Dagblad (Dutch newspaper): Meditating in Stadswandelpark

‘Falun Gong the key to self development’

The sweet sounds from the portable cd-player are only just audible above the loud singing of the birds. Slow and inconspicuous, but intensely concentrated, a dozen people practice meditation exercises. These are the Eindhoven practitioners of the Chinese forbidden spiritual movement, Falun Gong. Tomorrow morning this mixed bunch of people will, like every other Sunday, do their exercises in Stadswandelpark.

With a display board and flyers, the Falun Gong practitioners from Eindhoven inform passersby and people who are interested about their movement without obligation. [...]

Since July 1999, the millions of Falun Gong practitioners in the People’s Republic of China have been persecuted. To date, over 50,000 people are said to have been arrested and tortured, 119 people have died due to torture [this figure has been cited incorrectly – the verified death is more than 700]. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have continually criticized these human rights violations.

Those who see this group of practitioners doing their exercises in Stadswandelpark, could only conclude that these people are gentle and friendly. People of various nationalities, who wouldn’t harm a fly; people who are merely being healthy and conscious. The contact person in Eindhoven is [name omitted]. The thirty year old chemist came to Eindhoven in 1994 to study at the Technical University. From his mother who began to read the Falun Gong books at that time, [he] became interested in the movement and the principles on which Falun Gong is based: truth, compassion and tolerance. [He] says “As I was intensely busy with my study and learning Dutch, I had a lot of trouble sleeping and I could hardly relax. The Falun Gong exercises helped me to become tranquil, both mentally and physically.” According to [him] the exercises can be compared with the exercise movements of Yoga or Tai Chi, with the difference that Falun Gong does not solely aim at gaining good health, but also at obtaining wisdom and enlightenment. “It’s the key to self development” [...].

The little group of Falun Gong practitioners from Eindhoven meet at each others homes or in the park to meditate together. Apart from this, they also try as much as possible to expose the cruel persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. “We go to the Chinese embassy in The Hague regularly to protest against the torturing and raping of Falun Gong practitioners”[...].

A matter he is now working on is the passport of Deng Qing who lives in Eindhoven. She lost her passport and the Chinese government do not want to give her a new one because she practices Falun Gong. The consequence might be that she’d have to go back to China, where she would undoubtedly be arrested and jailed.