November 30, 2001
At the end of this October, a Falun Dafa practitioner in Munich received an advertising letter from Rainer Wagner, a non-governmental organization that deals with books and audio-video products about spiritual cultivation and astrology. The practitioner used to be one of their customers. In the list of Christmas promotion items sent to him, an eye-catching orange sheet was attached: an appeal letter entitled "SOS call to the whole world! SOS Stop damaging Zhen Shan Ren (Truth-Compassion-Forbearance)!" The letter gave an objective introduction to Falun Dafa and the persecution of Falun Dafa in China. And in the letter an appeal was made to every reader to pay attention to what has happened in China and pass this news to more people. "Let everyone who knows about the truth help us, and therefore increase Truthfulness, Benevolence, Forbearance in the world."
This appeal letter was unexpected for us. None of us practitioners had ever contacted them, and this practitioner only received the letter because he had purchased their books before and thus received the advertising letter as a customer. Afterwards we contacted Rainer Wagner asking them how they learned about Falun Dafa. We were told that they learned of our situation through visiting Dafa websites and they made appeals among their readers to the best of their ability. Indeed more and more people have learned the truth and given their helping hands.
The original appeal letter (translation) is as follows:
SOS Call to the whole world! Stop damaging Zhen Shan Ren! (Truth-Compassion-Forbearance)
In 1992, a Chinese person, Mr. Li Hongzhi started teaching a unique cultivation way -- 'Falun Dafa'. Falun Dafa is also called Falun Gong. The principles of this cultivation way have been illustrated in Mr. Li's book 'Zhuan Falun'. This way cultivates both body and mind nature (xinxing), which can bring about good health to people. Also in everyday life, the practitioners behave according to the highest principles of 'Zhen, Shan, Ren' (Truth-Compassion-Forbearance) taught by Mr. Li Hongzhi. All classes and activities of Falun Gong are free of charge. Regardless of their occupation or social status (workers, clerks, officers, businessmen or students), all practitioners are generally diligent at work, reliable and always ready to help others.
Falun Dafa brought great positive influence on people's health and social morals; therefore at the initial stage, the Chinese government gave support to Mr. Li Hongzhi and his teaching of Falun Gong. In 1994, there were twenty-five million people practicing Falun Dafa, and today throughout the world an estimated one hundred million, including seventy million in China, practice Falun Gong.
These seventy million human beings are in danger
How could this be possible? In early 1999, the Chinese government conducted a survey on Falun Dafa. The results astonished the government: among the Dafa practitioners, many served in the army; many were policemen or Party members. Some were high-ranking officials in the government. The government felt their political power was threatened.
Accordingly, the government secretly began preparing for a large-scale persecution. The persecution against Falun Gong in 1999 was overwhelming and violent. After the order to attack was issued on July 20, 1999, Falun Gong was banned in China two days later.
Hundreds of Falun Gong contact people were arrested at night. Their homes were ransacked; millions of Falun Gong books and tapes were confiscated, destroyed or burned. All means to contact the outside world were cut off: Falun Dafa websites were blocked; phone lines were disconnected; emails were monitored; foreign journalists who contacted Falun Dafa practitioners were threatened or arrested. All practitioners were pronounced guilty and forced to make a choice between Falun Dafa and their work, pension, university degree, house or Party membership. Young practitioners who were entitled to free education according to the national education regulations were forced to leave school; the police rewarded those who reported neighbors who practiced Falun Gong or others who talked about Falun Gong.
Such brutality brought about consequences that were beyond description. Over 100,000 Falun Gong practitioners have been arrested; at least 20,000 persons have been sent to forced labor camps for illegal (without trial) forced labor education; some thousands of physically and mentally healthy practitioners have been forced into mental facilities where they have been abused through anti-psychotic drugs and brutally beaten with electric batons; show trials without any legal defense allowed have been conducted for over 500 Falun Gong practitioners, with sentences of up to 18 years in prison being handed out. At least 301 Falun Dafa practitioners have been killed in prisons in China because of brutal torture.
In order to make up excuses for their brutality, the Chinese government used all means of media to lie to and deceive the Western media. Horrible stories and groundless lies were fabricated out of the air. Moreover, they even issued an arrest order for Mr. Li Hongzhi and demanded his extradition, even though Mr. Li is a legal permanent resident of the United States. What is more, the Chinese government sent materials that slandered Mr. Li Hongzhi to other governments.
The persecution of Falun Gong involved people and organizations from all levels of society. At the end of 1999, the Chinese government amended the criminal laws. The added law proclaimed that talking about Falun Dafa websites, writing appeal letters for Falun Gong, and group practice in the park were all serious crimes. The law also demanded that all lawyers not take up cases of Falun Gong practitioners.
700,000 human beings in China are now standing on the edge of death, merely because they wanted to follow and practice Truth-Compassion-Forbearance. Although they have been persecuted severely, Falun Dafa practitioners have demonstrated uncommonly great benevolence and forbearance. Not a single practitioner has fought back against the police or taken vindictive action. They bear no hatred towards the people who torture them. All Falun Dafa practitioners around the world have been appealing in a non-violent and peaceful way. The great benevolence and forbearance that the Falun Dafa practitioners have displayed is in sharp contrast with the injustice and brutal torture that they have endured. They have shown the people in the world the peaceful and kind nature of Falun Dafa.
Dear reader:
We hope this article can arouse your attention to the truth about Falun Dafa and what is happening in China, and we would like to have your moral support for all who have been persecuted. The more people who know the truth, the greater the hope that all Falun Dafa cultivators in China can obtain freedom of belief, speech and assembly.
If you would like to do a little thing for spreading the truth about Falun Dafa, please duplicate this letter and distribute it to your family and friends. Let every one who knows the truth help us, and therefore increase the truthfulness, compassion and forbearance in the world!
With sincere gratitude,
For more detailed information regarding Falun Dafa, please contact the German Falun Dafa Association or visit the web site at www.faluninfo.net .
Source:http://www.clearharmony.net/articles/2290.html
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Category: Falun Dafa in the Media
