By Philippa Rayment
Epoch Times Melbourne Staff
Nov 27, 2007
Mayor of Portland Gilbert Wilson with the Global Human Rights Torch. (The Epoch Times)

Portland is a vital deep water port yet manages to preserve its harmony with nature. Since its beginning, it has always been a place where industry and natural beauty coexist. This week it opened up its heart and stepped forward to stand up for human rights in China when it welcomed the Global Human Rights Torch Relay.

The wind was blowing straight off the Southern Ocean as Mayor of Portland, Councillor Gilbert Wilson, along with the Global Human Rights Torch Relay team, boarded the town's vintage tram to make a symbolic journey of welcome.

In spite of the wind, the Torch burned unfaltering during its visit to this town, which is the oldest European settlement in Victoria.

On the steps of the Portland council offices, Councillor Wilson, resplendent in his mayoral robes, officially welcomed the Torch.

"I think it hugely important for the community to send a strong message back to the Chinese [regime] and to tell them what they are doing is not right," Councillor Wilson said.

"Human rights should be upheld for everybody no matter how high or low we are in human society, from the poor who are usually downtrodden to the wealthy. We should all enjoy equal rights," he said.

Councillor Wilson said it's important to speak up for others' human rights because "we enjoy a very good country with freedom of speech and freedom of owning property."

"The Games should be about the participation, joy of all nations," he said. "I find it very, very disturbing that it is going to be painful for a lot of people in China that have just been tossed aside [in preparation for the Olympic Games]."

Rikki Nicholson, a Portland resident at the Torch welcoming ceremony, said he thought the mayor made a good speech.

"It is good, we shouldn't be scared of speaking out as we can still do business with people. The Chinese people need to be supported in their wish for freedom from destruction. My great, great grandfather was Chinese in the Gold Rush days in Bendigo and my great grandmother was half Chinese. My family and I put on the T-shirts 'The Olympics and crimes against humanity cannot coexist' and we were proud to wear them through the town."

The relay is traversing 37 countries and hundreds of cities around the world seeking to bring an end to all human rights abuses fuelled by the Chinese regime.

Mayor Wilson is a descendant of an Irish family who came to Portland in 1856 and is well versed in local affairs and passionate about his town.

"My father was on the Portland City Council for 27 years so as a young boy I grew up with local government," he said.

He is a bricklayer by trade, but works for a local manufacturer of wind towers and manages to juggle his mayoral duties with his work.

Speaking about the future, Mayor Gilbert says it is very bright for Portland. There will be about 1000 new jobs in the blue gum industry to harvest the wood chips. "We are pro-industry, but keep in mind our heritage and the environment – we are very keen to keep those two aspects," he said.

And to prove the point, the modern council building and the heritage town hall sit happily side by side.

http://en.epochtimes.com/news/7-11-27/62360.html

Falun Dafa practitioner Ms. Yang Zhengbi, 54, lived in Dongxing District, Neijiang City, Sichuan Province. She started practising and experiencing Falun Dafa in August, 1996.

On July 20th, 1999, when Jiang Zemin's [former leader of China and instigator of the persecution] and his regime began persecuting Falun Gong, Ms. Yang went to Chengdu City, the provincial capital, to appeal for the reputation of Falun Dafa. She also went to Beijing to appeal in September 2000 with her fellow practitioners. She was arrested by agents of the Domestic Security Division of the Dongxing District Police Department, detained in the Dongxing District Detention Centre, and sentenced to one year of forced labour. The camp rejected her due to her high blood pressure, and her term was changed to probation with ten thousand yuan1 of "guarantee" money extorted from her family.

In July 2001, Domestic Security Division Leader Huang Junzhong (male) led a group of officers and arrested Ms. Yang again. They detained her in the district detention centre. They ransacked her home, took her Falun Dafa books, and transferred her to the Neijiang City Detention Centre. They issued an arrest warrant after detaining her for one month and sentenced her to four years in prison. She was taken to the Yangmahe Prison located in Jianyang City and later transferred to the Longquayi Prison in western Sichuan Province. At the same time, her husband Mr. Qiu Yonglin (also a practitioner) was sentenced to three years in prison for appealing in Beijing and taken to Deyang Prison.

