An Australian radio journalist is seeking to travel to China for three months in a bid to assist in a newly-formed global coalition to investigate the organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners illegally held in labour and concentration camps inside China.
Ms Linda Xu, coordinator of mainland China news for the Sound of Hope radio station, attempted to apply for a journalist visa at the Chinese consulate in Sydney on Wednesday April 19. However inside the Chinese consulate, the staff would not accept Ms Xu's documents or application.
It was just over two weeks after a Chinese Foreign Affairs spokesman denied the live harvesting of organs from Falun Gong practitioners and the existence of concentration camps, while also "inviting" foreign journalists to investigate any claims.
"After the fact of the massive organ harvest on Falun Gong practitioners was exposed by witnesses in mainland China, the spokesperson Gang Qin of the [Chinese] Department of Foreign Affairs denied the existence of the concentration camps at a press conference and invited visiting foreign journalists to investigate any such claims of camps, " said Ms Christine Hond, a spokesperson for Sound of Hope radio at a press conference to support Ms Xu's bid.
"According to recent interviews with mainland Chinese, we understand that Falun Gong practitioners are still at high risk in China," said Ms Hond.
She said that reporters from the US, Canada and Germany were also attempting to enter China to make investigations into the camps and the practise of organ harvesting.
Ms Xu told The Epoch Times that she will again try to enter China but until then will continue to play her role as a journalist from Australia seeking further evidence. Ms Xu has been one of the most prominent journalists for Sound of Hope radio which broadcasts eight hours daily of uncensored shortwave news into China. Sound of Hope is listened to by an estimated 2 million people inside mainland China. On a daily basis she is in contact with high profile human right lawyer Gao Zhisheng. She also reported exclusively on the An Hui and Shanghai Bird flu incidents last year.
The coalition seeking to further investigate the organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners is being led by the Falun Dafa association and Minghui website researchers. It also includes media and, non-profit organisations and legal professionals.
Ms Kay Rubacek from the NSW Falun Dafa association said that since early this month, investigators from this coalition have discovered that hospitals in at least eight Chinese provinces are working overtime to perform surgeries excising Falun Gong detainees' organs so as to cash in on their bodies in the black market trade.
"These are not prisoners, these are people who are illegally detained simply because they believe in the practise and uphold the principles of truth compassion and tolerance, and practise five sets of exercises for health and peace."
The persecution against Falun Gong by the Chinese communist regime began in 1999. According to human rights groups, tens of thousands of practitioners have been sent to labour camps. Investigators fear that the practise of harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners in China began in 2000.
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