Letter from Belgian Falun Gong Association to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Honorable Mr. Ruud Lubbers
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Case Postale 2500
CH-1211 Genève 2 Dépôt
Suisse.
Fax: (41-22) 739-7346

We are members of the Belgian Falun Gong Association. We are writing to you today to bring to your attention the urgent issue that is happening in Cambodia. As reported, the United Nations refugee agency on Tuesday protested to Cambodia over the deportation of two Chinese Falun Gong practitioners, under the pressure from the Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penh. We really appreciate your effort against this blatant and direct violation of the international treaty on refugees in Cambodia.

As you already know that the brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners has been instigated by the president of China, Jiang Zemin, for three years and has resulted in the death of more than 1600 innocent people and the mistreatment of hundreds of thousands. However, the most dangerous happening is that the human rights violations have been extended to the entire world, including Australia, Germany, Iceland, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Cambodia.

Now in Cambodia, at least two more refugees still living in Phnem Phon, have been forced into hiding. Mr. Jiang Linzhong is a 61-year-old Chinese national who lives with his wife, Wang Minchun, 58, in Phnom Penh, under the protection of the UNHCR. On August 17, a neighbour called to inform him that a number of Cambodian officials accompanied by at least two Chinese officials had visited Mr. Jiang's home in search of the couple. Mr. Jiang says he was not in his house at the time and the neighbour advised him not to return home because it was too dangerous.

We are very concerned about what the Chinese Embassy might do, especially after they violated UN laws by forcing Cambodian officials to deport Li Guojun and his wife Zhang Xinyi last week, a move that was slammed by Amnesty international. We do not know how many other people living in Cambodia may be in a similar situation. Immediate action is necessary to protect them.

Mr. High Commissioner, we appeal to you to urge Cambodia to assure the safety and other basic rights of these two people and others who practice their belief in Truth-Compassion-Tolerance and face the danger there. We appeal to you to condemn the Chinese government’s wrongdoing and ask the Chinese government to release Mr. Li and his wife who are now detained in China. Thank you.