Israel: Chinese Magazine Apologises to Falun Gong Practitioners And Their Readers

“Beijing - Tel Aviv” is a Chinese magazine that was established by an Israel businessman. Most of its readers are Chinese labourers who have come to Israel for work.

Ever since the beginning of its publication in January 2003, “Beijing - Tel Aviv” has provided its’ readers with news, information and services that related to culture and life. In addition, it has been carrying material that promoted the Chinese Communist governments propaganda, including slander about Dafa. Apparently, there is a manipulating hand behind the scenes to persecute Dafa.

For instance, right after the explosion in Tel Aviv that occurred in February 2003, an article was published in the magazine, referring to the source of the information as coming from the Chinese Embassy, reminded readers to be more aware of the issue of safety. Then the subject of the article abruptly switched to Falun Gong. It misled the readers by linking the terrorism activities to Falun Gong practitioners who clarify the facts in China Town.

In July 2003, “Beijing - Tel Aviv” allocated more than a full page to another article to frame Falun Gong named “Falun Gong Commits another Monstrous Crime”. This implicated Falun Gong in the Chen Fuzhao’s case, where seventeen people were killed in Zhejiang Province. This misled readers a second time.

In September 2003, the magazine published a commentary by the Chinese Department of Foreign Affairs after Falun Gong practitioners filed a lawsuit against Jiang in Chicago. The commentary said the lawsuit was based on “falsified accusation”.

Ever since the first slanderous article was published in the magazine, Falun Gong practitioners in Israel have been trying to reach the publisher to clarify the facts to them, so that they could understand Dafa and realise the facts about the persecution in China. Practitioners also pointed out that misleading the readers was not correct, and that this goes against the magazine’s main objective of providing a service to readers.

The initial response from the magazine was that they wanted to remain neutral, but they also did not want to “irritate” the Chinese Embassy. However, these slanderous and poisonous articles were published one after another.

As a result of this, practitioners began legal action. Via a lawyer, practitioners negotiated with the publisher and requested an open apology and an immediate correction of their mistake. Otherwise, a lawsuit would be filed in court against the publisher.

The publisher agreed to apologise, and carried an apology on its last issue of 2003. However, the statement was vague, and did not show any sincerity. When the publisher was approached by the lawyer again, they admitted the apology was not clear enough.

During the first 2004 issue and the first anniversary of the magazine, another apology was published. The full text of the message is as follows:

In 2003, “Beijing - Tel Aviv” published articles containing incorrect information on February the 2nd, July the 27th and September the 19th. These articles are negative, and have shaped a criminal image of Falun Gong practitioners. The publisher would like to apologise to Falun Gong practitioners and all others who may have been harmed by these articles. We would also like to deliver an apology to the readers who have been misled by incorrect coverage.

The publication of an article that has originated from the Chinese propaganda machine seems to bring temporary benefit to the publisher on the surface, but has poisoned a lot of innocent sentient beings. On the contrary, a simple apology seems to be made possible by the pressure of legal obligation; however, it has saved a lot of sentient beings.

From publishing the slanderous articles to making an apology last year, “Beijing - Tel Aviv” has followed a tortuous route. We sincerely hope that all of the media and their staff won’t need take this incorrect road, so that a correct choice could be made for the future of themselves and others.