March 10, 2007

Dr. Chee Soon Juan of Singapore feels it is his duty to join the Committee to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong's efforts to uncover the truth about organ harvesting in China. (Mingguo/Epoch Times)

(Clearwisdom.net) In early 2006, after the revelation of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) crime of harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners, Canadian independent investigators David Kilgour and David Matas released their independent investigative report in July 2006, claiming the crime is an unprecedented evil on Earth.

On January 31, 2007, at the Parliament Hill in Ottawa, two investigators released new evidence regarding the CCP harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners, further verifying the CCP's guilt. Since the revelation of "live organ harvesting" last year, the CCP on the surface has denied harvesting organs from living persons.

However, according to Kilgour and Matas, such activities are continuing even now, only they are being done in a more covert way. Hiding the organ harvesting is an obvious attempt to escape an independent and just investigation by the international community.

In order to conduct further investigation into the allegations and to expose the persecution of Falun Gong, the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG) has formed four investigative branches on the four continents of the world.

Beginning in November 2006, it was composed of 301 members from different fields in different countries who are concerned about the human rights Falun Gong practitioners. These members include national (federal)-level politicians, provincial and municipal-level government officials, religious and community leaders, organ transplant experts and doctors, international human rights and criminal lawyers, non-governmental organizations and groups, and international media and human rights activists.

Dr. Chee Soon Juan is the first Singaporean who volunteered to join the CIPFG-Asia branch. This reporter therefore requested an exclusive interview with Dr. Chee. The following is the transcription of the interview.

Epoch Times: The CCP has been harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners and selling them to the highest bidder from 2001 until today, what do you think of such a crime?

Dr. Chee: [...] Recently, organ harvesting was brought to my attention again when David Kilgour had started investigating, looking into the situation again. It is very hard to believe that in this modern day and age, something like that is still going on. It is a very serious problem, and I think we need to look into it.

Whatever everybody says, then let it be open, let it be aboveboard. But there must be an investigation because we must determine for ourselves whether something like that is really taking place. If it is, then we must call attention to it, and put a stop to it, because as I said, in this day and age, it's so unthinkable that something like that is happening. It cannot be condoned.

ET: Singapore's media including The Straits Times and Today recently reported that a Singaporean went to China for an organ transplant, that person knew that the organ used in his transplant operation was extracted from a living person, but for the sake of his own life, he still spent $40,000 on this operation. What do you think of this matter?

Dr. Chee: I have very little information on this matter whether Singaporeans are actually going over to China for organ transplants that involve organs that have been illegally and forcefully harvested from people in China.

If it is happening, then we should call our attention to it because such things, as I said, it should not be taking place at all. Humanity should not allow something like this to happen.

And hopefully, we can begin to educate people all around the world including Singapore. I don't think any Singaporean... person... would willfully do something like that, knowing that another person's life has to be taken illegally.

If there's a person who is dying and is willing to donate his organs, sure, that's a different story.

But when you're talking about a person's life being taken and organs are harvested illegally, then I think we have to think very carefully about what we do when we go to China for organ transplant.

ET: Recently, the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG) was formed internationally, it specifically investigates the harvesting of organs from living Falun Gong practitioners, Do you want to join the investigation group to conduct investigation over this matter?

Dr. Chee: Yes. If there's a commission or committee that's going on right now that's looking into it, I think whoever has any resource can help to look into, to investigate this matter more in depth, and get more information so that we can come to the real truth of this matter.

As I said, if this matter is not true, then nobody should be afraid to come out and say, "Look, investigate all you want. You're not going to find anything." But if there is something there, then I think it is incumbent on the world to look into this matter, to stop this vigorous violation of someone's... not just someone's rights, but literally someone's life.

ET: That is to say, if the CCP regime has not done such a thing, it should not cover it up, but open the gate for the international independent investigation groups to conduct an open investigation, Is that right?

Dr. Chee: Of course. Be open and transparent about it. If for example, today I accused the American government of organ harvesting, I think the authorities in U.S. would say, "That's not true. Why don't you come in and see for yourself?"

That should be the attitude of any government--especially when there has been some information that is circulating. Even if it's not true, you want to make sure that you openly declare things to be the way that they are, and invite people to come and take a look. That's the best way to kill such a report.

Background Information about the CIPFG

By February 12, 2007, the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG) had completed its preliminary work of organizing in four continents of the world. Four investigative branches have been successively formed. They are: CIPFG-Australia Branch, CIPFG-Asia Branch, CIPFG-European Branch and CIPFG-US-Canada Branch.

The objective of the CIPFG is to conduct a thorough investigation into the allegations that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) murdered Falun Gong practitioners for their organs in the name of profits. It seeks to expose the situation that Falun Gong practitioners have been facing during the persecution in mainland China and stop the persecution as soon as possible. It also aims to hold those participants who have planned and implemented such inhuman killings accountable for committing crimes against humanity.

The following is a list of leading members in the four investigative branches of the CIPFG:

CIPFG Australia: Andrew Bartlett, Senator, Deputy Leader of the Australian Democrats; Chris Bowen, Federal Member for Prospect; Kerry Nettle, Senator; Barnaby Joyce, Senator; Phil Glendenning, Director Edmund Rice Centre; Peter Westmore, President of the National Civic Council

CIPFG Asia: Lai Ching-Te, Taiwan, Legislator; Kenneth H.C. Chiu, Taiwan, Lawyer; Takayuki Tsutiya, Japan, City Consul of Tokyo; Kim Ho Il, Korea, Former MP; Szeto Wah, Hong Kong, Chairman of Hong Kong Alliance In Support Of Patriotic Democratic Movements Of China; Edmund Bon Tai Soon, Malaysia, Lawyer

CIPFG Europe: Thomas Buchi, Former President of Human Rights Commission in Geneva Candidate with the National Council of Switzerland; Charles Graves, General Secretary of Interfaith International, Switzerland; Conrad Muller, Director of Swiss Transplant; Jan Loones, MP, Belgium; Harry Van Bommel, MP, Holland; John Dee, Chair of Friends of Falun Gong in Europe

CIPFG U.S.-Canada: Rabbi Dr. Reuven Bulka, President, CIPFG Canada; Simma Holt, former MP; John Dossetor, Co-Founder of The Kidney Foundation of Canada, Officer of Order of Canada; Clive Ansley, Lawyer, China Expert, China Country Monitor of Lawyers Rights Watch Canada; Michael Horowitz, Senior Fellow and Director, Civil Justice Reform and Project for International Religious Liberty, Hudson Institute; Kirk C. Allison, Associate Director Program in Human Rights and Medicine, University of Minnesota; Michael Benjamin, New York State Assemblyman

Source: http://en.epochtimes.com/news/7-3-10/52672.html