Well-Being of Hunger Striking Practitioners in Singapore Is a Concern of Falun Gong Practitioners Around the World

Two Falun Gong practitioners in Singapore, Ms. Ng Chye Huay and Ms. Cheng Lujin, are presently on hunger strike in Changyi Woman's Prison to protest the unjust court sentences by the Singapore authorities against them. According to the Strait Times' report, a prison spokesman said that refusing to eat was an offence under the Prisons Act. If found guilty, they could be placed in a punishment cell or given a written warning. They will be placed on a glucose drip should their health be in danger. Falun Gong practitioners from across the world are extremely concerned about the situation and have successively gone to Singapore Embassies in different countries to appeal on behalf of the two practitioners.

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Cheng Lujin	Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Ng Chye Huay

On February 23rd 2003, Ms. Huang and Ms. Cheng practised the Falun Gong exercises in Esplanade Park and introduced people to the persecution suffered by their innocent fellow practitioners in China. In May 2004, they were accused by the Singapore police with eight charges including, ""Assembly without a permit" and "Possessing and mailing out uncertified VCDs". After nearly one year of hearings, on April 27th 2005, the two practitioners were fined S$20,000 and S$24,000 respectively by the Singapore court. Ms. Ng and Ms. Cheng firmly hold that they are innocent and therefore refuse to accept the verdict. They stated that they would file an appeal. They were taken to the Changyi Woman's Prison at 6 p.m. the same evening and may be imprisoned up to 24 weeks there.

It was reported that the defendants, their attorney and family members did not expect that Ms. Cheng and Ms. Ng would be sent to prison the same day the verdict was delivered because they felt even if they lost the case, they could file an appeal. In Singapore, the judge will usually postpone the implementation of a sentence if the defendants intend to file an appeal. However, the judge stated that because the defendants were not repentant, she decided to charge the two, weak-looking female defendants the heaviest fines and implement the most severe conditions; namely, that if they do not immediately pay the fines, they would be put into prison instantly.

Ms. Cheng Lujin came from Mainland China. Currently, she has settled down in Singapore with her husband, a six-year-old son and a six-month-old daughter. Her second son, who is only 1 year and six months old, is now living with her parents-in-law in Mainland China. After she was imprisoned, it has been very hard for her husband to look after the two children at home. Ms. Cheng requested the court to allow her six-month-old daughter to be with her, since the baby still needs her mother's feeding and care. The court rejected the request.

Right now, a couple that are good friends of Ms. Cheng are taking care of her six-month-old baby, so as to relieve her husband's hardship.

On the afternoon of May 1st, little Junjun, Ms. Cheng's six-month-old daughter, visited her mother in the prison. The innocent baby who did not know anything about what happened looked attentively at the prison where her mother is locked up.

Ms. Ng and Ms. Cheng's hunger strike to protest the court's incorrect sentence has entered into the fifth day. Their well-being is a concern of all Falun Gong practitioners throughout the world. Falun Gong practitioners from North America, Europe, Asia and Australia have successively been to the Singapore Embassies in their local areas to peacefully appeal on behalf of the two practitioners and protest the Singapore government's unjust treatment. The practitioners expressed that at present, more and more governments and people have learnt about the truth of Falun Gong and they call upon the Chinese communist regime to stop the persecution. We hope that the Singapore authorities will not bow to the Chinese Communist Party's pressure and become an accomplice in suppressing Falun Gong.