Call for International Support for Australian Position on Organ Harvesting in China

As cross-party support in Australia was confirmed for an international inquiry
into reports of organ harvesting for profit in China, a leading churchman said
the world’s conscience should be awakened.

"We need to act now on
human rights violations occurring in China or lose the opportunity forever,”
Rev Hon Dr Gordon Moyes, a member of the New South Wales Parliament and China
specialist, said today.

“The 2008 Beijing Olympics offers an unprecedented
opportunity for democratic nations to pressure the Chinese Government to act against
these crimes against humanity.”

“The volume of evidence is now
so strong that it warrants an independent, international investigation,”
Dr Moyes said.

Dr Moyes’ call came as European Parliament Vice President
Mr Edward McMillan-Scott and former Canadian cabinet minister Hon David Kilgour
visited Australia and New Zealand to encourage parliamentary support for an international
inquiry into organ harvesting – the sale of body parts from Falun Gong prisoners
of conscience.

A preliminary
report
released on July 6 by Kilgour and human rights lawyer David Matas presented
18 categories of evidence on organ harvesting across China.

McMillan-Scott
and Kilgour said that they were profoundly relieved that Australia had now reached
a cross-party consensus on the issue.

On Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s
Lateline
on August 17, the Australian government was confirmed as committing itself to
an independent investigation into the reports by Opposition Foreign Affairs spokesman
Kevin Rudd, who also supported the call.

"We welcome the bi-partisan
consensus on an international inquiry into organ harvesting. The 20 million population
of Australia is bound together by democracy and the rule of law, but also cherishes
its well-established trade ties with China.

So the position of the Australian
government and opposition on this matter is highly significant and welcome,"
said McMillan-Scott, who visited China to investigate organ harvesting in May.

"As
a leading Asian Pacific democracy, Australia is showing leadership on this issue,
which other parliamentarians in the region and beyond, including Canada, the United
States and Europe, should now follow,” said Kilgour.

Further support
for an end to organ harvesting came in a statement this week referring to the
Matas-Kilgour report, when the U.S. National
Kidney Foundation
said it "is deeply concerned about recent allegations
regarding the procurement of organs and tissues through coercive or exploitative
practices abroad, or practices which violate worldwide human rights standards."

______________________________________________________

Contact:
Rev Hon Dr Gordon Moyes AC MLC: (02) 9230 3340 or 0407 433 499
Media Inquiries:
Jonathon Flegg (02) 9230 3340


Christian Democratic Party, GPO
Box 141, Sydney NSW 2001.
Email: admin@cdp.org.au Web: www.cdp.org.au Tel:
1300-667-975


Posting date: 19/Aug/2006
Original article
date: 18/Aug/2006
Category: Media Report

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