Taiwan: Signature Collection Campaign Held on Tsinghua University Campus to Rescue Mainland Colleagues

At the end of last December, we read an online petition letter from an imprisoned student Falun Gong practitioner from Shanghai Transportation University. At the end of January this year we learnt that a global commission for rescuing Tsinghua Falun Gong practitioners was established. These activities inspired us to initiate this signature collection campaign to rescue Tsinghua alumni with a hope that all Tsinghua people and other college students can learn about and pay attention to the brutal human rights violations in China.

We set up tables in front of a café at Taiwan Tsinghua University and collected signatures at noon from February 17 to 21. All students who listened to our narration agreed to sign to show their support. For the last two days, we went to student dorms to collect signatures and everyone agreed to sign. In Taiwan, students generally support human rights and disagree with the Mainland regime's persecution. We also informed the student association that Tsinghua students in Mainland China were imprisoned or killed for persisting in their beliefs in "Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance." The student association said that students' human rights must be protected and they supported our campaign.

When visiting the university administration, the president was abroad, but we contacted his assistant. In the beginning, the assistant did not listen carefully and just said as usual he would tell the president. However, after we explained the facts to him, he gradually changed his attitude and started to pay attention to this matter. Later, he asked us, "What can the president do for you?" The Vice president and secretary director also knew of our campaign. The vice president said he knew Falun Gong is good. The secretary director said that such persecution occurring on campuses in the Mainland and must be stopped. He supported our signature campaign.

In addition, we held a workshop on campus, as the main audience for this workshop were Tsinghua faculty and students. Zhao Ming from Ireland briefly narrated his experience of learning Falun Dafa, and then described in detail the brutal persecution he suffered in a Chinese labour camp. After the workshop, we practised the exercises outside the building and explained the facts to students passing by.

We hope that the signature collection can be expanded to people in all circles in society and that people will speak out after learning the facts to help end the persecution in China.