Indonesia: Dafa Practitioners Break through Interference and Successfully Participate in the Indonesian Independence Anniversary Celebration Activities (Photos)

August 17, 2002 was the 57th anniversary of Indonesia's Independence. The Indonesian Falun Dafa Association applied to join the civilian celebration activities around Independence Day, including the "Walk for Health" on August 11, "Celebration Parade" on August 17, and "Float Parade" on August 25. The first two activities went very smoothly and the effect achieved was very good. But practitioners encountered some interference in attending the Float Parade on August 25. On August 20, 5 days before the parade, the Indonesian Falun Dafa Association received an oral notice that Falun Gong was barred from participating in the parade by the provincial government, though practitioners had paid the entry fee and held the official receipt from the parade committee.

The "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance" float and Dafa practitioners' procession.

Float parade began at the National Monument, passed the Presidential Palace, then went through busy streets, with a route of over 20 kilometers.	Performing Lion Dance on the float.

On August 11, 2002, Dafa practitioners joined the Indonesia Independence Day "Walk for Health."

On August 11, 2002, Dafa practitioners joined the Indonesia Independence Day celebration and were warmly received by the Mayor of Tangerang City.

Teacher Li said, "At the same time, when you're clarifying the truth you can resolve the problem of many people having been deceived, the misunderstandings, and the prejudice." (Teaching the Fa at the Washington, D.C. Fa Conference, 2002)

Through Fa study and experience sharing, we measured ourselves by the Fa and found out what the problem was. We then corrected some of our incorrect thoughts and ideas. Aiming at the problem, we actively handed Dafa truth-clarifying materials to the Vice Provincial Governor and the parade committee and clarified the truth to them. However, under the nearly desperate pressure from the Jiang regime, although the Vice Provincial Governor understood the truth, he dared not make the right decision. Dafa practitioners did not give up. They appealed further to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs first rejected our appeal, but finally granted the approval to us, which manifested the power of compassion and the mighty virtue of the Fa.

On August 24, Dafa practitioners divided into two groups. One group took charge of decorating the two floats (Two "Fa Boats" with sails imprinted with Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance). They successfully finished the decoration early the next morning. The other group of practitioners gathered together at a practice site to study the Fa, Fa Zheng Nian [rough translation - send forth righteous thoughts] and share experiences and understandings. Practitioners felt they all improved through this Fa study.

At 7 AM on August 25, when the celebration had just started, suddenly, a few fire trucks, large cranes and a number of armed policemen came to the spot. They besieged the "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance Fa Boat" as if they were faced with a formidable foe. A new round of interference had begun. Nearly a hundred practitioners on the spot were not moved by the situation. We just stood there in an orderly fashion, calmly doing Fa Zheng Nian. On the one side, the police seemed ready for action; on the other side, practitioners remained peaceful and serene.

Some practitioners started clarifying the truth about Dafa in the most peaceful manner to the policemen, media reporters, and related officials on the spot. Those practitioners who originally stood doing Fa Zheng Nian sat down to practice the exercises or continued to Fa Zheng Nian. Their hearts were so pure that the scene was quite moving.

Two hours later, the fire trucks went away, and the groups of armed policemen disappeared. In the end, even the big cranes left. The former command that ordered the big cranes to tow our floats away was dismissed. The original order that our float would not be allowed to return to base unless the "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance" sails were removed was also dismissed. The former demand that practitioners be dispersed on the spot was changed to allow practitioners to line up behind the floats and follow the floats to leave the plaza and return after the floats entered the streets. Thus, a grand procession of Dafa practitioners marched about one kilometre on the streets. After our procession passed the Presidential Palace, the marching practitioners dispersed. On one of the floats, many practitioners sat on the lotus flower stands. The other float, on which the Lion Dance team performed the dance, drove through streets and avenues in the Capital, Jakarta, over the entire route of 20 kilometres.

During the entire Independence Day float parade, practitioners maintained a pure and peaceful mentality. With the mighty power of righteous thoughts, practitioners broke though the interference and let the Indonesian people see clearly the evil nature of the suppressers, and at the same time, see the practitioners' compassionate and tolerant demeanour and witness Dafa's purity and peacefulness.