Turkish Magazine Interviews Practitioner About Falun Gong and the Persecution in China

In May 2007, Turkish Magazine Vizyon Alanya published an eight page report about Falun Gong and the brutal persecution and organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners in China by the Chinese Communist regime. Below is a transcript of the report.

A new philosophy, a new meditation, a new peace of mind...It is quite easy to learn... You can simply start by first reading this article... But those who are not used to descriptions of the scenes of blood and torture should be advised. Falun Gong practitioner and former fashion model Pia-Maria tells us about Falun Gong and the persecution of Falun Gong in China.

Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance...Who does not want to possess these three virtues? Maybe we all have these virtues and they are only waiting to be awakened. It is possible to become healthy and virtuous by taking a breath of the air of the Far East, through Falun Gong (Falun Dafa) which has just recently become known in Turkey. If you are interested in philosophies of the Far East and have just heard about Falun Gong, you need to read this article. Falun Gong, which is based on "Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance" is being practised by millions of people in about 80 countries. You don't even have to pay anything to learn Falun Gong. You can learn every detail of Falun Gong through the Internet. And if there is a person who practises Falun Gong near you, this person will with pleasure help you and teach you the exercises. Today, people who practise Falun Gong--wherever they are in the world--get together at practice sites to do the exercises. So, wherever you are in the world you can find a Falun Gong group, and you do not have to pay anything or register to learn this practice.

WHAT IS FALUN GONG?

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a traditional system of meditation in China that involves the development of a healthy mind and body. It consists of slow and uncomplicated movements which are extremely easy to learn. It was first introduced to the public in 1992 in China by Master Li Hongzhi. Since then, Falun Gong has gradually increased in popularity.

In Falun Gong, management organization, working facilities, private staff, organization rules and student applications do not exist. It basically operates through voluntary work. One of these volunteers, Pia-Maria, who came from America to vacation with her mother and sister in Alanya, is a clear example of this. Pia-Maria, age 38, is a former Finnish fashion model living in New York. After working as a model, she worked as a hostess for a TV station in North America. Afterwards she became the international spokesperson and head of PR for an international cosmetic company. Seven years ago, while Pia-Maria was learning karate in Sweden, she was introduced to Falun Gong by her karate teacher. "I noticed such a feeling of peacefulness and calm in him, and I wanted to be like him. So, I talked to him about the practice, he taught me the exercises, and I have been practising it ever since then. From that time on, my life changed drastically. The many allergies I had were cured in a short period of time," she said.

Maybe most of you haven't heard about Falun Gong or Falun Dafa before.

Falun Gong originated in China in 1992, and is today being practised by more than 100 million people in 80 countries. Falun Gong is based on the three universal principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance. As long as it practised diligently, Falun Gong helps to regulate the energy in the human body and reduces stress, calms a person down, as well promotes the moral character. It can be practised by any person from any religion, any nation or culture. Including meditation, Falun Gong consists of five sets of exercises which are soft and slow, similar to tai chi, yoga or other qigong forms.

"It is not only effective for the human body, but also effective for personal cultivation. Gradually, I noticed that I was filled with happiness and I became a much more positive person." Pia-Maria explains that this practice has different qualities from yoga or any other meditations. In fact, we had also thought about this question, and asked her in what way Falun Gong is different from, for example yoga. "Yoga trains your body, whereas Falun Gong can change everything in your life. It gives you inner peace and spiritual 'beauty', and it helps one become a better person." She continued the interview by saying: "Before I started practising Falun Gong I had allergies to many different foods and things like chocolate, milk, and pollens in spring. But after practising Falun Gong all my illnesses disappeared. Apart from this, I feel much more peaceful and in harmony with myself and others."

YOUR VIEW OF THE WORLD WILL CHANGE

If you want to learn more about Falun Gong you can search through Google, and you will find hundreds of different sites. As soon as you click on one of them, this will be your first step to learning Falun Gong. You can get all the information you need from the web, and can hence learn it yourself. Pia-Maria explains that she did not find the exercises difficult to learn. Learning the five exercises at once is a good start to practising Falun Gong. Pia-Maria says, "The first exercise should be done three times. The second exercise takes about half an hour. The third exercise is also done three times followed by the fourth one, also in a set of three, and finally you do the meditation. Everyone can do this, young or old, and you do not need a teacher to do them. Everyone in the world does something and gets money in return, but this is totally free. It can be practised everywhere, and the exercises can be learned and downloaded for free from the Internet. If you like you can of course buy the book from a bookstore, but it can also be downloaded for free from the Internet. Everyone can do this practice, rich or poor.

