Chinese Premier, Zhu Rongji, Hears Voice of Justice from Practitioners, the Government and the Public During His Trip to Ireland

By Irish practitioners

From September 2 to September 5, Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji and an entourage of 175 people visited Ireland. This was the first stop on his trip to Europe. Irish practitioners seized the opportunity and appealed to Premier Zhu to uphold justice, stop the inhumane persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China, and help rescue Zhao Ming, a student from Trinity College Dublin detained in Beijing's Tuanhe Labor Camp right now. During these days, wherever Zhu visited, he could see practitioners appealing peacefully. We hoped to show the premier the goodness of "Truth, Compassion, Tolerance," and appeal to his sense of decency and justice.

On the evening of September 2, there was a formal state dinner and reception. Practitioners hung banners in front of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, and demonstrated the exercises. The Chinese premier saw Dafa practitioners in Ireland for the first time.

The next morning (September 3), the premiers from both countries held a press conference in Farmleigh House, which is next to the presidential palace. When we got there, we saw a group of Chinese not far away. They too came to welcome the premier. Practitioners started to clarify the truth to them and gave them the truth-clarifying materials of Falun Gong. In the end, we gave our literature to every policeman there, shook hands with them, and then left.

On the evening of September 3, the Irish president hosted a banquet in honour of the Chinese premier and his entourage in Dublin Castle. "Friends of Zhao Ming" initiated a grand march and assembly to petition to the Chinese government to release Zhao Ming immediately. About two hundred people marched from Zhao Ming's school, Trinity College Dublin, to Dublin Castle. Falun Gong practitioners joining the march held banners that said, "SOS: Urgent Rescue Falun Gong Practitioners Persecuted in China," "Release Zhao Ming", and the like, and walked at the front. When they all arrived at the place of the banquet, friends of Zhao Ming kept calling, "What do we want? Release Zhao Ming!"

We distributed truth-clarifying literature to the Chinese delegates, and presented the truth of the persecution in China. None of them accepted materials, saying, "We don't care about this." Some of them dared not to look at practitioners, some used umbrellas to shield their faces, and some, by their choice of words, revealed their hidden guilt.

After he completed his visit in Dublin, Zhu Rongji and his party came to Killarney, the famous landscape in Ireland. Again, wherever he visited, he could see Dafa practitioners demonstrating the exercise peacefully.

When the Chinese delegation prepared to leave the Killarney airport, the field of grand compassion from practitioners' exercise demonstration was evident.

To our great delight, during his meeting with Premier Zhu, the Irish premier talked about human rights in China. He raised the issue of China's suppression of Falun Gong, and Zhao Ming's detention in the labor camp. Zhu Rongji promised to take up the matter with the judicial departments upon his return. But for the first time, under pressure from the evil, Zhu defended the persecution. This is really disappointing for those of us intent on justice.

The leader of the Labour Party, Mr. Ruair Quinn, refused to attend the dinner banquet on Monday, to show his discontent with China's extremely poor human rights records and the detention of Zhao Ming. The principal of Zhao Ming's school and the graduate student association separately wrote letters to Zhu Rongji. The principal met Zhu at the dinner banquet on Monday, and told Zhu that he hoped to see Zhao Ming come back to Ireland to continue his study soon.

Before Zhu Rongji's visit, the graduate student association and "Friends of Zhao Ming" had written letters to the Irish premier, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Business and Trade, and Minister of Culture Department, appealing to them to help rescue Zhao Ming from China's brutal persecution.

During his four-day visit, the Chinese premier was supposed to talk about business cooperation. But the Irish media, TV, radio, and newspapers alike, all focused on the issues of human rights in China. They mainly reported the reality of the persecution of Falun Gong and Zhao Ming's sentencing to a labor camp. The media which reported with this focus are high-profile and influential: RTE TV (Irish National TV), TV3, the Department of International News Television of BBC in Belfast, many radio stations, The Irish Times, The Star, Irish Independent, Evening Herald, Irish Examiner, and Irish Mirror. (This shows that Ireland is an upright nation.) On September 4, The Irish Times had six articles mentioning Falun Gong and Zhao Ming. The front-page article, which led them all was headlined: "Taoiseach, President press rights issues with Chinese: Premier asked to review case of TCD student held without trial." Another article was more than half a page long: "Falun Gong case will be test for China policy." There was an editorial and a reader's letter from "Friends of Zhao Ming." Another article introduced Falun Gong and the exercises. We also gave special interviews to many TV and radio stations and newspapers.

The Star, which has the second largest sales volume in Ireland, initially contacted us. Staff members there volunteered to help us hand our letter to Premier Zhu. In the press conference, one resourceful journalist handed Zhu our letter. This newspaper has been giving special attention to news of Zhao Ming and of the situation of the persecution of Dafa practitioners in China.

The calls of "Stop persecuting Falun Gong practitioners!" and "Rescue Zhao Ming!" continue to resound through Ireland. Support for Zhao Ming and Falun Gong continues to build. The kind acts from the Irish people, media, and government have established a good future for the whole nation.