Thailand: Norway Opens Door to Eight Falun Gong Practitioners

At 9:00 p.m. on January 24th, 2006, Thailand Falun Gong practitioners bid farewell to eight Falun Gong practitioners at Don Muang International Airport in Bangkok. With many people's numerous efforts and help of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), Falun Gong practitioners who had been illegally detained by the Thai police at the behest of the Chinese Embassy, for protesting the violent rape of two women practitioners by a Chinese police officer in China, boarded a Northern European scheduled flight to Norway at 12:20 a.m. on January 25th, 2006.

Photographer from Thailand Nation Newspaper takes photos and interviews practitioners	Li Jianhui, one of the Falun Gong practitioners about to board his flight to Norway
Farewell at the airport

Representative for Falun Gong practitioners Mr. Li Jianhui told a reporter at the airport, "We came from mainland China, and after going through all kinds of hardships, we arrived in Thailand. We want to expose to the international community the nearly seven-year persecution of Falun Gong inflicted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime, and want to let the world see clearly the evil nature of the CCP and work together to stop the persecution. Among several of us, some practitioners were once illegally imprisoned by the CCP, and a practitioner was blinded in one eye from the guards' electric baton shock. The CCP's persecution of Falun Gong has led itself to head toward a dead end. Currently, the number of people who have announced their resignations from the CCP and its affiliated organisations is over seven million, and this spells imminent doom for the CCP. At this critical moment, we hope the Thai government will think over and recognise the situation, and not succumb to the CCP nor participate in the persecution."

In a letter to the Thai police, Falun Gong practitioners state, "Today, we are going to leave here. The Thai people's kindness and friendliness have deeply impressed us. It is pity that we were subjected to your unreasonable arrest and detention only because we peacefully protested the violent rape of women Falun Gong practitioners by a Chinese police officer in China in front of the Chinese Embassy. We believe that one day you will realise that what you have done is wrong. We sincerely hope that the Thai government can bravely face the CCP, resist the CCP's persecution of innocent people and take a stand on the righteous side."

Falun Gong practitioners in Thailand who came to see them off held banners reading "The World Needs Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance," "Falun Dafa is Good," and placards reading "Thank You Norway for accepting Falun Gong practitioners." Practitioners read a farewell poem and sang together the song entitled "Falun Dafa is Great." Reporters from the Thailand Nation newspaper were also at the airport.

Accompanied by UNHCR officials, eight Falun Gong practitioners boarded the flight to Norway.