A Manly businesswoman whose mother who has been detained by Chinese authorities
for allegedly publishing and distributing Falun Gong material has appealed to
Prime Minister John Howard for support.
Doris Chen, 31, is a permanent Australian
resident who runs a natural healing practice. She said her mother, Aihua Zeng,
57, was arrested in Shanghai in May and taken to a detention centre.
Falun
Gong, "a traditional self-cultivation practice based on truthfulness, compassion
and forbearance", is outlawed in China and practitioners can be detained
for 37 days without legal recourse.
Ms Chen, who has had no contact with
her mother, has just learned the police are going to charge and imprison Ms Zeng.
This
month Ms Chen met Warringah federal Liberal MP Tony Abbott who told her the Australian
Embassy in Shanghai had expressed concern about the case to the Chinese Government.
Ms
Chen has written twice to Mr Howard and has collected 200 signatures in a petition
calling on him to "do everything within your power to ensure (Ms Zeng’s)
release" when he visits China on Wednesday.
Ms Chen hopes her mother
will be released to Hong Kong, where she is a resident, on the condition she never
returns to China.
"I’ll keep writing and petitioning to authorities
until my mother is released," Ms Chen said.
Today Ms Chen and her supporters
will collect signatures for the petition from 10am to 4pm at Manly Wharf.
Posting
date: 28/June/2006
Original article date: 28/June/2006
Category: Media Report
