Falun Gong Protest Persecution at APEC Summit, Hawaii

Representatives of 21 major nations bordering the Pacific are meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii for the 2011 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation—or APEC—summit. Since Friday, adherents of the Falun Gong spiritual practice have been demonstrating outside the hotel where representatives of foreign nations are staying. They want to raise awareness about the plight of Falun Gong practitioners in China who have been persecuted by the Chinese regime for over 12 years.

While world leaders were discussing economic policy and free trade, demonstrators from both sides of the Pacific were outside.

[Ben Maloney, Falun Gong Practitioner]:
“We have people from Taiwan, from Japan, from Korea, from California, so it’ really quite wonderful that all these people are able to join us this week.”

The aim of the protest is to raise awareness about the persecution and to stop other governments from being influenced by the Chinese Communist Party.

[Lu Min, Japanese Falun Gong Practitioner]:
“The Chinese communist regime has persecuted Falun Gong for a long time. Certain overseas governments have been influenced by the CCP and have persecuted Falun Gong. Especially recently the Vietnamese government arrested several of our Falun Gong practitioners.”

On Thursday, November 10th, the Vietnamese courts jailed two Vietnamese Falun Gong practitioners for broadcasting radio programs into mainland China that expose the persecution.

Falun Gong became popular in China in the ‘90s. After the Chinese regime did a survey showing that more than 70 million people were practicing Falun Gong, they launched a systematic persecution against practitioners and anyone who associated with them.

Passersby supported the Falun Gong practitioners’ demonstration.

[Denise, Passerby]:
“I think everyone has a right to exercise and do their thing, and if it promotes tolerance and then I’m all for it.”

[Willis Powel, Retired Troop]:
“These people are asking for freedom and they are asking for the same freedoms that our forefathers came to America for in the 17, 18 hundreds, religious freedom.”

The Falun Dafa Information Center has documented over 3000 Falun Gong practitioners who have died from torture in China since 1999.

Foto: NTD