In 2005, Mr. Qiu Yonglin was arrested again by police from the Xilin Station in Dongxing District while distributing leaflets exposing the persecution and telling people the facts about Falun Gong. They detained him in the Dongxing District Detention Centre, brutally beat him, and then sentenced him to another year of forced labour in the Mianyang City Labour Camp. The guards in the Mianyang City Labour Camp did not allow his wife to see him.

On July 17th, 2007, Ms. Yang was arrested by Yangliu Town police while distributing leaflets exposing the persecution. She was detained in Dongxing District Detention Centre, and the Neijiang City Labour Camp Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Committee sentenced her to 15 months of forced labour. She was taken to the Zizhong Labour Camp, but the camp had to reject her due to her high blood pressure.

When she returned home, the local police and neighbourhood security came to her house five times to harass her between September and October 2007. They told Ms. Yang to get permission anytime she left the neighbourhood.

For the past years under persecution, Ms. Yang was tortured in the prison, labour camp, and put in detention centre many times. She could not even find peace in her home. This persecution severely hurt her mentally, physically, and financially. She died on November 6th, 2007.

Authorities involved with mistreating Ms. Yang:

Domestic Security Division of Dongxing District Police Department, Leader Huang Zhongjun (male)
Xilin Police Station in Dongxing District
Zhong District Police Department in Neijiang City, Deputy Director Zhou Fanglu (male, died of liver cancer)
Domestic Security Division, Leader Guo Zirong (male) of Zhong District Police Department
Former Domestic Security Division Leader Jiang Jian (male, under house arrest due to corruption)) of Zhong District Police Department

Note

1. "Yuan" is the Chinese currency; 500 yuan is equal to the average monthly income of an urban worker in China.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2007/11/28/167332.html

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Email editors: editor@clearharmony.net

By a practitioner from L.A.

(Clearwisdom.net) On November 25, 2007, the Hollywood Christmas Parade was held on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. More than 100 famous movie stars participated in the parade and more than 500,000 spectators attended. The first annual Hollywood Christmas Parade was in 1928. The participants must meet a high standard to qualify. Falun Gong practitioners were invited to the parade, based on their excellent performances in the last two years. They were the only Chinese group in this year's parade.

The banner leading Falun Gong practitioners' procession

The Divine Land Marching Band

The theme of the float was "divine culture"

The waist-drum team

Traditional Chinese dance

Flag team

People watching the parade

The parade started on Hollywood Boulevard and then went on to Vine Street. It ended on Sunset Boulevard. The parade went on for a little over three miles. Falun Gong practitioners' procession consisted of the Divine Land Marching Band, waist-drum team, float, traditional Chinese dance team and flag team. They brought pure traditional Chinese culture to the spectators. People warmly welcomed the procession and many of them took photos and video.

Practitioners' float was very eye-catching. A grand lotus flower sat at the head of the float, which was decorated as a big boat. In the lotus flower, there was a large rotating LED television playing the performances of the Divine Performing Arts at the NTDTV Chinese New Year Spectacular. Behind the lotus flower, Falun Gong practitioners were dressed as a Chinese emperor and gods in Chinese legends. Practitioners played the music from the NTDTV Chinese New Year Gala. The host of the parade said repeatedly: "Beautiful! The float is really beautiful!"

Mr. Lee, the contact person of the local Falun Gong group, expressed that the theme of the float was "divine culture." He said the lotus flower is the symbol of purity and represents Falun Gong practitioners' spirit.

Posting date: 11/28/2007
Original article date: 11/28/2007
Category: Falun Dafa Worldwide
Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2007/11/27/167289.html
We welcome your comments and suggestions, please email:
feedback@clearwisdom.net

(Clearwisdom.net) My name is Pan Yu, and I sued former Chinese Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai for torture. As Bo failed to provide a defense for the case, the New South Wales Supreme Court in Sydney issued a default judgment in favor of me on November 5, 2007. The court ruled that I won the case, and that I may ask for compensation for injuries caused by Bo.

I am very pleased with this ruling as it symbolizes a victory for all Chinese Falun Gong practitioners. In the past 8 years, numerous practitioners have been subjected to brutal persecution because they refused to denounce their belief in the principles of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance", and many are still suffering in labor camps and prisons in China.

I have been practicing Falun Gong for more than 10 years, and have benefited from the practice from many perspectives. I have gradually learned to be a person with tolerance, sincerity and compassion. Falun Gong teaches us to look inside when we are in a conflict and always try to put others first. Following these teachings, I have experienced many big changes: I can control my temper now and I live in harmony with people around me. I feel more joyful and energetic. Like me, tens of millions of Falun Gong practitioners in China have experienced such positive changes from practicing this ancient art. However, this good practice is still being persecuted in China.

