Radio Free Asia: Falun Gong and Chinese Human Rights Issues Arouse the Attention of German Human Rights Associations and Other Organisations

The Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has visited Germany. The German Government and the business community were concerned about economic partnership while Germany’s human rights communities were concerned about China’s human rights issues and the Falun Gong issue.

Mr. Wen Jiabao, who arrived on the 2nd of May, arrived in Berlin on Monday the 3rd. On his first visit to Europe as Premier, no matter how much hot air the politicians and the media have created or how many protest activities were held by human rights communities and the people, it was still far from the fierce explosion that happened when Jiang Zemin last paid a visit.

As the reporter saw in Berlin, on one side Wen Jiabao is ardently carrying out his negotiations with the German business sector and the government’s economic desires while on the other hand there are protests and appeals activities organised by Germany’s human rights communities on the current situation of China’s Human rights and the issue of the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong. Falun Gong practitioners and German people who are concerned about Chinese people scattered at different points in the city centre of Berlin.

The reporter interviewed an ordinary German who protested on the square near the hotel where Wen Jiabao was stayed, asking her if she would like to say a few words about this to the population of Asia and Mainland China. This lady, named Leonarda, said, ” We welcome Mr. Wen Jiabao’s visit to Germany very warmly. But we hope that he will stop damaging China’s human rights, stop persecuting Falun Gong, and be able to put the people who orchestrated the persecution of Falun Gong, like Jiang Zemin, on trial. I hope that the Chinese people can get real freedom.”

She also said, ”A few years of experience have allowed the German people to realise that Falun Gong, in every society, every race, to every person, is good and positive. It never creates trouble or threatens to disrupt the peace; it can make people with different opinions associate and live together peacefully, it has very positive influences on people around us, including our families, our friends and relatives. I was born in Germany, into a Christian family, and found out about our persecution against the Jews. This became my great-grandparents’ heavy burden. I hope the masses in China can disassociate, release, unbind and free themselves from this persecution completely, and can really enjoy the material life brought to them by economic development.”

According to the understanding of the reporter, on Tuesday the Premiers of the two countries will inaugurate the forum of high-technology of China and Germany. On Tuesday night, Wen Jiabao will also attend a dialogue and discussion conference forum held by German economists. It is predicted that German enterprises will ask a few questions at this dialogue and discussion conference forum, especially about the issue of intellectual property rights.