July is the perfect month to reflect upon the basic freedoms we often take for granted in the United States: freedom to speak the truth, freedom to stand up for what is right, and freedom to believe.
As practitioners of Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) residing in Princeton and surrounding townships, we are especially grateful to have the freedom to openly engage in this peaceful meditation practice within our community. We often gather in local parks to meditate together to relieve stress and improve health, and guided by the teachings of Falun Dafa, we also make a conscious effort to live by the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.
Unfortunately, Falun Dafa practitioners in China are not as lucky. The practice was first introduced in China in 1992, gaining tens of millions of followers, and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) banned it in July, 1999, threatened that the number of Falun Dafa practitioners exceeded the number of Communist Party members.
Since then, hundreds of thousands of Falun Dafa practitioners have been arrested, imprisoned, subjected to slave labor, and tortured for their faith. More than 3,500 deaths have been confirmed, with tens of thousands more highly suspected.
Ms. Tong Hua, a resident of Lawrenceville, had been imprisoned in a forced labor camp in northeast China for two years before her daughter managed to rescue her to the United States. While detained, Ms. Tong was forced to perform slave labor and suffered unimaginable torture.
“Over a dozen of my friends have lost their lives during the last 10 years due to the persecution,” said Ms. Tong with a deep sorrow in her voice.
Ms. Stella Ji, a graduate student at Princeton University, had a turbulent life before she moved to Princeton. Her entire family practices Falun Dafa, and they have been severely persecuted by the Chinese communist regime over the past 13 years.
“My father was an upright official, but after I turned 14, I rarely saw him. They [the communist regime] threw my father into a forced labor camp several times and tortured him, just because of his belief,” said Ms. Ji. Recalling the hardships that her family has been through and worrying about their safety in China, she often cries.
Notably, the CCP’s campaign of violence and hatred has also been exported overseas. Numerous incidents of Falun Dafa practitioners being assaulted and discriminated against have been reported across the United States, from New York to San Francisco. Some of the perpetrators have been arrested and charged in U.S. courts.
Each year, Falun Dafa practitioners from all over the world travel to Washington, D.C., to celebrate that Falun Dafa has spread to over 100 countries around the globe and that practitioners in China have persevered in holding on to their faith in the face of the longest-lasting genocide in world history.
From July 12 to 14, we gathered in the U.S. capital once again to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Falun Dafa’s introduction to the public and to mourn 13 years of brutal persecution in China. We held peaceful rallies calling on the U.S. government to take measures to pressure the Chinese communist regime to immediately cease this persecution once and for all.
This year, we are more hopeful than ever that with the collective effort of the world’s people, the persecution will end soon. There have been many dramatic changes in China’s political and social landscapes in recent months. Thousands of Chinese citizens have found the courage to speak out against the persecution of their neighbors who practice Falun Dafa, petitioning to central leadership in Beijing to release the innocent victims from unlawful detention. Over 115 million have also renounced their Communist Party membership.
The U.S. House of Representatives previously issued four resolutions in support of Falun Dafa, calling for an end of the persecution: House Resolutions 188, 218, 304 and 605. Resolution 416 is currently under review. We urge all kind people to call their congressmen in support of this resolution. The persecution must end, not only for the sake of Falun Dafa practitioners in China, but for the sake of all of the world’s people and their future.
Residents interested in learning more about Falun Dafa are welcome to contact us for information and free teaching of Falun Dafa meditation exercises. Visit www.FalunDafa.org. All are welcome.
Sriram Mahadevan
Plainsboro
