Ireland: Clarifying the Facts in Front of the Country's Largest TV station

Recently, Irish practitioners demonstrated the Falun Gong exercises outside RTE, the largest TV station in Ireland. The exercises were demonstrated during peak traffic times i.e. while people travel to work in the morning. Staff of the TV station and passers-by listened to the practitioners' explanations about Falun Gong, and were able to obtain a better and deeper understanding of Dafa and the persecution inside China. At the same time, practitioners also appealed for the rescue of the two students, Liu Feng and Yang Fang, who are being persecuted by the Jiang regime in China because they practise Falun Gong.

The 10th of December was World Human Rights Day and on this day practitioners from Dublin held a candlelight vigil and sent forth righteous thoughts in front of the Chinese Embassy to appeal for the end of the persecution against Falun Gong. This activity has drawn the attention of many local people.

Zhao Ming, a student in Trinity College, Dublin, went back to China in January 2000 and was illegally detained and sent to a labour camp. A friend of his told practitioners: “Since the persecution of Falun Gong started in July, 1999, Zhao Ming has been under surveillance because he practised Falun Gong. This peaceful movement is based on the principles of the universe ‘Truth-Compassion-Tolerance’ and has gained millions of practitioners worldwide. But in China, it has undergone vicious slander and persecution for more than four and a half years.”

Zhao Ming verified that he was badly tortured during his two-year detention period in the labour camp. His release was secured with the help of Bertie Ahern, the Irish Prime Minister, Brian Cowen, the Irish Foreign Minister and Mary Robinson, the former High Commissioner of the United Nations Human Rights Group.