadvantaged groups appealing against corruption and, most recently, Falun Gong practitioners.

Also attending the Sydney Sunday afternoon rally was journalist David Mason-Jones who shared some of his experiences from writing articles and editing for business magazines in India, Singapore and Hong Kong such as Chief Officer magazine and Human Resources management in Singapore.

He gave examples of how the CCP tries to censor the press outside of China and told of how he once mentioned the spiritual practice of Falun Gong in an article, which was then deleted by his Singapore editor out of fear of repercussions from the Chinese communist regime.

In his role as a journalist Mr Mason-Jones attended the China Guangdong – Australia Business Conference 2005 at the Hilton Hotel last November. It was the same event where the visiting CCP official Zhang Dejiang was served a NSW Supreme Courts summons on behalf of Ms Yan Xie, a 37 year old Falun Gong practitioner who experienced torture and abuse in a re-education through labour camp in China.

At the business conference Mr Mason-Jones said that he had a conversation with one of the visiting Chinese delegates and asked if he had been to visit the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House but discovered that delegate was not allowed. Furthermore he "was not allowed outside the Hilton hotel just in case he would meet some Falun Gong people out the front. A 30 to 40 year old man was not allowed to walk down the street to buy a sandwich because the government was afraid that he might talk to someone."

The veteran journalist said it is very important to "support things like the rolling hunger strike that's being carried out in particular with Mr Gao Zhisheng in Beijing.

"I think it's important for everyone here today to realize that you are actually having an effect on a great massive country of the People's Republic of China.

"And most importantly the effect that you are having can be measured because I can look over there and see the sign that over 8 million people in around about the last 12 months have actually left the communist party."

[Editors note: The withdrawals the CCP has been attributed to the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party which has widely been spread in China. This special report explains the violent history of the CCP and its responses to political challenges throughout history.]