CHEJU, South Korea—2009 marks the 10th anniversary of the persecution against Falun Gong by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and as such, the topic of Falun Gong has been emerging all over the world.
Li Changchun, the member of the Politburo Standing Committee who is considered the CCP’s propaganda chief, has recently been indicted by the International Tribunal for his role in assisting former CCP leader Jiang Zemin in the persecution of Falun Gong.
Li was planning on visiting South Korea for three days. However, after encountering protests by Falun Gong practitioners everywhere he went, Li began to use evasive measures to hide from the protests.
Li arrived in Cheju at 11:10 a.m. South Korea time on April 4. His first scheduled stop was to attend a ceremony at the Confucius Institute at Cheju Halla University. He was accompanied by six CCP officials including Minister of the Department of International Liason, Wang Jiarui.
Eyewitness reports showed that out of fear of being discovered, Li switched vehicles during his trip. When Li arrived at the front door of the Confucius Institute, he was greeted by over 100 Falun Gong practitioners holding banners that condemned his illegal acts of persecution. Thus, to avoid the protests, Li slipped into the University through the backdoor.
Event Delayed for Three Hours
Li’s next stop was a memorial ceremony at Xu Seogwipo Park at 3 p.m. However, once again to avoid the protests of Falun Gong practitioners at the entrance, Li delayed his arrival to the event for three hours, forcing ceremony attendees such as Seogwipo Mayor Pu Yingbo and Congressman Jin Zairen to have to wait the entire time.
Li’s actions thus provoked the ire of local police who were overseeing the ceremony in the cold wind. One officer remarked angrily, “We were on duty for 24 hours yesterday and we still can’t go home because this ceremony has been delayed.”
For Justice
Spokesperson for the Korean Falun Dafa Association, Wu Shilui emphasized that Li Changchun is one of the chief persecutors of Falun Gong and is the reason that practitioners are appealing for justice.
“When Li Changchun was Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee, he assisted Jiang Zemin in the persecution Falun Gong,” said Wu. “In the past 10 years, he has persecuted Falun Gong practitioners cruelly and deprived them of their rights. Because of this, he was promoted to be a member of the Politburo Standing Committee.”
“Many Korean Falun Gong practitioners have come here of their own initiative to expose his crimes.”
According to Wu, Li Changchun’s efforts to hide from Falun Gong’s protests are something they anticipated.
“Li Changchun’s altering his schedule and slipping through the backdoor doesn’t match with his position as the fifth highest member of the CCP’s Politburo. The fact that he is so afraid when he encounters Falun Gong practitioners in free societies shows that he is completely aware of his crimes,” remarked Wu.
In July 2004, during his trip to France, a lawsuit was launched against Li Changchun for persecuting Falun Gong practitioners.
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