Taiwan Legislature Unanimously Passes Resolution Demanding that China Stop Persecuting Falun Gong and Release all Detained Practitioners

On June the 8th 2004, 126 members of the Taiwan Legislative Yuan, across party lines, proposed a resolution demanding that the Chinese government immediately release all arrested and detained Falun Gong practitioners and end the persecution of Falun Gong. The resolution was passed unanimously at 5:30 p.m. and was delivered to the Executive Yuan.

Jiang's group has been persecuting Falun Gong for nearly five years. In recent years, Jiang and his followers have extended the persecution to Taiwan and many other parts of the world. In order to help all Taiwanese legislators, who represent 25 million Taiwanese people, to understand the facts, and to ask the Taiwanese government to demand that the Chinese government end the persecution, Falun Gong practitioners in Taiwan began visiting legislators in late May.

It was during the Legislative Yuan Conference that Falun Gong practitioners visited the Legislative Yuan office and clarified the truth to everyone there, including the legislators, staff, service personnel, and security officers.

Some practitioners had the opportunity to speak directly with legislators. When the legislators listened to the facts, most immediately agreed to support the resolution. Some legislators said, "I have always supported Falun Gong. I will certainly sign the resolution." Some legislators not only signed their names in support, they also said the practitioners could come to them in the future should they need more help. Some also decided to practise Falun Gong after they saw the practitioners practising the exercises. Some legislators witnessed the hardship endured by practitioners who were appealing for help, and encouraged them by saying, "You guys have worked hard! Godspeed!"

Legislators Lin ZhuoShuei, Wang ZhuengYu, and Chen Chien-ming proposed the resolution, which was co-sponsored by more than 36 legislators, and 126 legislators signed to support the resolution. According to Taiwanese law, only one legislator is required to propose a resolution, and 19 legislators are required to support a resolution for it to be voted on. This time, more than half of the 220 legislators supported the resolution condemning the Jiang group's persecution of Falun Gong.

When legislators were not available to speak with practitioners, the practitioners clarified the truth to office staff and assistants. Some people have heard about Falun Gong but do not really know what it is all about, and others know that Falun Gong is being suppressed in Mainland China, but they don't realise the extent of the brutality.

As one assistant scanned pictures of Falun Gong practitioners being tortured, his eyes welled up as he said to the practitioners, "I will definitely let the legislator know, and ask him to support your cause." Some officials said, "Such persecution of belief and violations of human rights is so wrong! We need more people to condemn such a shameful act." Some people said, "If it's such a great practice and it benefits people, why do they want to suppress it?"

After learning the facts, the legislators' assistants became the live media, and in turn told the legislators about the truth of the persecution, and urged the legislators to support the resolution. Some assistants even called back Falun Gong practitioners and said, "The legislator just came back to the office. Come and tell him!"

This resolution consists of six main points. Although Jiang's group cannot suppress Falun Gong in Taiwan, it collects the names of Falun Gong practitioners in Taiwan. Political connections were used to detain and deport the [Taiwanese] practitioners when they tried to visit Mainland China and other countries. To date, at least 13 Falun Gong practitioners from Taiwan, including Wang Hsiu-hua and Lin Hsia-kai, were illegally arrested and detained, and ten have been released. One practitioner, Hsian Li-jie, was released on parole but forbidden to return to Taiwan, and two practitioners, Cheng Shi-hueng and Cheng Xi, are still being held. Their families have sought legal action unsuccessfully.

Jiang's group began persecuting Falun Gong on July 20, 1999. The international community has severely condemned this terrible violation of human rights. In November 1999, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives passed Resolution 218, demanding the Chinese government stop persecuting Falun Gong.

Mr. Christopher H. Smith, dean of the New Jersey Congressional Delegation, proposed Resolution 218, and 72 representatives co-signed to support the resolution, including Mr. Richard Gephardt, congressman from Missouri, and Mr. Trent Lott, Senate Majority Leader.

Later, human rights organisations in Canada, Australia, and Europe also published announcements and passed resolutions condemning the Chinese government's acts of state terrorism, and urged that it stop persecuting Falun Gong.

On July 24, 2002, by a vote of 420-0, the U.S. House passed House Concurrent Resolution 188, urging the Chinese government to stop persecuting Falun Gong. Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Chairperson of the Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights, initiated Resolution 188, and more than 100 representatives co-signed the resolution. It passed unanimously.

On June 8, 2004, Lin ZhuoShuei, a Taiwan legislator, said that freedom of belief is universal, and therefore Taiwanese residents' human rights should be protected while they are in Mainland China. Representatives from all parties in Taiwan acknowledged the purpose of this resolution because so many people co-signed and supported it. The Legislative Yuan urged the Taiwanese government to quickly request that Beijing release Falun Gong practitioners and cease the persecution.

Lin ZhuoShuei said, "I believe the persecuted people will be encouraged by this news. Many governments in the world have already shown their support for persecuted Falun Gong practitioners, and the Taiwanese government is late in expressing its official concern, and in terms of legislative resolutions. Therefore, this will be a source of great encouragement for them."

Dr. Ming Chu-cheng, Professor in the Department of Political Science at Taiwan University, said that the resolution shows that the Taiwanese government is paying attention to the persecution, and is voicing its support for the practitioners, which also represents the Taiwanese people. Exposing persecution helps to end persecution, so exposing the Jiang group's crimes will help prevent it from committing greater evil. The case of Taiwan practitioner Lin Hsia-kai proves this point.