Australia: Celebrating National Falun Dafa Day and Letting People Know the Truth in Canberra

From June the 19th to June the 22nd, more than 500 Falun Gong practitioners from around Australia gathered in the Capital City of Canberra and staged a series of activities to introduce Falun Dafa and to celebrate the fourth Australia Falun Dafa Day. Practitioners utilised this opportunity to further explain the facts about the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China to the Canberra public and to the Australian government.

Exhibition of "Persecution Meets Principles" Torture Reenactment Held in Downtown Canberra

Since July the 20th 1999, Jiang's group has staged a brutal campaign to suppress Falun Gong practitioners, who believe in the principles of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance." Attempting to conceal the facts and deceive all people throughout China and the entire world, Jiang's group has used fabricated cases and lies to defame and demonise Falun Gong. In order to expose the lies and allow people to further understand the nature of the persecution, Falun Gong practitioners in Australia held a live exhibition entitled, "Persecution Meets Principles," a torture method reenactment, in Downtown Canberra and Chinatown. At the same time, practitioners demonstrated the Falun Gong exercises and displayed the peacefulness and beauty of Falun Dafa.

Poster display lets people find out more	Exercise demonstration in Downtown Canberra

Re-enactment: A practitioner hung up	Re-enactment: A practitioner confined in a small cage	Re-enactment: A practitioner tied to a "Tiger bench" and burned with a heated iron bar
Re-enactment: A practitioner tied to a "Dead Person's Bed"	Re-enactment: Digging bamboo sticks underneath practitioners' fingernails	Re-enactment: A practitioner tied to a "Tiger bench" and beaten with an electric baton

The torture methods displayed included the "Tiger Bench," digging bamboo sticks into practitioners' fingers under the fingernails, burning with heated irons, the "Dead Person's Bed," electrical shocks and forced abortion, among others. Each method of torture was appalling. The demonstration displayed the tremendous suffering endured by Falun Gong practitioners for upholding their belief and clarifying the truth about Falun Gong to the Chinese public. Some practitioners who had personally experienced the persecution also related their experiences to visitors at the exhibit centre.

Canberra's citizens were shocked and showed their sympathy. When a middle-aged westerner watched the display, tears welded up in his eyes. He said, "This is inconceivable! This should never have happened!" Many people gave the "thumbs-up" sign to practitioners and told practitioners that holding the live exhibition of the torture methods was a right thing to do. Many people came over to ask for more information and took the truth-clarifying materials.

Mr. Pan was once illegally detained in China for appealing for Falun Gong. He was shocked with a 40,000-volt electric baton. He said that all the displayed methods of torture were actually taking place in China. Because of the limitation of the props and the site, practitioners were unable to display some of the even more brutal tortures. He once witnessed a 72-year-old female practitioner being electrically shocked with several tens of thousands of volts on the sensitive parts of her body including her mouth. Mr. Pan hoped that more people would extend a helping hand to work together to stop Jiang's group's suppression of Falun Gong practitioners in China.

Western practitioner Ben said that holding the live exhibition of torture methods was to allow more people to realise the brutality of this persecution and to tell people about the genocide, torture and crimes against humanity committed by Jiang Zemin. This persecution is unlawful and Jiang must take full responsibility for what he has committed.

The exhibition was held on a weekend, a peak time for shopping. Practitioners held a series of performances on the central stage in the Belconnen Shopping Centre. Their performances included the Falun Gong exercise demonstrations, dances by Minghui School students and a Tang Dynasty costume show. The serene scene of the exercise demonstration, as well as the melodious music, attracted many people and also allowed many people to learn about Dafa. In the meantime, practitioners also distributed a large quantity of truth-clarifying materials in more than ten shopping areas.

Symbolic Trial of Jiang, the Chief Perpetrator Who Must be Brought to Justice

The Jiang group's suppression of Falun Gong practitioners cannot be tolerated by heaven or earth. The crimes they have committed are too many to mention. The verified death cases of practitioners numbers nearly 1,000. More than 100,000 people have been illegally sentenced to prison or labour camps. Several thousand people have been forcefully detained in psychiatric hospitals. Many more practitioners were abducted and detained in "brainwashing centres" where they have been beaten, physically punished, mentally tortured and have had large sums of money extorted from them.

In 2002, Falun Gong practitioners filed a lawsuit against Jiang Zemin in Chicago for committing genocide. Practitioners have filed similar lawsuits against Jiang in Belgium, Spain, Germany, Korea, and Taiwan. Through a symbolic trial of Jiang in the centre of Canberra, Australian practitioners explained to the public that Jiang Zemin fully bears the responsibility for this suppression, and he will eventually be brought to justice.

Western practitioner Kate pointed out that Jiang's persecution of Falun Gong is not limited to China, but it is extended to other countries as well. At present, there are still more than ten Australian Falun Gong practitioners' family members being unlawfully detained and persecuted in China. Three have died from the persecution. Kate also went to China in 2001 to peacefully appeal for Falun Gong. As a result, she was detained in a jail in Beijing and was violently treated. Her personal experience let her realise more deeply the huge price that Falun Gong practitioners have paid in Jiang's oppression of Falun Gong. Kate expressed that Jiang would eventually be brought to justice and that he must be responsible for what he has done.

