Tuesday October 2, 2001
The BBC spent 2 years preparing a special long feature program about Falun Gong and finally broadcast the program to the British public on the eve of China's National Day. The 45 minute long program covered major events since the spread of Falun Gong in China nine years ago. The program drew special attention to how the Chinese government, since April 25, 1999, has been persecuting Falun Gong on the pretext of national security. Various torture devices, mental torture, abuse of drugs used for mentally ill patients and other inhuman methods were used to torture Falun Dafa practitioners in China until many of them died. [More than 292 practitioners have died in the persecution to date.]
In the program, many Falun Dafa practitioners were interviewed. Professor Zhang Kunlun and Ms. Zhang Cuiying were among the practitioners who were interviewed. The interviews carried out with practitioners in China, whom BBC managed to contact by going into China, were also shown. Using their own real life experiences, these practitioners shared how they were brutally tortured and mentally tormented by the Chinese police when they were illegally detained in China.
The program also showed the gruesome photos of the corpses of the practitioners who had been tortured to death by the Chinese government. The bloody persecution makes one shudder!
As far as we know, the BBC spent as long as 2 years preparing this program. They went into China on numerous occasions to do interviews and film footage on the real situation of the spread of Falun Gong before the persecution. They had interviewed the practitioners at the practice site in Beijing's Qinghua University. The footage showed scenes of the practitioner in charge of the practice site in Beijing's Qinghua University at that time - Zhao Ming and other practitioners learning Falun Gong together. This footage was filmed as early as 3 years ago when BBC penetrated into China to film on site. It can be seen that the BBC has a certain amount of understanding about the real situation of Falun Gong in China.
We know that the Chinese embassy put a lot of undue pressure on the BBC when the filming of the program was in preparation. They provided various offensive materials containing rumours and lies attacking Falun Gong and someone even sent the BBC material distorting the facts and defaming Falun Gong. Once, the news secretary of the Chinese embassy personally participated in a special session to introduce Falun Gong to the BBC reporters and editors [with the intention of defaming Falun Gong]. When our practitioners found out, they requested to attend the session and clarified the truth about Falun Gong during the discussion. We described the real story of Falun Gong in China. The editors and reporters who were present finally heard a different side of the story from that of the Chinese embassy. Although this special feature program included some lies fabricated by the Chinese embassy, the righteousness of practitioners in China and overseas, and the magnificence and serenity of large-scale Falun Gong group practices have amazed everyone! The truth will prevail, British people, who still have some righteousness, will be able to distinguish the good from the bad for themselves. The film showed scenes of the evil police violently beating practitioners whom, in spite of immense pressure and danger, gathered the courage to go to Tiananmen Square to appeal for Falun Gong. The British people were visibly moved by the film. The family members and relatives of some practitioners altered their perceptions of Falun Gong after watching the film.
The BBC has great influence over the British public. They were able to have a better understanding of Falun Gong. The day after the film was broadcast, some young practitioners, who took part in activities to let others better understand Falun Gong, brought the SOS appeal [to urgently rescue the Falun Gong practitioners persecuted in China] materials with a letter from their parents to their school teacher. The school teacher told them warmly, "I already know about Falun Gong, you have all done very well!" The school teacher specially put up the SOS appeal materials and the parent's letter on the notice board so that the rest of the British classmates can understand and support Falun Gong.
(A Reprint from ClearHarmony Net http://www.clearharmony.net/articles/1330.html)