Ireland: Letter from a Practitioner to an Irish MP

I would like to draw your attention to a very urgent situation in China, which is of great concern to me. A campaign of genocide is being carried out against Falun Gong practitioners.

I am an Irish citizen and have benefited greatly from practising Falun Gong and this is why I write to you now. Many Irish people from all walks of life housewives, businessmen, students factory workers have taken up the practice which emphasises improvement of moral nature according to the principles of Truthfulness Compassion and Tolerance, combined with 5 sets of slow moving qigong exercises [similar to Taiji or yoga].

I enjoy doing the exercises every morning before going to work - I feel lighter, healthier and my whole body feels clean and refreshed from the inside out. Yet in China the right to practise these exercises has been denied to over 100 million practitioners of Falun Gong.

In July 1999, the Chairman of China’s Communist Party declared Falun Gong illegal and initiated a campaign to annihilate the practice and its adherents within 3 months. Now almost 4 years later the confirmed death toll stands at 572. Hundreds of thousands are detained in labour camps without trial; reports of systemic torture and brainwashing are well documented by human rights groups such as Amnesty International.

In the Masanjia forced labour camp last year, 18 female practitioners were stripped and thrown into male criminal’s cells to be gang raped. More stunningly when these crimes were exposed the perpetrators were awarded and promoted by the Jiang regime: the camp director was rewarded with 50,000 Yuan, authorities also allocated money and ordered the jail to be expanded.

I write to tell you this as a matter of urgency and ask for your support in speaking out for those who have no voice. If it is possible I would like to arrange a meeting with you in the Dáil [Irish Parliament] to discuss how the Irish government can help end this persecution sooner. Particularly with regard to (1) a resolution to condemn China on this issue and (2) the cases of 2 Dun Laoghaire students who have been prevented from returning to Ireland to resume their studies.

Is mise le meas [Yours truly]

[name omitted]