The Chinese spring festival is a traditional family celebration in the Chinese Year. Similarly to the Irish Christmas period it is when family and friends come together to be thankful for the previous years good fortune and celebrate the coming of the New Year. Falun Dafa is an ancient Chinese practice deeply rooted in Chinese culture, yet due to Jiang Zemins persecution of Falun Dafa in China many happy families have broken up and many family reunions will be incomplete. In Ireland there are many tragic examples:
Dai Dongxue: Dai came to Ireland in 1997, gained a Masters degree from Dublin City Univercity and now works for Microsoft in Dublin. The last time she was in China was early January 2000. She appealed to her government to stop persecuting Falun Dafa practitioners and allow them to practice their belief in peace after which she returned to Dublin to continue her studies. Her passport went out of date in February 2002. The Chinese embassy in Ireland refuses to renew it until she gives up her spiritual belief. She has two sisters, one of which is still in a labour camp because she also adheres to the principles of Falun Dafa, Truth, Compassion, and Tolerance. Her mother due to the stress of her family being torn apart by this vicious persecution passed away in 2002. The Chinese embassy still refused to issue Ms Dai a passport to visit her mother in her final days.
Feng Lui: Feng Lui is a young newly married 23-year old man. He is currently registered in a Dun Laoghaire college in Dublin. During the summer this young student planned on bringing his wife to Ireland to study. Yet before he left police kidnapped him as he visited his parents. Feng Lui has been in a detention centre since the summer of 2002. This is the first new year of his married life, yet he and his wife are forced to spend it apart. Since Feng Lui’s arrest the officials in China have refused requests from his family and even wife to see him.
Chairman Jiang Zemin has used all the media at his control to slander Falun Dafa for nearly four years. Many Chinese people have been deceived by these lies and have negative thoughts toward Falun Dafa practitioners. Being unable to join their families back in China Irish Falun Dafa practitioners will host a Chinese New Year party in Dublin. We want to give the Chinese people a look at the true goodness that Falun Dafa brings. ”There are 40,000 Chinese people in Ireland. Like our practitioners I am sure they miss home, with traditional Chinese songs, food and video’s and a lot more, we hope to bring them a bit closer to it” said Irish Falun Dafa spokesperson Gerald O’Connor. We will celebrate everything Chinese and welcome the Chinese New Year in traditional fashion. We cordially invite all of the Chinese people and Irish people to celebrate with us the coming of the New Year.
Location: Dublin City Univercity, Interfaith Chapel
Price: FREE OF CHARGE
Background
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa (about), is a practice of meditation and exercises with teachings based on the universal principle of “Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance.” It is a practice that was taught in private for thousands of years before being made public in 1992 by Mr. Li Hongzhi. Falun Gong has roots in traditional Chinese culture, but it is distinct and separate from other practices such as the religions of Buddhism and Taoism. Since its introduction in 1992, it quickly spread by word of mouth throughout China, and is now practiced in over 50 countries.
With government estimates of as many as 100 million practicing Falun Gong, China's President Jiang Zemin outlawed the peaceful practice in July 1999 (report), fearful of anything touching the hearts and minds of more citizens than the Communist Party. Unable to crush the spirit of millions who had experienced improved health and positive life changes from Falun Gong, Jiang’s regime has intensified its propaganda campaign to turn public opinion against the practice while quietly imprisoning, torturing and even murdering those who practice it.
The European Falun Gong Information Centre has verified details of 557 deaths (reports / sources) since the persecution of Falun Gong in China began in 1999. Government officials inside China, however, report that the actual death toll is well over 1,600, while expert sources estimate that figure to be much higher. Hundreds of thousands have been detained, with more than 100,000 being sentenced to forced labour camps, typically without trial.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE IRISH FALUN GONG INFORMATION CENTRE
Gerald O’Connor +353 86 384 8719 (mobile) or Dai Dongxue +353 87 959 6370 (mobile)
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