Bo Xilai, the defendant, is a chief culprit of the persecution. While serving as the governor of Liaoning Province, Bo implemented persecution policies and many practitioners were arrested and sent to labor camps or prisons for "transformation". Consequently, at least 300 practitioners died in Liaoning Province, and most were subjected to brutal torture. I am a victim of such torture.

On March 17, 2000, I was sent to a brainwashing session in the Longshan Detention Center, where I was tortured. A group of guards beat and kicked me. My whole face swelled and my lips were broken. I was beaten to the ground and could not stand up on my own. Once, I was continuously tortured for 2 days. The most unbearable torture was electric shocking with 40 kV electric batons. I was repeatedly shocked with these batons to the point of losing control of my bladder and bowels.

The guards also used the batons to shock my face and head. It was really painful. As I refused to denounce Falun Gong, they started to shock my penis, and the pain was unspeakable. I felt my heart speed up and I could hardly breathe. I cried out in pain and crawled on the floor. They continued to shock me and kick me. I could not bear the pain and unwillingly wrote a letter promising that I would not practice or appeal for Falun Gong. This is how the regime "transformed" me.

But I survived the torture. Furthermore, I was fortunate enough to come to Australia, and as a direct victim I sued Bo Xilai for torture. I am very pleased with the court ruling, which gives me more confidence in the Australian justice system.

In China, it is still impossible to file any lawsuit against these persecution culprits because the whole justice system in China is under the control of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Anyone who dares to speak out for Falun Gong is persecuted. One famous example is attorney Gao Zhisheng. Gao conducted an independent investigation on the persecution of Falun Gong and then wrote three open letters to CCP leaders. In his letters, he revealed the tragic sufferings of Falun Gong practitioners and urged the CCP to stop the persecution. In response to his letters, his law firm was closed and his family was repeatedly harassed by plainclothes police. He was unlawfully arrested and tortured. On September 12, 2007, Mr. Gao wrote a letter to the US Congress to express his concern over the coming 2008 Olympic Games. Using the Olympic Games as an excuse, the CCP regime continues to persecute dissidents and minority groups. Mr. Gao urged the Congress to pay close attention to the persecution of Falun Gong, naming the persecution as the largest humanitarian disaster of this era. Because of this open letter, Mr. Gao was arrested again and now his whereabouts remain unknown.

One who lives in a democratic country may find it very hard to imagine the crimes committed by the CCP and one may not see any of those crimes during a visit to China. However, such crimes are happening throughout China, mostly in labor camps and prisons which are behind steel doors and brick walls.

In the past 8 years, Falun Gong practitioners have been peacefully resisting the persecution and urging the international community to take action. As more and more people have learned the true story of Falun Gong and the persecution, people in succession has stepped forward to support the practice. Most recently, on October 22, 2007, Wang Zhaojun, a standing member of Anhui Provincial Political Consultative Council, wrote an open letter to the Chinese president and prime minister. In the letter, Wang urged the leaders to end the persecution of Falun Gong, bring the chief culprits to justice, and pay damages to the practitioners. His letter has received worldwide support.

The persecution of Falun Gong not only violates the Chinese Constitution, the International Declaration of Human Rights, and other related international laws, but also violates fundamental rights and values of human beings. The persecution must be stopped and all the perpetrators must be brought to justice.

Reportedly, Australia's Foreign Affairs Minister Downer recently approached the New South Wales Supreme Court in favor of CCP official Chen Shaoji who was sued for arbitrary detention and torture. I am very disappointed by this. Apparently, Australian officials are under pressure from the CCP regime. The regime often use commercial interests to put pressure on other countries.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to humbly remind Australian government officials and the general public: You must see clearly the coercive nature of the CCP regime, uphold the justice and independence of the Australian justice system, and say no to CCP pressure.

This is a serious issue. We are witnessing a very important period in history; a battle between good and evil is taking place. In this mundane world, Falun Gong and all people who support Falun Gong stand for justice while the Chinese Communist Party is evil. Every one of us is facing a test of conscience. I sincerely hope that everyone will pass this test nobly.