Practitioner Mr. Wang, who participated in the live torture reenactment, said that the persecution of Falun Gong was inhuman and brutal, which violates not only Chinese Law but also the International Human Rights Convention. This activity is significant in exposing the suppression and helping awaken people's conscience. He said that we should expose the lies fabricated by Jiang's group and let the entire world know about Jiang's viciousness.

Practitioner Mr. Sun and his family members had had their home ransacked when he was in China, simply for their practice of Falun Gong. His father was sentenced to three years in a labour camp and he has currently been forced to leave home to avoid further persecution. After arriving in Australia, Mr. Sun is free to openly express his views and uphold his belief. Unfortunately, many practitioners in China have had to sacrifice their precious lives for these basic rights. Mr. Sun stated that the evildoing must be stopped and the perpetrators must be held accountable.

Peaceful Appeal in Front of the Chinese Embassy, Calling for an End to the Persecution

On the afternoon of June 20, Australia Falun Gong practitioners gathered in front of the Chinese Embassy for a peaceful appeal with a candlelight vigil. It was such a cold day with a chill wind blowing, but practitioners brought their persistent and peaceful hearts to appeal, to voice what the Chinese practitioners cannot express; they believe that the end of the persecution will come soon.

Grand Parade in Front of the Parliament House

On June the 21st, about 200 Falun Gong practitioners celebrated National Falun Dafa Day in front of the Parliament House in Canberra. They also held a symbolic trial of Jiang and a grand parade.

Falun Dafa was introduced to the public in 1992 and since then it has been spread to more than 60 countries in the world, allowing more than 100 million people to upgrade their moral standard, be inclined to goodness, and become better people in accordance with Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance. Unfortunately, at present, Falun Dafa practitioners in China encounter brutal persecution, which forms a sharp contrast to the practice of Falun Dafa.

Exercise demonstration in front of the Parliament House	In front of the Parliament House	Parliament Member of the Green Party making an address at the rally
Practitioners singing to celebrate National Falun Dafa Day	Waist drum troupe composed of Dafa practitioners	Posters displayed in front of the Parliament House

A distinguishing feature in this year's celebration was the display of the torture methods currently used in Chinese labour camps and prisons to persecute Dafa practitioners. Practitioner Mr. Sun Zhimin related his experience of being beaten up when he was unlawfully imprisoned in a Chinese jail for his practice of Falun Gong. He said that his father was sentenced to three years in a labour camp and other family members were forced to leave home in order to avoid further persecution. Although he is now living in Australia, the persecution is still going on in China and it has become more and more severe. He said that he will always support fellow practitioners who are still suffering from the persecution in China. He also expressed his belief that the persecution will eventually be stopped.

Another practitioner, Ms. Li Ying, said that she was abducted in China because she persisted in practising Falun Gong. She was detained in a brainwashing centre where she was violently force-fed while her hands and feet were tightly tied to a bed. In the cold winter, she was hung up in a cell for three consecutive days and nights. As a result, she lost consciousness. Ms. Li was also forced to do hard labour for a long period of time. She was once locked in a cell alone for six months. During that period, she was forced to sit on a bench for a long period of time without closing her eyes. She was not allowed to talk to anyone, and as a result, she has suffered tremendous mental torture.

Some Senators and Parliament Members were invited to attend the celebration and delivered speeches. They sincerely wished great success for the National Falun Dafa Day celebration. They also expressed their concern over the persecution of practitioners in China. They said that a proposal was brought up to the Australian government, requesting the Chinese government to stop the persecution of Australian citizens' family members because of their practice of Falun Gong.

Parliament Member of the Green Party, Kerry Nettles, said that the live exhibition of the torture methods illustrated the real inhuman persecution encountered by Falun Gong practitioners in China. She said that although the Green Party did not get a chance to raise the human rights issue to Chinese President Hu Jintao during his visit to Australia, they would not give up.

More than ten Parliament Members expressed their congratulations on the event of the Australian National Falun Dafa Day. During the celebration, practitioners performed songs, singing with feeling, from the bottom of their hearts. The waist drum troupe also gave a performance. The practitioners' parade set off from the Parliament House and slowly proceeded to the Chinese Embassy. A banner with the words, "Falun Dafa is Great" shone in the bright sunshine and the entire parade procession was filled with a peaceful and solemn atmosphere. Tourists from different countries, including China, stood along the parade route and were deeply moved. Many of them took pictures.

Parade and Peaceful Demonstration in Front of the Chinese Embassy

When the parade concluded at the Chinese Embassy, practitioners once again held a symbolic trial of Jiang and held the live exhibition of the torture methods used by Jiang's group in suppressing Falun Gong in China. Practitioners sent forth righteous thoughts for a long period of time, to conclude the day's activities.