Statement from the Vice President of Taiwan on July 20, 2002 in Support of Falun Gong

I am Lu Xiulian, the Vice President of Taiwan. I am also the chairman of the Human Rights Consultant Group in the President's Office. In the past, in the fight for human rights and freedom, I also was imprisoned for political reasons for as long as 1,933 days. Today, through this recorded message from the Taipei President's Office, I would like to relay the concern and goodwill of the 23 million people of Taiwan to all of our Falun Gong brothers and sisters.

Human beings are created free and equal. As part of the same big family, we are not only entitled to the basic rights of a healthy life, at the same time we also have the freedom of action, behaviour, thought, and belief. These are the rights of every person in the family of the human race on Earth, entitled at birth, and not allowed to be taken away or abused by any government or individual.

All Falun Gong brothers and sisters have undergone much study and made many contributions in cultivating their minds and healing their illnesses, since they have been able to experience the fundamental spirit of Falun Dafa, "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance." I personally have great respect and admiration for them.

However, beginning three years ago, I was surprised to find through different channels that you are suffering from various forms of persecution by the government of the People's Republic of China, simply because you insist on practising "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance," and because you insist on learning Falun Dafa. This is appalling.

In Taiwan, two years ago, Taipei also held activities to support Falun Gong practitioners' human rights. I also personally attended these activities to show concern on behalf of Taiwan.

Today, this activity to support the human rights of Falun Gong is being held on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., the capital of the United States. Although I cannot personally participate, I am very eager to express the sincerest concern and best wishes on behalf of the people of Taiwan.

In Taiwan, when martial law reigned supreme, people's fundamental human rights were also abused. Freedom and democracy were luxuries. However, through years of effort and struggle, today, the 23 million people who live in Taiwan enjoy all of the fundamental human rights. These are the results gained through everyone's joint efforts. We would like to express our concern and to further extend our support.

Recently, I saw news from various sources that shocked and saddened me. An Australian Falun Gong sister was put into jail in Beijing. It is shocking not only because she was treated so brutally in prison, but also according to her account, some felons even obtained deductions in their terms because they had tortured and abused her excessively. I don't know ... if these are true, then how can Beijing's People's Republic of China stand firmly in the world of the 21st century? I have also read several reports about a female doctor from Canada, a Falun Gong sister. She flew to Hong Kong on business, but unfortunately her name was on a black list. Upon arriving at the Hong Kong Airport, she was immediately arrested by the Hong Kong police. At the same time, without allowing her to speak, they covered her head with a cloth bag and forcibly deported her from Hong Kong.

In another case, there is also an outstanding female doctor from Taiwan, who also believes in Falun Gong. Consequently, for no other reason she was put on the black list -- simply because she practices Falun Gong. When she took a plane from Taiwan to Hong Kong, she also experienced such treatment.

I wish that these things were not true! If these stories are indeed true ... but I think the facts prove that they are true. This is because they all bravely stepped forward to give eyewitness accounts. How prosperous and free Hong Kong used to be! Yet, simply because it has been returned to the PRC for five years, the fundamental human rights have been trampled upon in such a way. And this is not just toward the people of the Mainland, the people of Hong Kong, Australia and Canada, even an outstanding female doctor living in free Taiwan was also treated so inhumanely when she travelled to Hong Kong!

I think these facts tell us that Falun is innocent. Those who persecute human rights are guilty! Here again, I repeat my best wishes to each of you.

I hope that the Falun continues to rotate freely. [The word Falun means Law-wheel. The main book of Falun Dafa, Zhuan Falun means "rotating the law wheel"]

I hope that each of you reaches Consummation of virtue in your cultivation.

Thank you, everyone.