(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners gathered at the Dongning Park Gate Square in Tainan City on the evening of July 16, 2022, for a candlelight vigil. The event was held to mourn practitioners who lost their lives as a result of the persecution by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in China. During the event, practitioners called on all people to help stop the CCP’s atrocities and end the persecution soon.

The grand and solemn vigil consisted of group exercise demonstrations, musical performances, showing films, solo singing performances, reading aloud, and a candlelight vigil, to express their grief of practitioners for those who died.

Practitioners in Tainan gathered at the Dongning Park Gate Square on the evening of July 16, 2022, and held a candlelight vigil.

Ms. Lin Shu-chen, the Tainan coordinator of the Taiwan Falun Dafa Association, said, “Falun Dafa was introduced to the world 30 years ago. However, 23 years ago on July 20, 1999, the then CCP leader, Jiang Zemin, implemented cruel torture methods and even live organ harvesting to persecute practitioners. We are deeply saddened! Each year, around July 20, we use compassionate and peaceful ways to show our support for the Falun Dafa practitioners in China. At the same time, we hope to awaken more people’s consciences to come together to end this evil criminal act that is against humanity.”

Ms. Lin Shu-chen, the Tainan City coordinator of the Taiwan Falun Dafa Association

Upholding Falun Dafa Safeguards Taiwan’s Freedom

Tainan City councilors, Mr. Shen Chen-tung and Ms. Tsai Hsiao-wei were invited to join the candlelight vigil. Ms. Tsai said, “Under the CCP regime, the Chinese people suffer great harm. I hope that through this candlelight vigil, more Taiwanese people can see and understand how the CCP harms people and that it is an important matter.” She called for everyone to come together to show their support for Falun Dafa and curb the CCP from continuing to harm practitioners.

Tainan City councilor, Ms. Tsai Hsiao-wei, participated in the candlelight vigil.

Mr. Shen Chen-tung said, “We should show our support for the effort to expose the persecution with our actions. Through the media, we should let everyone see the precious values of freedom and democracy. We are deeply worried of becoming a country like China, which is under the CCP’s regime. Therefore, we must all the more defend and protect our country.”

Tainan City councilor, Mr. Shen Chen-tung participated in the candlelight vigil.

Having practiced Falun Dafa for 21 years, Ms. Tsai Wen-hsia said that she really cherishes this affinity. She said, “Having the freedom of belief is a basic human right. We call on everyone’s righteous conscience and hope the persecution will end soon.”

Ms. Tsai Wen-hsia has practiced Falun Dafa for 21 years.

Ms. Ou Su-chen has been clarifying the truth and persuading Chinese people to quit the CCP online for a long time. She said, “More than 4,800 Falun Dafa practitioners have been persecuted to death in China! We are mourning them here today and we hope that people can understand that Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good. It’s not wrong to practice Falun Dafa. I hope that practitioners in China will also have an environment that allows them to cultivate freely just like the other practitioners in the over 100 countries and regions around the world.”

Ruan Jiaxi, a Vietnamese practitioner, is a student at the National Cheng Kung University-Chinese Centre. He came to Taiwan this year and speaks fluent mandarin.

Li Shiji, Wu Hongxing and Ruan Jiaxi (from left to right), are three practitioners from Vietnam.

“This is the first time that I have participated in the candlelight vigil and it is very touching!” Ruan Jiaxi said, “The CCP’s live organ harvesting is a crime against humanity. I hope that everyone can come and learn more about it, and work together to end the persecution soon, so Falun Dafa practitioners in China have the freedom to cultivate.”

Background: What Is Falun Dafa and Why Is the CCP Persecuting It?

Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was first introduced to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi in Changchun, China, in 1992. The spiritual discipline is now practiced in over 100 countries and regions worldwide. Millions of people who have embraced the teachings, which are based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and have learned the five exercises, have experienced improved health and well-being.

Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP’s atheistic ideology, and on July 20, 1999, he issued an order to eradicate the practice.

Under Jiang’s personal direction, the CCP established the 610 Office, an extralegal security organization with the power to override the police and judicial systems and whose sole function is to carry out the persecution of Falun Dafa.

Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of practitioners as a result of the persecution over the past 23 years. The actual number is believed to be much higher. Countless practitioners have been imprisoned and tortured for their faith.

There is concrete evidence that the CCP sanctions the harvesting of organs from detained practitioners, who are murdered to supply China’s organ transplant industry.