(Clearwisdom.net) AFP reported on April 24, 2007 that Canadian relatives of 15 Falun Gong practitioners jailed in China asked Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay to rescue Falun Gong practitioners during an upcoming official visit to Beijing.

President of the Falun Dafa Association of Canada, Li Xun said, "The persecution of Falun Gong is the key policy of the Chinese regime among its many severe human rights violations. It is a serious issue that must be raised during any human rights talks with the regime."

The Canadian wing is expected to meet with the Foreign Affairs Department's China Desk on Wednesday to outline the plight of the 15, including the Beijing branch manager of Paris-based PCM Pumps.

Falun Gong accused Chinese authorities of beating and brainwashin" Falun Gong practitioners and sending them to forced labor camps.

Asylum seeker Yao Lian said PCM Pumps was "pressured to abandon their inquiries if they wished to continue doing business in China" after Ma Jian was arrested.

Yao Lian said, "His arrest had a huge impact on their operations." French presidential candidate Segolene Royal wrote to express concern about Ma Jian's fate.

Relations between China and Canada have been strained recently. Last month, the wife of a Chinese diplomat defected to Canada and accused the Chinese Embassy in Canada of inciting hatred against Falun Gong in Canada.