Letter from the European Falun Dafa Association to the Prime Minister of Myanmar

Prime Minister of Myanmar
Yangon
Union of Myanmar
29 January, 2003

Dear Sir,
We urge you to pay immediate attention to the imprisonment in Burma of a 71-year-old Falun Gong practitioner from Hong Kong for peacefully displaying a small banner and do everything possible to secure his freedom as soon as possible.

Mr CHAN Rongyuan, a 71-year-old Hong Kong resident and Falun Gong practitioner was visiting his relatives in Burma in 2001 when he heard that the Chinese dictator Jiang Zemin was visiting the country. On 12/12/01, he held a little banner that reads "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance" – the core values of Falun Gong, and stood quietly by the road leading to the airport. He was quickly arrested and on 31/1/02 secretly sentenced to 7 years in prison.

The arrest and incarceration of Mr Chan is a breach of international covenants on human rights and contravenes the internationally recognised norms of legal practice.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a practice of meditation and exercises with teachings based on the universal principle of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance." It is a practice that was taught in private for thousands of years before being made public in 1992 by Mr. Li Hongzhi. Falun Gong has roots in traditional Chinese culture, but it is distinct and separate from other practices such as the religions of Buddhism and Taoism. Since its introduction in 1992, it quickly spread by word of mouth throughout China, and is now practised in over 50 countries.

With government estimates of as many as 100 million practising Falun Gong, China's President Jiang Zemin outlawed the peaceful practice in July 1999, fearful of anything touching the hearts and minds of more citizens than the Communist Party. Unable to crush the spirit of millions who had experienced improved health and positive life changes from Falun Gong, Jiang's regime has intensified its propaganda campaign to turn public opinion against the practice while quietly imprisoning, torturing and even murdering those who practise it.

We have verified details of 557 deaths since the persecution of Falun Gong in China began in 1999. Government officials inside China, however, report that the actual death toll is well over 1,600. Over 100,000 have been sentenced to forced labour camps without trial.

The arrest and imprisonment of Mr Chan is a serious violation of his human rights. We urge the Burmese government to use all power in its disposal to safeguard Mr Chan’s rights and secure his release as soon as possible.
Yours Sincerely,

Peter Jauhal
Co-Chairman