Singapore: Falun Gong Practitioners Deliver a Petition Letter to the Singaporean President's Official Residence

The unjust verdict issued by the Singapore court against two Falun Gong practitioners, Ms. Ng Chye Huay and Ms. Cheng Lujin, aroused great attention from practitioners throughout the world. In the meantime, Singapore practitioners have also been trying hard to appeal for the two fellow practitioners, and delivered a petition to Singapore's president on May 2, 2005.

Representative accepts petition from Singapore Falun Gong practitioners at the President's official residence

Monday, May 2, 2005 was a public holiday in Singapore, and also an open day for the President's official residence, Istana. Singapore Falun Gong practitioners delivered a letter to a representative of President Nathan, requesting the government to reverse its decision to become accomplices in the Chinese Communist Party's persecution of Falun Gong.

The two Falun Gong practitioners were charged with "Assembly without a Permit" and "Possession and Distribution of VCDs without a Certificate," because they clarified the facts about the persecution of fellow practitioners in China to tourists at Esplanade Park. After nearly a year of legal procedures, on April 27, 2005, a Singapore court fined Ng Chye Huay and Cheng Lujin 20,000 and 24,000 Singapore dollars respectively. The two practitioners insisted that they were innocent, refused to accept the verdict and expressed the wish to appeal. They were then sent to Singapore's Changi Women's Prison after 6:00 p.m. the same day.

Worried for their fellow practitioners' safety, Singapore Falun Gong practitioners decided to take the opportunity of the President's residence being open to the public and appeal directly to the President to rescue the imprisoned practitioners. The practitioners originally asked the guards at the gate to deliver the letter. As the security of the president's official residence was very tight, a representative of the guards came out to meet the practitioners and agreed to hand-deliver the letter to the president.