(Minghui.org) On April 25, 1999, more than 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners participated in an appeal in Beijing at the State Bureau of Letters and Appeals, located on Fuyou Street near Zhongnanhai, the central headquarters of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The practitioners hoped that the government would release the more than 40 Falun Gong practitioners that had been illegally arrested in Tianjing by local police, and they hoped to stop the suppression of Falun Gong that had begun in 1996. The April 25 appeal was the first chapter in the 13 years of Falun Gong practitioners peacefully and rationally resisting the persecution.

On the day commemorating 13 years since April 25, a reporter interviewed Canadian Senator Consiglio Di Nino, David Kilgour, a senior politician and former Secretary of State for Asia-Pacific, and Falun Gong practitioners who experienced the April 25 appeal in person.

To commemorate 13 years since the April 25 appeal, Falun Gong practitioners from Ottawa petitioned in front of the Chinese Embassy in Canada, urging them to stop the persecution.

Falun Gong Practitioners are the Cornerstones of Social Stability – Those Responsible for the Persecution Should Be Brought to Trial

Speaking about the Falun Gong practitioners' peaceful appeal, Canadian Senator Consiglio Di Nino praised their efforts. He said that he had a few friends who were Falun Gong practitioners, “They are all very good people. They are outstanding Canadians. I respect them. They are honest, hard working. The impression I get from them is all very positive.”

As for the Chinese Communist Party's excuse, of "maintaining social stability," to suppress Falun Gong, David Kilgour said during an interview, “This is the Chinese Communist Party's propaganda. Just the opposite, Falun Gong is a factor in social stability that helps people to be healthy and become better people. Whether in Canada, or the other more than one hundred countries in the world, Falun Gong can only benefit society. Obviously, Falun Gong had a positive impact on China since there were large numbers of people practicing it. However, the paranoid dictator Jiang started the persecution. He could not tolerate anything that he could not control. He could not control Falun Gong, so he did an extremely horrible thing to the Chinese people and the country.” Experiencing the April 25 Appeal in Person – Petitioners Were Led by Plainclothes Police Officers

Ms. Li Muxia is from Beijing. She participated in the group appeal of more than 10,000 practitioners 13 years ago. Each scene from the appeal is still vivid in her mind. She said, “The night before the appeal, after Fa study, the assistant shared an article written by He Zuoxiu that deviated from the truth and slandered Falun Gong. At that same time, the police officers from Tianjing had arrested some practitioners. For this reason, I felt that I should appeal and report the situation to the government.”

Ms. Li went on, “It (April 25 Appeal) did not just happen. The harassment of Falun Gong practitioners began in 1996. If they could arrest practitioners from Tianjing that day, maybe the next day they would arrest practitioners from Shanghai, then the day after arrest practitioners from Beijing... Could we allow things like this to continue? We had to clarify the truth. We went to appeal because we trusted the government.

“On the second day, two other practitioners and I went to the State Bureau of Letters and Appeals. After we got out of the car, a man in plain clothes took us to the west gate of the office. At the time, all of the young Falun Gong practitioners formed an orderly line, which was followed by the older practitioners. There was little sound even though there were many people. When we left, we did not leave any trash. I had a thought that only Falun Gong practitioners could do this because we cultivate Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. If everyone were like Falun Gong practitioners, then society would become truly stable.”

Finding Falun Gong and Beginning to Practice After Witnessing the April 25 Appeal

Ms. Pu Huailin is from Taiwan and has been living in Canada for many years. She came to know Falun Gong after April 25, 1999. She recalls, “I saw the news about the Falun Gong practitioners' appeal on CBC. I was very curious—facing such a cruel regime, the Falun Gong practitioners were able to stay so calm and rational. After that, I wanted to learn more about Falun Gong.

“At the time, I was suffering from lupus erythematosus (an autoimmune disease). The doctor said it was fatal. I had tried everything, including traditional Chinese medicine, western medicine, qigong, and many other types of treatments, but nothing was effective. After I heard of Falun Gong, I gave it a try and started practicing at the park. I also began to read Zhuan Falun. It has been thirteen years and all of my illnesses have disappeared.”

Since Ms. Pu began practicing Falun Gong, she has often joined various petitions to help put a stop to the persecution. She said, “I stepped forward because of my conscience. Falun Gong helps people to purify their bodies, eliminate their illnesses and improve their health, and it teaches people to be kind, and to follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. This is the most stable element of society. Where could one find such a good qigong practice? Jiang Zemin's group suppresses such a group of people, and it even uses cruel methods such as harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners. They are really more evil than the devil.”

Environmental Expert – The April Appeal Set an Example for the World's People

During an interview, environmental expert Dr. Lei Shizhong said, “The Chinese Communist Party's suppression happened first, then the Falun Gong practitioners' appeal followed. The appeal by Falun Gong practitioners was completely peaceful and rational.

“Falun Gong practitioners were putting their belief in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance into practice. They have set an example for the people in China as well as people throughout the world. After seeing the news reports about the Falun Gong practitioners taking all the trash after the appeal, the local Chinese people paid respect to the practitioners. Some people even started to practice Falun Gong because of it. If everybody could deal with conflicts and express their opinion the way the Falun Gong practitioners do, then this society would truly be stable. At that time, even the news reports from the the western world were very positive.”