The Chinese spring festival is a traditional family celebration in the Chinese Year. Similarly to the Irish Christmas period, it is when family and friends come together to be thankful for the previous year's good fortune and celebrate the coming of the New Year. Falun Dafa is an ancient Chinese practice deeply rooted in Chinese culture, yet due to Jiang's persecution of Falun Dafa in China many happy families have been broken up and many family reunions will be incomplete. In Ireland there are many tragic examples:

Dai Dongxue: Dai came to Ireland in 1997, gained a Masters degree from Dublin City University and now works for Microsoft in Dublin. The last time she was in China was early January 2000. She appealed to her government to stop persecuting Falun Dafa practitioners and allow them to practice their belief in peace, after which she returned to Dublin to continue her studies. Her passport expired in February 2002. The Chinese embassy in Ireland refuses to renew it until she gives up her spiritual belief. She has two sisters, one of which is still in a labour camp because she also adheres to the principles of Falun Dafa, Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance. Due to the stress of her family being torn apart by this vicious persecution, her mother passed away in 2002. The Chinese embassy still refused to issue Ms. Dai a passport to visit her mother in her final days.

Feng Lui: Feng Lui is a newly married 23-year old man. He is currently registered in a Dun Laoghaire college in Dublin. During the summer this young student planned on bringing his wife to Ireland to study. Yet before he left, police kidnapped him as he visited his parents. Feng Lui has been in a detention centre since the summer of 2002. This is the first new year of his married life, yet he and his wife are forced to spend it apart. Since Feng Lui's arrest the officials in China have refused requests from his family and even his wife to see him.

Jiang's regime has used the Chinese media under its control to slander Falun Dafa for nearly four years. Many Chinese people have been deceived by these lies and have negative thoughts toward Falun Dafa practitioners. Being unable to join their families back in China, Irish Falun Dafa practitioners will host a Chinese New Year party in Dublin. We want to give the Chinese people a look at the true goodness that Falun Dafa brings. "There are 40,000 Chinese people in Ireland. Like our practitioners, I am sure they miss home, and with traditional Chinese songs, food and videos and a lot more, we hope to bring them a bit closer to it," said Irish Falun Dafa spokesperson Gerald O'Connor. We will celebrate everything Chinese and welcome the Chinese New Year in traditional fashion. We cordially invite all of the Chinese people and Irish people to celebrate with us the coming of the New Year.

Time: Sunday 2nd February, 2pm

Location: Dublin City University, Interfaith Chapel

Admission: FREE OF CHARGE

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE IRISH FALUN GONG INFORMATION CENTRE

Gerald O'Connor +353 86 384 8719 (mobile) or Dai Dongxue +353 87 959 6370 (mobile)

Source: http://www.clearharmony.net/articles/200302/9996.html

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Category: Falun Dafa in the Media