The Finnish television programme “Yokotai” invited Falun Gong practitioners onto a live chat show to discuss Falun Gong and the situation in China. During the show, four practitioners demonstrated the exercises to beautiful Dafa music while another practitioner was being interviewed. Channel 1 has shown the programme throughout the whole country.
Interviewer: This week China has received a lot of positive publicity after it launched its first Taikonaut Rocket into space with everyone returning alive. The authorities in China however – as is their way– showed delayed footage of the launch and the landing just in case something went wrong. Everything was probably alright with Taikonaut, but if you happen to practise and meditate according to a practice called Falun Gong, the situation is not that good. Here we have Mr. Mikko Mattila in the studio to tell us about it. Welcome to Yokotai.
A: Thank you.
Q: You belong to the persecuted Falun Gong practice group. Can you tell us briefly what Falun Gong is?
A: Falun Gong is a kind of Qigong practice. Qigong is a practice that can be seen every morning in parks in China. Taichi is also like this. Falun Gong has five sets exercises and meditation. It differs from other qigong practices or Taichi in that the emphasis of the practice is more to cultivate the mind and one’s character.
Q: I received a flyer on the street from a Falun Gong practitioner which states: In four years, almost 2,000 people have been tortured to death, over 100 000 people have been placed illegally into forced labour camps, over 1000 people have been detained in mental hospitals and 70-100 million people have lost their fundamental human rights. Now when we look at this practice, a real question is raised, why is Falun Gong so hated and persecuted in China?
A: During these four years we have appealed to the Chinese government to cease the persecution. Before it was banned, Falun Gong received a lot of support and honours, because it is a traditional Chinese practice and has positive effects on health. In 1999, Falun Gong had become the most popular qigong practice in Chinese history. It had 100 million practitioners and outnumbered the members of the communist party. In that time Jiang Zemin, the former president of China, got nervous and was afraid of losing his power. He personally gave orders to ban Falun Gong. The leadership of the communist party in China has not been too tolerant in the past either.
Q: I have to say that whatever has happened is not acceptable, but is still kind of understandable, if one thinks that it’s about dictatorship, and the number of the practitioners outnumbered the members in the communist party. Isn’t it so that Falun Gong is lead from elsewhere? From where is Falun Gong lead? It is said that it is lead from America, where there have been hints about CIA involvement.
A: The mention of the association with the CIA is propaganda. In Falun Gong there is no leader, because it is not an organisation or a religion. There is only one teacher who has taught the principles, everyone else is just a practitioner. There are no organised activities, except group practice in the morning.
Q: Even though there is no political agenda or no need to join anything, Falun Gong practitioners are still continually in contact with Amnesty and even the Finnish Foreign ministry, so doesn’t this make it political? Wouldn’t it be better to just stay quiet at home or exercise in the park?
A: Well, if people practise at home in China, they are still being sought from their homes by police and taken to forced labour camps, facing torture and ill treatment. It is a human rights issue and not political. Before Falun Gong was banned, it received a lot of support and even communist party members were practising, because it has nothing to do with politics. After the persecution started, all Falun Gong practitioners around the world used their time to stop the persecution. That’s why Amnesty and human rights groups are involved.
Q: Mikko, finally I have to ask you about how you feel this week since China has received so much positive publicity, and about the continual talk China becoming the next superpower? Finnish companies, including Nokia are pushing themselves into the Chinese markets. These things are happening continually, even though Falun Gong practitioners are being persecuted and tortured.
A: Firstly, Falun Gong is not against China. Regarding the foreign companies, I personally think it is a good thing. Many companies in China are state owned and under the control of the government. During the four years of the persecution of Falun Gong, China has denied the entire persecution. As it was with SARS, there was also a cover up. For companies it would be good if they knew where they are investing their money and that behind the dealings there are many things that companies do not know. The worst scenario is that companies could even become unknowingly involved in the serious human rights violations.
Q: It is definitely difficult to intervene with these issues, but one should at least be aware of the situation.
A: Yes. It would be good if people in the west raised these issues more and tried to improve human rights in China.
Q: And not just think from the standpoint of a market economy. Thank you Mikko Mattila and all the other persecuted Falun Gong practitioners in the studio.
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