OTTAWA—Members of Parliament, witnesses, and concerned people gathered on Wednesday at a forum on Parliament Hill to explore the ongoing tragedy in China where half the people in forced labour camps are Falun Gong practitioners imprisoned for their belief.
Scott Reid, Deputy Government House Leader, hosted the forum. Mr. Reid also serves as Chair of the International Human Rights Subcommittee of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development.
Mr. Reid noted that 2009 is the tenth anniversary of the start of the persecution of Falun Gong in China.
“Who would have thought that a government would have the persistence to pursue people who so clearly are neither a threat to the security of the country nor any aspect of the country—a group so firmly rooted in the best values of the country,” he said.
Falun Gong, also called Falun Dafa, is a traditional Chinese discipline of exercise and meditation that centres on the principles of “Truth, Compassion, and Forbearance.”
In July 1999 the communist regime launched a massive persecution campaign against the group. At the time government estimates indicated that in the seven years following its introduction to the public in 1992, 70 to 100 million people were practising Falun Gong in China, drawn by its benefits of physical and mental health.
Mr. Reid paid tribute to the practitioners of Falun Gong who have “persevered this long and indeed in ways that the state cannot touch…. They’ve prospered despite the persecution.”
Michelle Zhang told how her family in China, almost all of whom practised Falun Gong, endured ongoing persecution.
“I never imagined that I would have lost three of my most beloved family members within a few years,” she said.
Shortly after Falun Gong was banned in 1999, Ms. Zhang’s brother-in-law, Songtao Zou, was detained for appealing to the Beijing Central Petition Office for his constitutional right to practise the spiritual discipline.
Scott Reid, Deputy Government House Leader, hosted the forum. Mr. Reid also serves as Chair of the International Human Rights Subcommittee of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development.
Mr. Reid noted that 2009 is the tenth anniversary of the start of the persecution of Falun Gong in China.
“Who would have thought that a government would have the persistence to pursue people who so clearly are neither a threat to the security of the country nor any aspect of the country—a group so firmly rooted in the best values of the country,” he said.
Falun Gong, also called Falun Dafa, is a traditional Chinese discipline of exercise and meditation that centres on the principles of “Truth, Compassion, and Forbearance.”
In July 1999 the communist regime launched a massive persecution campaign against the group. At the time government estimates indicated that in the seven years following its introduction to the public in 1992, 70 to 100 million people were practising Falun Gong in China, drawn by its benefits of physical and mental health.
Mr. Reid paid tribute to the practitioners of Falun Gong who have “persevered this long and indeed in ways that the state cannot touch…. They’ve prospered despite the persecution.”
Michelle Zhang told how her family in China, almost all of whom practised Falun Gong, endured ongoing persecution.
“I never imagined that I would have lost three of my most beloved family members within a few years,” she said.
Shortly after Falun Gong was banned in 1999, Ms. Zhang’s brother-in-law, Songtao Zou, was detained for appealing to the Beijing Central Petition Office for his constitutional right to practise the spiritual discipline.