Pia-Maria explains that the most important aspects of Falun Gong are not the exercises but the cultivation practice, which is based on the three universal principles, Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance, and how to integrate them into your daily life. Once you learn and start living by these principles you can live your life in a much better way.

FALUN GONG IS BANNED AND PERSECUTED IN CHINA

Falun Gong, which is practised by close to 100 million people, easily finds supporters across the world as it has been proven that this practice is good for one's health, which surpasses the notion that it is just a philosophy. Falun Gong has received many awards because of its benefits to society in over 80 countries where it is practised. However, even though China previously awarded Falun Gong, seven years ago, in 1999, the Chinese Communist regime banned the practice in China after having discovered, through a study, that it was practised by somewhere between 70 and 100 million Chinese people.

"As they are a Communist regime they saw it as a threat to them," Pia-Maria says. "The Chinese Government does not accept any religion or philosophy that gives people inner peace, because they are afraid that they will then not be able to control people."

The fact that it is freely practised by 80 countries but not in China clearly shows that China is not a democratic country. Falun Gong is not the only thing prohibited in China, as there is no freedom of belief. This system in China is similar to the system present throughout the inquisition in the European Middle ages. Since the persecution of Falun Gong in China started, many thousands of people have been tortured to death, and thousands of people have disappeared. The families of these people have no information about their whereabouts. China is already a previously convicted criminal in human rights abuse, and there is plenty of evidence that they are committing the torture.

METHODS OF TORTURES USED IN CHINA

By showing us pictures, Pia-Maria explicitly shows us evidence of the brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.

OVER TEN THOUSAND PEOPLE ARE MISSING

Today in China, people who practise Falun Gong are not accepted to schools and universities, they are fired from their jobs, and their houses are ransacked and phones tapped. Women and men are kidnapped, given electric shocks and are not allowed to sleep, and they are exposed to all kinds of torture methods and persecution. Over three thousand have been confirmed tortured to death, but it is believed that the real number is more than ten thousand. There are also hundreds of thousands of people in jail and prison camps, and most of these people are innocent Falun Gong practitioners. Furthermore, if you are a foreigner and if you practise Falun Gong, you may not be allowed into China. When Pia-Maria told me about one of her newspaper editor friends who went to China to cover a news story and had his fingers broken because they didn't like the news he published, I thought about what might happen to me if I went to China after writing this article. When we asked her whether she will go to China or not, Pia-Maria answers: I would like to go but most likely they would not let me into the country. It would also not be safe to go.

INCREASED ORGAN SALES

I am sure that the mere utterance of these two words makes people frightened. I got a great deal of knowledge about Chinese persecutions from some of the books I have read. In the beginning, I simply could not believe it. However, in the last book I read - called Chinese Stories-, their understanding of justice terrified me. If you are in custody in China, corporal punishment is inevitable. You are exposed to persecution until you admit your guilt. Although you are innocent, you will even end up admitting that you are guilty because you can no longer stand the torture. Once in a while, Turkey has come into question in Europe because of its persecutions, but when Chinese persecutions are considered, there cannot be any comparison.

In Chinese hospitals and labour camps Falun Gong practitioners' organs are being harvested and sold. "China is the country with the highest number of organs being bought and sold. For instance, in other countries you might need to wait at least a year to get an organ, but in China you can find organs within two weeks. Especially since 1999, organ trading has increased three times. After Falun Gong was banned thousands of Falun Gong practitioners suddenly disappeared. Their families do not know their whereabouts. They have no idea as to where they might be, Pia-Maria explained. She continued telling us about what has most likely happened to these people.

After the persecution in China was exposed to the world's media and public, people around the world have started reacting to this crime, and two Canadian politicians have done an independent investigation which has also been supported by the European Parliament. The results are striking. Their findings show that the organ sales have increased dramatically since the persecution of Falun Gong in China started. During the investigation some people called hospitals in China to ask:

"We want Falun Gong practitioners organs, do you have any?

The answer was: "Yes, we do."

This means that Falun Gong practitioners' organs are in fact harvested in prisons, where they are then left to die. Many lawyers all over the world are now looking into this matter, Pia-Maria explains. She also calls our attention to another story. A Chinese doctor went to Canada for cancer treatment. His wife, who was sitting next to him while he was dying, confessed that her husband had told her that he had personally harvested and removed over two thousand corneas from live Falun Gong practitioners.

VIOLENCE IS NOT THE SOLUTION

Pia-Maria finally stated that the illegal organ harvesting and trade, and the torture which is done by the Chinese Communist regime will continue if the world's people keep silent about it. However, to stop this violence and human rights crime with military intervention might not be the best solution. She believes that people must be told about what is happening. This way, the problem can be solved peacefully.