(Minghui.org) A march and a public rally in Hong Kong saluting the ninth anniversary of the publication of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party was held on November 30, 2013. The events called for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong in China and support the over 150 million Chinese people who have renounced the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations.
Triggered by the Nine Commentaries, the “Tuidang” movement to quit the Party began in December 2004. Many Chinese tourists who happened upon the rally and parade joined the movement by declaring their withdrawal from the CCP.
During the rally, human rights attorneys and representatives from medical associations presented evidence of forced organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners in China. Hong Kong legislative members spoke out against the CCP's crimes, acknowledging that Falun Gong practitioners are not alone in their efforts to uphold basic human rights.
Chinese civil rights activists Hu Jia, Zhu Xinxin, and Xu Chongyang joined the events with pre-recorded video speeches. They called for bringing the perpetrators to justice and encouraged fellow Chinese to join the Tuidang Quit-the-CCP movement.
The two-hour march started at noon. About 900 Falun Gong practitioners paraded through downtown and arrived at the Central Government Offices. Many pedestrians and tourists stopped to take photos. Crowds gathered to watch the march, and every now and then voices of support called out, “Go Falun Gong!”
Falun Gong practitioners and people from all walks of life hold a rally in front of the Central Government Offices, calling for an end to the CCP's heinous crimes of live organ harvesting.
March of about 900 Falun Gong practitioners in Hong Kong draws attention from pedestrians and tourists from China.
One middle-aged gentleman from Hunan Province videotaped the march with his smart phone. He kept saying to himself, “Didn't they (the CCP) claim no one practices Falun Gong? Didn't they say it was banned?” When he learned that nearly 100 million people in over 100 countries and regions are practicing, he was shocked. When the parade passed by Southorn Playground, many tourists came out to watch. Upon spotting the banner exposing the CCP crimes of live organ harvesting, people at New Trend Plaza on King's Road shook their heads and condemned, “[The CCP is] truly cruel!”
Dane, a British citizen from the United Kingdom who has lived in Hong Kong for two years, followed the parade all the way to the end, taking photographs with his professional camera along the way. He explained that he has seen a few Falun Gong parades. He was interested to see the relationship between Hong Kong and Mainland China, regarding freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of protests. He understood the appeals of Falun Gong practitioners. He opposed live organ harvesting and the killing of Falun Gong practitioners, and said he would share the photos of the parade with friends to help spread the message.
A press conference was held when the practitioners arrived at the Central Government Offices. World-renowned human rights attorney David Matas from Canada, human rights attorney Ms. Teresa Chu from Taiwan, Mr. Huang Shi-wei, vice-president of Taipei-based International Care Association of Organ Transplants, and several Hong Kong legislative and district council members voiced their support at the rally or delivered pre-recorded speeches.
Mr. Kan Hung-cheung, spokesperson for the Hong Kong Falun Dafa Association, addressed the crowd, saying, “An overwhelming torrent of justice is growing strongly and rapidly around the world to oppose the CCP's persecution of all Chinese, and to redress its heinous crimes.” He expressed confidence that truth and justice will prevail, and when justice is served, with millions upon millions of the world's people speaking out, that will mark the end of the CCP, the most evil force of our time.
Mr. Kan Hung-cheung, spokesperson of the Hong Kong Falun Dafa Association, said in his speech that he is confident that justice will prevail.
Speakers at the press conference included world-renowned human rights attorney David Matas (upper left), Taiwan human rights attorney Ms. Teresa Chu (upper right), Mr Huang Shi-wei, vice president of Taipei-based International Care Association of Organ Transplants (lower left), and Mr. Lam Sum Shing, former district council member.
Speakers at the press conference included former legislative council member Mr. Tsang Kin-Shing (upper left), Rev. Fung Chi Wood, priest of the Hong Kong Anglican Church (upper right), Hon Leung Kwok Hung, legislative council member, who vows to bring live organ harvesting to the legislative council's attention (lower left), and Sai Kung district council member Mr. Lam Wing-yin (lower right).
Mr. David Matas refuted the CCP officials' touted sourcing of organs from over 10,000 donors and executed death row inmates each year. Mr. Matas pointed out that there were few donors and few death row inmates (over 60% of inmates in China are hepatitis patients) in China. As for questions raised by the international organ transplant community, Chinese officials have responded only with silence.
Mr. Matas stated that the majority of organs in China are from Falun Gong practitioners. These practitioners have committed no crimes, yet are held in custody without being sentenced. They have been slandered, arbitrarily arrested, and tortured for not giving up their beliefs. Those tens of thousands who refused to renounce their beliefs have disappeared from the CCP's forced labor camps. These labor camps are immense organ pools for forced live organ harvesting.
