A group of young Canadian Falun Gong practitioners, students of Toronto's Minghui School, began a bike trip from Toronto to Washington DC to expose the Jiang group's persecution of children for their or their parents' practice of Falun Gong in China.
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| Press conference in front of City Hall |
Young Practitioners Initiate "Save the Children Being Persecuted in China" Bike Trip by Themselves
On June 29, 2004, in front of Toronto City Hall, over ten young practitioners held a press conference. Their bike tour will leave from the local Chinese Consulate and arrive in Washington DC on July 20, a total 1200 kilometres (about 750 miles). They hope via their effort to call all kind-hearted people to help end the persecution of Falun Gong in China. Tens of thousands of children in China have been forced to leave school, orphaned, forced from their homes, and some even tortured to death for their or their parents' refusal to give up their beliefs.
TV Ontario interviewed Kelly and Kevin at the press conference and planned to include the interview in a program for youth so local young people would learn about the bike trip and Falun Gong. The pure hearts and righteous acts of the young practitioners touched police working at the city hall. The police volunteered to lead the group to the Chinese Consulate in Toronto on their own bikes.
State-Sponsored Terrorism Also Targets Children
During the last five years of the Jiang group's brutal persecution of Falun Gong, tens of thousands of children have become its victims. Many children were driven out of schools, forced to stay away from home or left alone without care for they or their parents practised Falun Gong. Many have even become orphans.
Rongrong is three years old but lost her parents. Her father was tortured to death and her mother was forced to stay away from home and later imprisoned. Her grandmother passed away in anguish.
Four-year-old Fadu's father, Chen Chenyong, was tortured to death in 2001. Fadu's mom Dai Zhizhen said, "I cannot answer my daughter's cries: Mummy, I want daddy.'"
Even worse, the state-sponsored terrorism that is characteristic of the persecution of Falun Gong was spread to all schools in China. All students and teachers were required to write articles to criticise or sign their names against Falun Gong, harming the children's hearts with hate and lies.
The young practitioners in Toronto's Minghui School were quite saddened after learning about the children being persecuted in China and wished to do something to help them. The practitioners initiated the bike trip by themselves. At the suggestion of 17-year-old Kevin Koo, they organised the "Save the Children Being Persecuted in China" bike trip.
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| Rongrong: I want daddy and mummy | Rongrong's parents: Chu Songtao and Zhang Yunhe |
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| Wang Lixuan and her eight-month-old son, Meng Hao were tortured to death | High-school student Chen Ying persecuted to death |
The Young Practitioners Condemn The Shooting Incident In South Africa
Upon learning about the shooting incident in South Africa, the young practitioners postponed their bike trip starting time and participated in another press conference in front of the Chinese Consulate.
The young practitioners were shocked at the shooting incident. They knew their trip would help more people learn about and help end the brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.
After the press conference, the practitioners of the bike trip started off. The young practitioners ranged from 13 to 17 years old. Three of them will finish the whole trip by themselves and the rest will finish the trip by relay. 15-year-old Kelly is the media contact and spokesperson for the bike trip.
Young Practitioners' Voice From Heart
Practitioners participating in the bike trip
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| We are teenagers and we're going to Washington DC by bike to call for the end of the persecution of Falun Gong in China | I have been practising Falun Gong for eight years and benefited a lot. |
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| I'd like to explain the truth to all people I know and have them learn what is happening on the other side of the earth. | I follow "Truth, Compassion, Tolerance". |
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| People were shocked when the persecution of Falun Gong started on July 20, 1999. | Falun Dafa has changed us a lot to be better persons |
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