Dear Brian Cowen, T.D.

I am writing on behalf of Irish Falun Dafa practitioners to make you aware of some issues that we are concerned about. Recently there has been a trial of Falun Dafa practitioners in Hong Kong were the practitioners are accused of obstructing a path, obstructing police and even assaulting police. In reality the practitioners held a peaceful appeal outside the China Liaison office in Hong Kong, a highly sensitive location. They quietly mediated and were within their rights and protected to so under Hong Kong law which protects freedom of speech, freedom of association and freedom of demonstration.

When Hong Kong was handed back to China, the Chinese Government promised that the Hong Kong region would remain autonomous for fifty years and that people there would enjoy the rights they had under British rule. The independence and autonomy is being severely tested even on Irish soil. Zhao Ming a Trinity student who was rescued by the Irish Government and people from a labour camp was asked to give evidence in the trial stating the vicious torture he had suffered in the labour camp. When he went to the Chinese embassy to get the visa for Hong Kong they immediately recognized him and would not even issue him an application form after communicating with Beijing. During the trial as reported by the Associated Press the Judge has repeatedly showed signs of bias by insulting the defendants barrister. The fact that two senior council were chosen to represent the prosecutions case, the main argument of which is obstruction of a footpath is unusual to say the least. The manner in which the Hong Kong police arrested the practitioners using heavy force even using strangle holds on a 60 year old woman. Hong Kong does not have a history of abusing human rights; the question begs to be asked where is the pressure coming from to provoke this behaviour?

The Falun Dafa practitioners in Ireland are very concerned about these issues. The Irish Foreign Affairs office is our representative on international level so we express our concerns to you in the hope that you will know best how to make them known to the Hong Kong authorities.

Sincerely,

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Letter to the Dublin Chinese Embassy

Chinese Embassy,
40 Ailesbury Rd,
Dublin 4.

Your Excellency,

Irish Falun Dafa practitioners are gathered here today to further expose the persecution that practitioners worldwide have suffered at the hands of the Chinese Government. Currently there is a trial of 4 Swiss and 12 Hong Kong practitioners who are being unfairly tried in Hong Kong. The judge has showed clear bias towards the prosecution even insulting the defence lawyer and questioning his integrity. A case with such clear evidence would not go to trial in any other country, only under the influence of Jiang Zemin would the Hong Kong government sacrifice its own integrity with such a show trial.

The persecution of Falun Dafa will not last much longer and when the truth is revealed to the world, people will be held accountable for the actions that they have taken. Once again, we are here shining the light of truth on the persecution exposing it for what it is. We hope that you as representatives of China in Ireland can awaken to what is happening and urge your government to cease persecuting its own people who peacefully practice truth, compassion and tolerance.

Sincerely,

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Letter to the English Embassy

Your Excellency,

I am writing to you on behalf of the Falun Dafa Association of Ireland to express our great concerns regarding a trial that is currently taking place in Hong Kong. There are 16 Falun Dafa practitioners being tried. The main allegations made against the defendants are blocking a public pavement, obstructing the police in their duty and assaulting the police. These allegations have no basis in fact (see enclosed pictures and documents). Our concern lies in the fact that the judge seems strongly influenced by the Chinese Government, which has ruthlessly persecuted Falun Dafa for over three years.

When the United Kingdom stopped governing Hong Kong they promised the people of Hong Kong autonomy for 50 years. There is reason to believe that this autonomy is being challenged just five years later. In the current trial there is no evidence to substantiate the claims made by the prosecution. In a country that is not influenced by the Chinese government this case would have never gone to trial. Falun Dafa practitioners worldwide are very concerned about the precedent this case could cause in Hong Kong.

A further example of the autonomy and independence of Hong Kong being undermined by the Chinese government lies in the case of Zhao Ming; a practitioner who studies in Trinity College Dublin. Mr. Zhao was released from a labour camp and allowed to return to Ireland due to great efforts of the Irish government and people. His crime was to practice Falun Gong and to refine himself with the principles truth, compassion and forbearance. In the labour camp he was brutally tortured. He planned on travelling to Hong Kong to give evidence to expose the nature of the governments crack down on the practice. Yet he was not even permitted by the Chinese embassy in Dublin to fill an application form.

In China at least 70 million people have been persecuted over the last three years leading to countless deaths and immeasurable suffering. They have had many show trials and people have been sentenced of up to 18 years in jail for practicing their peaceful spiritual belief. Many people have never even received trials and have been languishing in labour camps with no official charges made against them. The Chinese Government wants the same control and influence over Hong Kong. As a former ruler over Hong Kong Special Autonomous Region you have a certain influence there, please do what you can to help ensure that justice is served.