Taiwan: Human Rights Torch Event Held to End the Persecution

On the evening of August 10th, 2007, the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG) organised a Human Rights Torch Night at the Taipei 2.28 Memorial Park. The event was co-sponsored by twelve NGOs and the Pingtong County Government. The goal of the event was to inform the public about the Human Rights Torch Relay project and to rally public support to boycott the Beijing Olympics because of human rights atrocities in China. The park was packed with concerned people and a number of human rights activists spoke out to condemn the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) atrocities of harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners and questioned the legitimacy of the 2008 Olympic Games. They unanimously appealed to the public to work together to end the persecution of Falun Gong.

On August 10th, CIPFG held a Human Rights Torch Night in Taipei to appeal to the world to unite together to end the persecution: 32 children held lighted candles-a symbol of hope

During the event, a recording of the Human Rights Torch Lighting Ceremony in Athens was played and a road map of the Torch Relay project was also highlighted. The torch will be carried throughout Europe, Oceania, Africa, North America, and Asia.

Participants of the event signed their names in support of the Human Rights Torch Relay project

A view of the event site

The CCP's Largest Crime-Persecution of Falun Gong

On behalf of more than 130 members from Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Taiwan, Ching-Te Lai, director of the CIPFG Asia Division and a Taiwan legislator, read an open statement during the event. The statement said that the CIPFG was established in 2006 and the mission of the organisation was to investigate the most severe and widespread persecution in China--the persecution of Falun Gong.

The statement pointed out information which showed that the persecution of Falun Gong has become the largest human rights disaster in China and the largest issue which the CCP wants to cover up.

"In May 2007, the CIPFG requested the Chinese authorities to end the persecution of Falun Gong and warned the regime that the CIPFG would launch a Human Rights Torch Relay project if it fails to respond in three months. Three months have passed, and the CCP gave no response to the CIPFG demands, and continue to persecute Falun Gong while it is preparing for the Olympic Games.

"The persecution has lasted 8 years, people now know Falun Gong practitioners very well and admire their peaceful approach to resisting the persecution. More facts of the persecution have been exposed, and lies can no longer cover up the truth. We are very glad to join so many government officials, former Olympic medalists and numerous kindhearted people around the world to help end the persecution in China."

Chinese People Long For the Arrival of the Human Rights Torch

Mr. Lin is a public servant and know the Beijing Olympics very well. He said: "When Beijing was applying to host the Olympics, it promised to improve human rights and the International Olympic Committee also hoped that the Olympics would bring positive changes to China. However, after Beijing was selected to host the Games, the CCP forced numerous Beijing residents to relocate and destroyed their homes to build Olympic facilities. The regime even used armed police to implement the relocation, severely violating the rights of numerous innocent citizens. In addition, the persecution of Falun Gong has also been escalated in order to eradicate the group before the Games. Most recently, it was revealed that the regime has been harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners for profit. I think the Beijing Olympic Games can be best described as Bloody Harvest Olympics."

Pastor Cheng-Dau Hsu from the Taiwan Presbyterian Church said: "Though we as human being can not match them with military weapons, we believe that God will uphold justice. The CCP not only persecutes Falun Gong practitioners but also many Christians."

Hwang-chuan Chiu, deputy director of the CIPFG and a renowned human rights lawyer, pointed out that the CCP has been using commercial incentives to influence international media, including Taiwan media, to promote the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and to ignore its human rights atrocities. He said that the Beijing Olympic is in fact being used to persecute the Chinese people who are longing for the arrival of the Human Rights Torch.

Condemn Organ Harvesting Atrocities

Dr. Jeng-Dyan Gwo from the medical school of National Yang Ming University is a member of the CIPFG. He said that the responsibility of medical professionals is to save people and he was very sad when he heard about the organ harvesting atrocities. He urged people from the medical circle to stand up against the CCP's atrocities. He said: "Today, I must speak out. The medical profession should openly oppose this atrocity. In addition, medical professionals should have the courage to refuse to be the accomplices of the CCP. To my knowledge, though Taiwanese doctors are not personally involved in organ harvesting, they often recommend their patients to go to China for organ transplants. Think about it, one recommendation means one life though the victim is from the Mainland across the Strait.

Mr. Chang and Ms. Pan are new college graduates and they only know that there are many people practising Falun Gong. When they learned about the CCP's atrocities of harvesting organs, they could not believe that such cruel crimes could happen in this modern world. They said that it is horrible and should not be allowed to continue.

Mr. Sun is a graduate student. He passed by the park and didn't understand the theme of the event "Relay Human Rights Torch, Say No to Bloody Harvest Olympics". When a participant explained to him the atrocities of the CCP, including organ harvesting, Mr. Sun said: "I believe these are true, and I have no doubt that they can do such things."

Mr. Sun said that he and his father have been to China many times. Once, a high-ranking communist official gave his father a business card and told his father: "If you need any help, with my business card, you can ask any armed policeman for help." On another occasion, they were late and his father showed an armed policeman the card and asked for help. The policeman then stopped a taxi and ordered the passenger in the taxi to get out so that Sun and his father could use the taxi. Mr. Sun said: "A business card of a high-ranking official can be so powerful, how can people in China have any real human rights. China will not have real human rights until the CCP collapses."