(Clearwisdom.net) On August 31, 2006, representatives from the Falun Dafa Association in Taiwan went to the Singapore Trade Office in Taipei to deliver an open protest letter to Lee Kuan Yew, requesting the Singapore government to withdraw the charge against Falun Gong practitioners and not to be the CCP's accomplice in the persecution of Falun Gong.
A representative of the Taiwan Falun Dafa Association, Professor Ming Chu-Cheng, went to the Singapore Trade Office in Taiwan to deliver a letter of protest regarding the charge against Falun Gong practitioners on July 20. On August 30, Falun Gong practitioners from Taiwan delivered the letter of protest again.
The secretary of the Singapore Trade Office in Taipei accepted the open letter of protest. |
Prof. Chang Ching-hsi, a trustee of the Falun Dafa Association in Taiwan, said that Lee Kuan Yew is very influential in Singapore, especially with regard to Singapore's Chinese policies. Prof. Chang hopes that Lee and the Singapore Government have a good understanding of the persecution of Falun Gong and will not be the accomplices of the CCP.
Prof. Chang said that Singapore is a democrat country, so it should pay attention to human rights. Also, the Singapore government cares about other countries' opinion, so if more people come forward and condemn its behavior, then the Singapore government will feel the pressure and will stop aiding and abetting the CCP.
Prof. Chang thinks that, because the CCP exerts pressure on the Singapore government, the Singapore government tries to sue Falun Gong practitioners and deport them. The Singapore Government has tried to gain some benefit from the CCP by doing this.
Prof. Chang said that Falun Gong practitioners are not harmful in Singapore at all. If the Singapore government continues this behavior, then practitioners in Taiwan will continue their protests.
The Singapore authorities illegally charged nine local Falun Gong practitioners on July 14, 2006, because they distributed flyers along a business street and underpass of the MRT on October 22 and 23, 2005. On July 28, Wang Yuyi, one of the six defendants of the October 23 case, requested the Subordinate Courts to summon eight witnesses, including Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Wong Kan Seng to testify. On August 7, following legal procedures, Wang Yuyi submitted an application to the courts to summon these witnesses. Regarding this summons request, human rights attorney M. Ravi commented: "This is the first time in Singapore history that civilians have appealed to the Supreme Court in order to summon key political figures."
The Open Letter of Advice from the Falun Dafa Association in Taiwan to Lee Kuan Yew
Mr. Lee Kuan Yew,
We are writing to you regarding the charge against Falun Gong practitioners in Singapore, who exercised their basic human rights to expose the truth of the persecution of Falun Gong in China. The Falun Dafa Association in Taiwan is seriously concerned about the charge.
We believe that, through numerous media reports and the seven-year effort to expose the truth by Falun Gong practitioners in Singapore, you already knew very well about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China and also about the Chinese Communist Party's crimes of genocide, torture, and human rights abuses, which is the most serious international human rights issue in the 21th century.
However, since the CCP launched the persecution of Falun Gong on July 20, 1999, we have noticed that the basic human rights and freedom of Falun Gong practitioners in Singapore have also been limited. The fact that the Singapore authorities charged local Falun Gong practitioners for distributing flyers along busy streets and underpasses of the MRT on October 22 and 23, 2005, shows that the Singapore government has tried to assist the CCP in persecuting Falun Gong.
We must seriously point out that it is illegal in any democrat countries to charge citizens who are exercising their basic human rights and freedoms. The world's democrat countries, who have good understanding of the CCP's brutality, cannot understand why Singapore, a so-called democrat country, charges, fines, and deprives of freedom its citizens who didn't break any laws.
It is as an accomplice of the CCP in the persecution of Falun Gong that the Singapore government charges Falun Gong practitioners who peacefully exposed the truth of the persecution by the CCP.
We understand that Mr. Lee Kuan Yew has significant influence with regard to Singapore's policy-making, especially policies related to China. Mr. Lee also has significant influence on Singapore's attitude toward Falun Gong. To protect international human rights, we call for a withdraw of the charge against Falun Gong practitioners, which will prove that Singapore is truly a democrat country that does not give in under the CCP's pressure.
We believe that the international human rights organizations will not ignore the illegal behavior of the Singapore government and that the United Nations Commission on Human Rights will also condemn this behavior.
Therefore, we hope that the Singapore government will not be pressured by the CCP to get involved in the persecution of Falun Gong. Such behavior will destroy the image and the future of Singapore. We call upon Mr. Lee to urge the Singapore government to withdraw the charge against Falun Gong practitioners, and also to show full respect to and protect Falun Gong practitioners' basic human rights in the future. This wise behavior will surely benefit Singapore.
Chang Ching-hsi
President of the Falun Dafa Association in Taiwan
Professor, Department of Economics, Taiwan University
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Category: Rallies & Protests