Ms. Teresa Chu, a human rights attorney from Taiwan who focuses on Falun Gong, proposed how mankind can stop the persecution and live organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners at state, regional, and international levels.
At the state level, she called for democratic countries the world over to pass legislation forbidding people to abet the CCP's crimes against humanity, such as traveling to China for organ transplants and training surgeons from China.
At the regional level, Ms. Chu called, on behalf of Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting (DAFOH), for establishing a coalition of legislative members that transcends national borders and political party lines.
At the international level, DAFOH has sponsored a worldwide petition which has gathered signatures from over 800,000 people in 32 countries since June 2013. Among those who signed the petition are over 7,000 physicians, over 500 national or local legislative members, and over 400 attorneys. It is expected that representatives will submit the million-signature petition to the United Nations in Geneva.
Concluding her speech, Ms. Chu called for involved medical staff to extricate themselves from further participation in the persecution, and bring forth evidence to make up for their wrongdoing.
Dr. Huang Shi-wei, vice president of the Taipei-based International Care Association of Organ Transplants, observed that between 2000 and 2007, the number of organ transplant hospitals in China grew from around 100 to over 600. He said that the cruelty of the persecution has exceed all evil regimes in history. The nazi physicians' various human experiments on Jews during the Second World War resulted in the grievous resolution of “Never Again” and the Declaration of Geneva.
He said that what has taken the civilized world by surprise is that during this era of attention to human rights, organ transplant surgery, which has been the medical community's pride, has been turned into such a crime by the CCP. This is a humiliation to mankind, said Dr. Huang. It has turned patients into accomplices to crimes against humanity, and physicians into demons under the communist regime. Dr. Huang called for people to awaken to their conscience and step forward, as continued silence will hold us accountable to history, to future generations, and to the history of medical science.
Hon. Leung Kwok Hung, member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council, who helped organize a symposium in the Legislative Council Complex, strongly condemned the extreme wickedness of the CCP's harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners' organs. He said in his speech that the Hong Kong government should take concrete steps to prohibit illegal organ transplants, and to prohibit the sale of human organs.
Mr. James Hon Lin-shan, spokesperson for the League in Defence of Hong Kong's Freedom, said in his speech, “We should not remain silent given any opportunity to point out the CCP's brutality. We should not be silent. Today, we should all step forward, and tell our friends all over the world about these crimes.” He condemned the CCP's “inhuman, brutal acts that are completely against humanity.” He asked the crowd to support Falun Gong's petition to let people in Hong Kong as well as people around the world know that live organ harvesting cannot be tolerated.
Also extending their support at the rally were former district council member Mr. Lam Sum Shing, father of primary school teacher Alpais Lam Wai-sze who spoke out on behalf of Falun Gong, Mr. Tsang Kin-shing, founder of Citizens' Radio, district council member Mr. Lam Wing-yin, and former legislative council member Rev. Fung Chi Wood.
Hong Kong legislative council members Hon. Albert Ho Chun-yan, Hon. Lee Cheuk-yan, Hon. Leung Yiu-chung, and Hon. Sin Chung-kai delivered pre-recorded video speeches, calling on the entire world to condemn the CCP brutality.
In addition, mainland Chinese human rights activists Mr. Hu Jia, Mr. Zhu Xinxin, and Mr. Xu Chongyang also delivered pre-recorded speeches condemning the CCP's brutality of live organ harvesting, calling for bringing the chief perpetrators to justice, and encouraging fellow Chinese people to join the tide of quitting the CCP.
At the press conference, volunteers helping people to quit the CCP at tourist sites in Mid-Levels, a prestigious residential area on Hong Kong Island, shared their stories. A middle-aged gentleman from Chongqing bravely quit the CCP with his legal name after listening to the facts.
Four young men from Beijing had listened to Sound of Hope radio programs using software that circumvented the Internet censorship. They made their wishes to withdraw from the Party official by submitting declarations to volunteers at the event.
A tall, 63-year-old former high-ranking official approached a “Quit-the-CCP” information booth in Hong Kong the day before the rally. Lisa, a volunteer, started talking to him. At first, he did not say a word. Lisa asked, “Do you understand my Chinese?” He nodded and answered, “Yes.” Lisa asked, “Have you been a CCP member?” He nodded again and said, “Yes, I was an official.” Lisa explained to him, “Quitting the CCP is not something for us to see. You do it for heaven to see [your conscience]. Let me give you the name Kang (health) Fu (happiness) that you can use to quit the CCP, and wish you health and happiness. Will that be OK?” The official gladly agreed. Lisa told him to remember “Falun Dafa is great!” He nodded and bowed humbly.
When Lisa next talked to a young man in his twenties, the young man went on reading and did not reply. The high ranking official, who was a few steps away, turned to him and said, “The Communist Party is the worst among the rogues!” The young man quit the CCP on the spot.