A Letter to the King of Thailand from the Nordic Falun Dafa Association

Ref: Mrs. Pirjo Svensson of Sweden
May 19, 2003

His Majesty,

It is my honour to write to His Majesty on behalf of Nordic Falun Gong practitioners. I write because Mrs. Pirjo Svensson, a dear friend of ours, is imprisoned for the 19th day in Bangkok.

Mrs Pirjo Svensson, 44, a Swedish citizen, nurse and Falun Gong practitioner has often accompanied her husband to work in Thailand over the last three years. At 8:00 am on April 29th, immigration/police officers searched their hotel room and confiscated material portraying human rights issues and the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. Although Pirjo has not committed any offence, the police revoked her visa and pressured her to leave Thailand with her husband. When Pirjo refused to be deported without a reason, the police locked her up in jail with 90-100 other people. This is shocking. The human rights of Falun Gong practitioners are supposed to be protected by the Thai constitution, which enshrines the freedom of belief and expression.

I myself have visited Thailand, and seen the beauty that it offers visitors. It was in Thailand I first came across Buddhism and where my interest and curiosity for Buddhism grew. In 1995, I was fortunate enough to meet Master Li Hongzhi (the founder of Falun Dafa) in Sweden and listen to his lectures on Falun Dafa, which teaches people to follow the universal principles of Truthfulness - Compassion – Tolerance in everyday life. This practice attracted millions of people in China. I respect the Chinese culture and Chinese history. In fact, Falun Gong is the best of traditional Chinese culture and values. But the former head of the communist party Jiang Zemin banned it in 1999. Now Jiang Zemin is extending his persecution to your country by spreading fabricated stories and lies about Falun Gong practitioners and pressuring Thailand to persecute innocent people.

Currently, with the help of human rights lawyers and legal experts, Falun Gong practitioners in USA and Europe are suing Jiang Zemin and several top Chinese officials, for crimes ranging from torture to genocide. The crimes committed by Jiang Zemin and his Gestapo-like 610 offices are comparable to those committed by Milosevic and Pinochet.

We hope that His Majesty, who has good relations with Sweden and once pledged to rule with righteousness, can help Mrs Pirjo Svensson be released and allowed to return to her anxious husband, family and friends. This would benefit the future of both Thailand and Sweden.

With high respect to His Majesty,

Yours sincerely,

[Signed]
A member of the Nordic Falun Dafa Association