Epoch Times: June 19- 2007 - Furthering their mission to stop the persecution of Falun Gong in China, the Asian chapter of the Coalition to Investigation the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG) held simultaneous press conferences in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea and Japan on June 14, 2007 to announce their Global Human Rights Torch Relay.
The activities aim to protest rampant human rights violations in China by alerting the international community to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s crimes which CIPFG syas are "turning the Olympic Games—representing the peace of human beings—into the Bloody Harvest Games."
Hong Kong
Hosted by the vice-chair of CIPFG Asia, Szeto Wah, the Hong Kong and Macau press conference was held in Chater Garden in the territory's Central District at 3:00 p.m. Legislative Council member Leung Kwok-hung and Sai Kung District Council member Lam Wing-yin, were joined by Democratic Party Central Standing Committee member Lam Tsz-kin and other CIPFG members.
Wah said that the Global Human Rights Torch Relay is yet another of CIPFG's appeals to the international community to boycott the CCP's upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing.
Legislative Councilman Leung Kwok-hung criticized the Chinese authorities for imprisoning people merely because of personal beliefs, which he called the most heinous of crimes. "It is already considered evil to kill these prisoners," said Leung, "and to manipulate others to commit crimes as evil as harvesting organs from these prisoners while they're still alive in order to earn money is a disgrace to international standards of human rights."
Taiwan
Taiwan's press conference was held at 2:30 p.m. at the Legislative Yuan (Taiwanese Congress.) Legislative Council member and chairman of CIPFG Asia Lai Ching-te explained that the CCP once promised the International Olympic Committee that the Chinese regime would improve its human rights behavior in order to obtain the 2008 Olympic bid. "But human rights are not getting better in China," said Lai, "Recent reports from the United Nations and Amnesty International find that they are only getting worse. Falun Gong practitioners, Catholics, Tibetans, Xinjiang activists and others are being held in secret. The CCP has denied its victims any legal process instead is putting them to death."
Vice-Chair of CIPFG Asia, attorney Chiu Huang-chuan told those attending the press conference that the CCP spent a lot of money on public relations to in order to host the Olympics. "China's human rights are getting worse as the Olympics approach," said Chiu. "If the international community turns a blind eye to how the CCP has violated the Olympic spirit and fail to voice any protest, this will be the biggest insult to all mankind."
South Korea
In Seoul, South Korea CIPFG members admitted to their country's past poor human rights record, but pointed out that South Korea won democracy through the people's relentless efforts. CIPFG members argued that if all countries in the world were to unite, China would be forced to change and the persecution would stop. After the press conference, the group attempted to deliver their statement to the Chinese embassy, but were refused.
Mr. Zheng Qiuchen, a permanent representative of the Pan-Korean judicial reform bureau and deputy director of the Asia-Pacific Branch of CIPFG, said that in order to save lives without delay, there must be concrete actions to unify the forces of justice in the world.
1988 Olympic silver medalist, Huang Xiaomin said that as a native Chinese, I feel ashamed and angry at the Chinese communist regime's scheme of harvesting organs from live Falun Gong practitioners. "If the Chinese people know about the persecution of innocent people, they should feel the same way I do," said Huang. Upon meeting Chinese diving team members recently, Huang noted that a few of them also believed that the Olympics shouldn't be held in China while these severe human rights violations continue.
Japan
Renowned human rights activist and CIFPG member, An Donggan, read a statement from the Kilgour-Matas Independent Investigation—which thoroughly explored and confirmed China's organ harvesting program —at the press conference.
He then went on to say, "If the Chinese communist regime refuses to stop the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners before August 8, and continues to harvest organs for profit and to commit severe crimes against humanity, the CIPFG will unite the forces of justice of the entire world to resist the Olympics being held in China in 2008."
Akihisa Nagashima, member of the Japanese House of Representatives, pointed out that opinions involving sports and politics are not always relevant, but globalization has made human rights a focal point within the international community. "If the Chinese communist regime has not done anything wrong, it should allow others to investigate and find out the truth," said Nagashima.
Another member of the House of Representatives, Kenji Tamura, said he believed that it is significant to expose the violations of human rights. He said many Japanese congressmen were unaware of these crimes. "Consequently, clarifying the truth is extraordinary and, hopefully, more truth will be revealed," said Tamura. "As to the Canadian independent investigation report, to be honest, before the Canadian independent investigation team came to Japan, hardly anyone knew this kind of human rights violation still existed. It is truly unforgivable."
CIPFG joins with 300 international organizations—comprising all social sectors—in their mission to stop the persecution. With chapters in Australia, Asia, Europe and North America, CIPFG has sent forth three demands to the Chinese authorities:
- Release all Falun Gong practitioners incarcerated for their faith;
- Stop the persecution of human rights activists like attorneys Gao Zhisheng and Li Hong who support and defend the rights of Falun Gong practitioners;
- Allow an unconditional investigation from international independent groups into their organ harvesting program.
Earlier this month, CIPFG said that the Olympics and crimes against humanity cannot coexist in China. If a satisfactory response to their demands is not received by August 8, 2007, the CIPFG will unite all forces of justice worldwide to boycott China's Olympics hosting.
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