Urge the CCP to Open up All Forced Labor Camps
and Allow Third Party Independent Investigation
By
Xin Yu, Minghui reporter in Australia
Falun (Clearwisdom.net)
Gong practitioners gather on the lawn in front of Parliament House to peacefully
appeal, and hold anti-torture exhibit to expose the CCP’s atrocities
On June 19, 2006, prior to Australian Prime Minister Howard’s upcoming state
visit to China, several hundred Falun Gong practitioners and representatives from
the “Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong” (CIPFG) gathered
in front of Parliament House to peacefully appeal. They read an open letter to
Prime Minister Howard from the Australian Falun Dafa Association. They called
on the Prime Minister to question the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders about
organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners for profit, and to require
the CCP to immediately open up all forced labor camps, concentration camps, hospitals
and mental hospitals to allow third parties to conduct independent investigations
and collect evidence. At the same time, they delivered a petition with over ten
million signatures collected from around Australia to the Prime Minister and members
of Parliament.
Falun Gong practitioners peacefully appeal 
Senator Lyn Allison 
Senator Kerry Nettle
Senator Lyn Allison from Democratic
Party, Senator Kerry Nettle from Green Party, Senator Bob Brown, leader of Green
Party were also present. They expressed their support and said in an interview
that they have asked Prime Minister Howard in Parliament to request an investigation
into the CCP’s organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners.
Senator
Lyn Allison said that she has brought forward to the Prime Minister in Parliament
that it must be investigated that the CCP harvests organs from living Falun Gong
practitioners. If it is found that any Australian people do organ transplant trade
with China, the Prime Minister should pressure and lobby the Australian government
to stop it. Falun Gong practitioners have contributed a lot in striving for human
rights, and she will try her best to help them.
Senator Kerry Nettle said that
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed that it had learned about all these
allegations, so there should be more inquiries and investigations into live organ
harvesting.
The peaceful appeal attracted attention from many media outlets,
including Channel 10 TV, SBS TV, NTDTV, Sydney Morning Herald and The
Epoch Times.
On the afternoon of June 19, practitioners also held a truth
introduction session inside the Parliament. They introduced to the members of
Parliament and their assistants who attended the session the facts about Falun
Gong and the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong, including the latest revelation
of the CCP harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners.
On the large
lawn in front of the Parliament House, several hundred Falun Gong practitioners
from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and other areas of Australia held an anti-torture
exhibit, photo exhibit and large banners. They wanted to tell people that in China,
the persecution Falun Gong practitioners have been suffering is beyond one’s
imagination. Those practitioners are facing the danger of having their organs
removed when they are still alive and being killed arbitrarily by the CCP. The
appeal activities drew attention from several hundred people of Sri Lankan origin
who were also holding an activity in front of the Parliament House. Many of them
read Falun Gong truth clarification leaflets and signed the petition during the
break of their activity.
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Falun Gong spokesperson Kay Rubacek read
to the media an open letter to Prime Minister Howard. The letter stated that the
Falun Gong practitioners hoped Howard to make two requirements during his meeting
with Hu jintao: First, require Hu Jintao to open up all forced labor camps, concentration
camps, hospitals, metal hospitals and related facilities, to allow the investigation
organizations to immediately conduct an independent investigation without interference.
Second, require Hu Jintao to allow the recently established Coalition to
Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG) and the International Investigation
Team to enter China and guarantee their safety. The Independent investigation
team, composed of the former director of the Asian Pacific Division of Canada's
Foreign Affairs Ministry Mr. David Kilgour and well-known international human
rights attorney Mr. David Matas, wrote to the Chinese Embassy in Canada on June
2 with their request for a meeting with the Chinese Ambassador, and hope to obtain
visas and visit Mainland China this month to conduct their investigation and collect
evidence. They will soon make public the investigation report after evidence collection.
The open letter also stated that if Howard can make the two requirements, he
will help rescue tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners who are being detained
in concentration camps, and who are facing the danger of being tortured to death
or having their organs removed and killed at any moment. The CCP regime has no
regard for the value of their lives. If Prime Minister Howard remains silent in
this regard, he will cause damage to Australian moral principles. Through the
two requirements, we also want to let Chinese people know that when they are in
need, the Australian people have not forgotten them.
Spokesperson for Australian
Committee to Investigate the Truth John Xiao introduced the establishment and
background of the committee, and the current development of gaining support from
many countries overseas. The support includes 81 former US congressmen who co-signed
a letter written in April to request President Bush to conduct investigation into
the CCP’s live organ harvesting; former Canadian member of Parliament and
human rights lawyer join in the CIPFG, and formed an independent investigation
team. They are conducting an investigation over the CCP’s live organ harvesting
and applied for visas to go to China for evidence collection.
John also introduced
that European Parliament Vice-President conducted his own investigation while
visiting China and drew a conclusion that the CCP regime is still “a system of
atrocity, despotism, and bigotry.” The CCP’s brutal abuses against the detained
Falun Gong practitioner, that is, selecting eligible Falun Gong practitioners
to be “suppliers” for organ transplants, caused their death. This is a typical
crime of genocide. Edward held that the European Parliament should hold a hearing
on the cases of live organ harvesting.
John said that several members of Parliament
in Australia have written to Prime Minister Howard to propose an investigation.
At present, more than 20 people including people from religious circle, lawyers,
people from business circle and former Chinese officials have joined in the CIPFG.
In the end, Mr. Xiao called on Prime Minister Howard to require the CCP authorities
during his visit to China to open up all forced labor camps and secret concentration
camps to allow the investigation teams to conduct investigation immediately without
any restriction.
Two members of the “Committee to Investigate the Truth” Father
Peter Caruana of Australian Holy Catholic Family Church and Ms. Frances Milne,
president of former Sydney United Church Care Association came to the press conference
to show their support and make speeches. Father Peter Caruana later attended the
introduction session inside the Parliament and introduced to the members of Parliament
the persecution of Falun Gong they have learned about.
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Peter said in his speech that he stood in front
of the Parliament House on behalf of Falun Gong group to call on Howard to require
the CCP leaders during his visit to China to stop the persecution of Falun Gong.
He held that the CCP disregards human rights and takes life for granted. Falun
Gong group has been persecuted so cruelly only for practicing the exercises. People
even show sympathy for animals, let alone for human beings.
Ms. Frances Milne
said in her speech that their church has been paying attention to China’s
human rights problem. When she helped with refugee cases, through dealing with
Falun Gong practitioners’ cases, she has learned about the brutality of the
persecution of Falun Gong. Falun Gong practitioners have their organs harvested
while they are still alive, it is inconceivable for people that such things can
even happen. The Australian government should investigate this, but due to the
concern of trade with China, the government has not yet taken action. She learned
from a doctor that a medical team from China came to Australia especially to learn
the transplantation techniques. She said she was very much worried about this,
and she felt these Chinese doctors who participate in organ transplants should
be warned to make clear the sources of the organs. She also called on the medical
organizations in Australia to conduct an investigation over this.
Speakers
also included Falun Gong practitioner Li Ying and Doris. Li Ying’s younger
brother and Doris’ mother have been illegally detained, have no way to contact
the outside right now, and their whereabouts are unknown. Li Ying and Doris called
on people from all walks of life to help rescue their family members who have
been detained for practicing Falun Gong.
Posting
date: 26/June/2006
Original article date: 25/June/2006
Category: Australian
News
