Falun Gong call on PM Rudd to raise human rights issue during China visit

Chinese authorities arrest 1800 Falun Gong practitioners over two months
in lead-up to Olympics

Sydney Falun Gong practitioners will gather at the Chinese Consulate to protest
against the recent mass arrest of over 1,878 Falun Gong practitioners in China,
in the lead-up to the Olympic Games. They will also urge Prime Minister Kevin
Rudd to raise Falun Gong and human rights issues during his upcoming visit to
China.

Background information regarding recent arrests

In recent weeks, the New York Falun Dafa Information Centre has been receiving
regular reports from adherents and their families inside China of door-to-door
searches and arrests. According to statistics compiled from these reports, there
have been 1,878 arrests across 29 provinces, major cities, and autonomous regions
since January 1 of this year. In Beijing alone, 156 arrests are known to have
taken place.

Chinese security agencies have been conducting large-scale arrests of Falun
Gong adherents throughout China in recent months as authorities step up efforts
to "stamp out" the practice in advance of the Olympic Games in August.

In many cities a reward system has been put in place offering 500-3,000 yuan
(roughly AU$30-$330) for identifying Falun Gong adherents to the authorities.
While such reward mechanisms are not new, their use in connection with the Olympics
is.

The following PSB site for Liaoning Province is one example: http://www.liaoyang.gov.cn/zfbm/gaj/showart.asp?art_id=68
(Chinese authorities usually take down websites such as these once they have
been publicised in the West. If the link does not work, please refer to an Internet
archive).

The Falun Gong practitioners demand the immediate release of all Falun Gong
adherents, and calling upon foreign media stationed in and around Beijing to
investigate these arrests.

Posting date: 20/Mar/2008
Original article date: 20/Mar/2008
Category: Media Release

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