Posting date: 11/28/2007
Original article date: 11/28/2007
Category: Falun Dafa Worldwide
Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2007/11/25/167194.html

We welcome your comments and suggestions, please email:
feedback@clearwisdom.net

Ms. Lan Guiqin from Tongliao City, Inner Mongolia, Brutally Tortured

In 2002, Shao Jun, Wang Bo, and Liu Batu, police officers from the Ke'rxin area in Tongliao City, went with officers from Kongjia Security Office to break into the home of Ms. Lan Guiqin. They arrested her and took her to Hexi Detention Centre, where she was held for over 13 months. She was eventually transferred to Baoanzhao Women's Prison and then to Huhehot City Women's Prison. She was detained for almost three years. Because Ms. Lan believes in Falun Dafa, she has been subjected all to kinds of tortures, including being handcuffed in very painful positions for long periods of time.

Ms. Lan Guiqin, 46 years old, is from Qianjiadian Town, Sifandi Village in the Ke'rxin area of Inner Mongolia. She started practising Falun Gong in April 1998. On May the 13th, 2000, she went to Beijing to appeal on behalf of Dafa and consequently was taken back by police from the Ke'rxin area and Kongjia Security Office. Ms. Lan was detained in Hexi Detention Centre for a month. She was forced to pay the travel expenses incurred by local officials when they went to Beijing to bring her back, as well as taxi fares that an official's family member incurred going to the hospital. She had to pay over 1,000 yuan1 (she kept the receipt as evidence).

In 2002, police officers Shao Jun, Wang Bo, and Liu Batu went with officers from Kongjia Security Office in two police vans to break into Ms. Lan's house. They confiscated Dafa books and arrested her and her husband, Mr. Wang Gang, also a practitioner. In the Security Bureau Division, she and her husband were put in separate rooms. The police beat them ruthlessly, pulled their hair, and threw them against the wall. Later, the two were put in Hexi Detention Centre. Mr. Wang was forced to pay 1,000 yuan and another 3,000 yuan (this was later returned). He was released one and a half months later.

Ms. Lan remained in Hexi Detention Centre for nearly 13 months. She was then transferred to Baoanzhao Women's Prison. Seven months later, she was sent to Huhehot City Women's Prison. She was detained for nearly three years altogether.

In Hexi Detention Centre, because Ms. Lan insisted on practising the Falun Gong exercises, she was subjected to the "Pig chain" twice, first for seven days and then for six days. When someone is tortured with the "Pig chain," both wrists and ankles are chained together less than twelve inches apart. She could not straighten up her back, put on her clothes, use the toilet, or sleep. The torture is extremely painful. She could not do anything but stay in that position. To protest this abuse, Ms. Lan went on a hunger strike both times.

In Baoanzhao Prison, Lan Guiqin was forced to do hard labour. Because she again insisted on practising the exercises, guard Zhou Jianhua forced her to squat as he kicked her head. She was handcuffed with her arms behind her back for two days and not allowed to move. She refused to wear a prison uniform and was reported, so the guards took away her clothes and printed "prisoner" on them [Ed. Note: Falun Gong practitioners often refuse to wear a prison uniform in detention because they are not criminals and have broken no laws]. As a result, she could only wear thin layers of clothes during the autumn of 2003. They only returned her clothes when Ms. Lan was transferred to Huhehot City Women's Prison.

In Huhehot City Women's Prison, Lan Guiqin was beaten by inmates because she refused to wear a prison uniform. When she shouted "Falun Dafa is good," guards shocked her with electric batons for half an hour and put her in a humid toilet (also used as a shower room) because the solitary confinement room was not yet ready. She was handcuffed with her arms behind her back for eleven days. She went on a hunger strike to protest. In the evening, encouraged by guards, criminal inmates beat Ms. Lan until she fell unconscious. Later, she was again beaten by over 20 inmates because she refused to have her hair cut short. She was again locked in a toilet for four or five days,

In May of 2007, Wang Bo, the newly appointed director of the National Security Division of the Public Security Bureau, led police to Ms. Lan's home. They broke in and harassed her. Ms. Lan Guiqin sternly rebuked them and locked the door. They had no choice but to leave.

Note

1. "Yuan" is the Chinese currency; 500 yuan is equal to the average monthly income of an urban worker in China.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2007/10/17/164662.html

You are welcome to print and circulate all articles published on Clearharmony and their content, but please quote the source.

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