Australia: Legislators Establish Bipartisan Delegation to Investigate Organ Harvesting (Photos)


On December 7, 2006, Australian Senators Andrew Bartlett (Democrats) and Kerry
Nettle (Greens) and MP Chris Bowen (Labor) jointly held a press conference outside
the Australian Parliament Building to announce the establishment of the Australian
Delegation of the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG).
The delegation demands the Chinese Communist regime to open all labor camps
and hospitals in order to allow CIPFG members to perform an independent investigation
into the persecution of Falun Gong and the harvesting of organs from Falun Gong
practitioners. Senator Bartlett said that the Australian delegation is ready
to enter China to perform an investigation. Reporters from many major mainstream
media outlets including TV 9, TV 10, ABC TV, Australia Press, 2GB Radio and
SBS Radio attended the press conference.



Senator Bartlett said that he was ready and willing to enter
China to investigate the persecution of Falun Gong



MP Bowen: “If allegations of organ harvesting are true,
that is why they don't issue us visas”



Senator Nettle: “The Green Party is very proud to support
the investigation delegation to enter China”



The press conference attracted many reporters from various
mainstream media



Senator Bartlett: “I am willing to enter China to investigate, and I am
ready”



At the press conference, Democrats Senator Andrew Bartlett told the press:
“Australia has major trade and diplomatic relation with China; however, the
government cannot thus overlook the allegations of the Chinese Communist
regime's atrocities of harvesting organs from living Falun Gong
practitioners.” He believed that there were people from every political
party who were concerned about this issue. He said that he was willing to go to
China to investigate and he was ready, if they could perform an independent
investigation without interference.


Senator Bartlett said that keeping continuous pressure on the Chinese
government is very important. He told local practitioners that he can guarantee
that many politicians from all parties are very concerned about this issue and
believe that these allegations should be thoroughly investigated. He also hoped
that the Chinese community will have a wide consensus in condemning these
atrocities happening in China.


Senator Bartlett welcomed two Queensland hospitals' “No
Cooperation” policy [with Chinese hospitals]. He said that it was a major
process for some Queensland hospitals to refuse to train Chinese surgeons who
may be involved in organ transplantation. He said that the public should make
further progress and he would try his best to support and participate in related
activities.


The Senator believes that human rights in China have in fact deteriorated in
the past years, even though China promised to improve human rights when it was
applying to host the Olympic Games. He said that now was the time to press the
Chinese Communist regime to improve its human rights record. He also promised to
continue to raise this issue in Parliament.



MP Chris Bowen: “If allegations of organ harvesting are true, that will
be the reason that they refused to issue us visas”



At the press conference, Member of Parliament Chris Bowen said that the
efforts to improve human rights in China have made some progress. For example,
he said that the Matas-Kilgour report investigating allegations of organ
harvesting are being read by more and more people and an increasing number of
Australian hospitals have started to refuse to train Chinese surgeons. He said
that he supported an independent investigation and demanded the Chinese
Communist regime to issue visas to members of the investigation group. He said
that the Chinese authorities have a very simple choice in which to deny these
allegations, which is to allow independent investigations. If they believe that
these allegations are not true, they shouldn't have anything to hide. If
allegations of organ harvesting are true, that will be the reason that they
refused to issue us visas.



Senator Kerry Nettle: “The Greens Party is very proud to support the
investigation delegation to enter China”



Senator Kerry Nettle called on the Chinese authorities to allow investigation
groups to enter all Chinese labor camps and hospitals without restriction, in
order to perform on-site investigations. She said that the Greens Party is very
proud to support the investigation delegation entering China and said that she
will write a letter to the Chinese ambassador to request that the regime allow
the investigation group to enter China and execute the recommendations made by
Matas and Kilgour in their investigation report. She said that China has a long
history of trampling on freedom of religious belief and human rights, as well as
destroying the environment. Senator Nettle said that the Greens have been
repeatedly urging the communist regime to pay attention to these areas.


At the press conference, a representative of the CIPFG also read a letter
from a Christian priest to the Australian Prime Minister. In the letter, the
priest requested his government to help the CIPFG, deny entry for Chinese
doctors who have been involved in organ harvesting, request doctors to provide
the source of organs used in transplants, and discourage academic exchange and
cooperation between Australian research institutes and the Chinese government.


Wuhan Falun Gong practitioners sent a support letter to the CIPFG Queensland
group. In the letter, the practitioners provided evidence of the illegal organ
harvesting practice in Wuhan and invited the group to visit Wuhan first.


To date, the CIPFG Australian group has more than 60 members, including
senators, MPs, provincial representatives, community leaders, religious leaders,
lawyers, medical experts, human rights activists and journalists.


Posting date: 12/Dec/2006
Original article date: 10/Dec/2006
Category: Australian News

Loading

Leave a Comment