Last week it was learned from the Irish Embassy in China that Liu Feng and his wife Qiaona Zhang are again in the process of returning to Ireland to continue their studies. Liu Feng is a Dun Laoghaire student who was detained when he returned to China for his Christmas break in 1999 and was not permitted to return to Ireland because he practiced Falun Dafa.
Feng regained his passport in 2002 and again tried to return to Ireland with his wife Qiaona Zhang but while out shopping before his return he was kidnapped by Chinese secret police and subsequently detained in the notorious Dalian Labour camp.
Liu Feng’s planned return with his wife this time is different to before because the Chinese Ambassador to Ireland Sha Hailin has promised that he is free to return. This is because of the overwhelming pressure on the Chinese Government to do so.
When Feng did not return to Ireland in 2002 and when his friends in Ireland heard of his detention, a campaign started to raise awareness for him, his wife and another student Yang Fang (she was also refused the right to continue her studies.).
The human rights campaign is like few others in Irish history. It caught the attention of all levels of Irish society and government:
• In 2003 Amnesty International handed in 15000 signatures demanding the immediate release of the students.
• In January 2004 four Irish county councils Fingal, Dun-Laoghaire Rathdown, South Dublin and Athlone passed motions demanding the return of Liu Feng, his wife and Yang Fang. These motions represented more than a million Irish people and were sent to the Irish government and Chinese government.
• In February 2004 the students’ cases were raised in the EU-China human rights dialogue. Every year in the dialogue the EU raises cases that are of special concern to it. This is the first time Ireland had raised individual cases through this channel.
• In April 2004 during the ASEM meeting in the K-Club in Kildare. The Irish Foreign Minister Brian Cowen raised the case of the students to his counter part the Chinese Minister for Foreign Affairs.
• In April 2004 the Union of Students of Ireland (USI), the largest student union in the country representing colleges and universities throughout the country, passed a resolution demanding the return of the students.
• In May 2004 the Chinese premier Wen Jia Bao visited Ireland. On the same day as his visit Falun Dafa practitioners gave a presentation to the sub-committee on human rights in the Parliament on the persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners. After hearing the extent of the persecution, and that there was an opportunity to rescue the students with the Chinese Premier currently in the country the sub-committee members issued an urgent message to the Irish Premier: please raise the cases of Liu Feng, Qiaona Zhang and Yang Fang and demand their safe return to Ireland.
• Throughout this process countless ordinary citizens, councilors, Government Deputies, Members of the European Parliament continually petitioned the Irish and Chinese government to allow the students a safe return to Ireland.
• Only this week the head of the house of Senate Mary O’Rourke (Irish government consists of Senate and Parliament) has asked the Irish Minister for Justice Michael Mc Dowell to issue the students a visa without delay.
Timeline of Liu Feng’s experiences
• Before Dec.1999 Studying in Dun Laoghaire College of Further Education
• Dec 1999 Returned to China for Christmas Holiday
• During Christmas holiday 1999 Handed in an appeal letter for Falun Gong to the Chinese Premier. He was illegally detained and his passport was confiscated. After being detained for some time he was released.
• Summer 2002 He successfully got a new passport and planned to travel to Ireland with his wife.
• June 2002 He was arrested while shopping in Dalian.
• June 2002 – April 2003 Detained in Yaojia detention center of Dalian City
• April 2003 – June 2003 Sent to Dalian labour camp without trial.
• June 2003 – now According to Chinese Ambassador, Liu Feng was released to receive medical treatment for his critical health situation.
The spokesperson for the Irish Falun Dafa Information center Mr O’Connor said “The support for these students' basic human rights has been overwhelming. All levels of Irish society and government have joined the campaign and condemned the outrages treatment these students have suffered because they refused to give in their belief in Truth, Compassion and Tolerance. It is important we keep up the pressure until the students step on Irish soil again. It is important the students get an Irish visa quickly and return to Ireland as quickly as possible.”
Background
Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong (about), is a practice of meditation and exercises with teachings based on the universal principle of “Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance.” Practiced in over 50 countries world-wide, Falun Dafa has roots in traditional Chinese culture. With government estimates of as many as 100 million practicing Falun Dafa in China, China’s then-Communist leader, Jiang Zemin, outlawed the peaceful practice in July 1999 (report). Since that time, Jiang’s regime has intensified its propaganda campaign to turn public opinion against the practice while imprisoning, torturing and even murdering those who practice it. The Irish Falun Dafa Information Centre has verified details of 1000 deaths (reports / sources) since the persecution of Falun Dafa in China began in 1999. In October 2001, however, Government officials inside China reported that the actual death toll was well over 1,600. Expert sources now estimate that figure to be much higher. Hundreds of thousands have been detained, with more than 100,000 being sentenced to forced labour camps, typically without trial
Contact: Gerald O’Connor 0863848719, Zhao Ming 0872980324
* * *
You are welcome to print and circulate all articles published on Clearharmony and their content, but please quote the source.
more ...