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Report from Latvia: Successful Press Conference Help Media and People of Latvia Learn the Truth About the Persecution of Falun Gong

June 16, 2002

(Clearwisdom.net) Approximately 200 practitioners from many different countries traveled to Riga, Latvia to send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate evil factors in other dimensions from a close distance.

Practitioners arrived in Riga on June 9th. Many were able to stay in the same hotel as Jiang and his delegation, where they sent forth righteous thoughts around the clock. Meanwhile, other practitioners sat in parks near the hotel and send forth righteous thoughts.

On Tuesday, June 11th, practitioners held a press conference in a hotel (Reval Hotal Latvija) in Riga. The conference began with a demonstration of the 5 exercises. Next a representative from the European Falun Dafa Association explained why so many practitioners took time away from work and their families to clarify the truth to the Latvian people about the evil persecution. Next, Mrs. Dai and her daughter, who both traveled for over 24 hours from Australia, told the media about how her husband was killed in China simply because he practiced Falun Gong.

After the conference the media did individual interviews with the speakers and with some local Latvian practitioners. There were a total of 6 journalists who attended the press conference. Among them were LNT (Latvia National TV) and the biggest newspaper - Daily News (DIENA).


Media interviewing Mrs. Dai and practitioners

Mrs. Dai and her daughter Practitioners talking with a reporter
Practitioners demonstrating the exercises

The media reported positively on Falun Dafa the same day and the next day.

Practitioners had many stories that proved that the Latvian people support Dafa and think the persecution in China is totally senseless. Here is one story:

Two practitioners were having lunch at a restaurant, when suddenly one practitioner saw a cameraman who was filming some interviews of people. She immediately got up and asked the cameraman if it was ok to ask the interviewer a question. He said, "Yes, of course." The practitioner asked if he knew about Falun Gong and the persecution in China. He replied that he didn't. The practitioner explained briefly the situation in China. It turns out that the interviewer was doing a special cultural show on health and fitness, so he then said that he was interested in seeing the Falun Gong exercises. The practitioners then demonstrated a few exercises for the camera. The interviewer said it would be on TV next week.