Wednesday 10 January 2001
Sharda Vaidyanath The Ottawa Citizen
As a Canadian Falun Gong practitioner, I found Dr. Tom Schwarzer's letter ("Trade mission is worst way to press Falun Gong case," Jan. 5) disappointing and embarrassing.
It is clear that despite extraordinary media coverage on China's brutal treatment of Falun Gong practitioners and despite easy access to Web sites on all aspects of the subject, Dr. Schwarzer is not informed of China's human rights record and its global ramifications. I am disappointed that beyond personal gain and vested political and economic interests, Dr. Schwarzer did not test the privilege he was granted to see the real China where democracy and individual rights and freedoms are non-existent.
Falun Gong, or Falun Dafa, is also a Canadian problem. For instance, despite glowing official Canadian support (letters from significant Canadian political leaders published in Canada Honours Falun Dafa) for Falun Gong's philosophy of upgrading individual and social morality, the Chinese Embassy's Web site describes Falun Gong as an "evil cult" and perpetuates numerous falsehoods regarding the practice. This is profoundly offending to many Canadian practitioners like myself who continue to benefit enormously from practising Falun Gong. It could also be argued that this negative propaganda violates the Canadian Criminal code.
Falun Gong stringently adheres to the rules of no political involvement and no membership registration, fees or donations of any kind. I invite Dr. Schwarzer to attend and observe practitioners in one of many practice sites in this area and determine for himself what Chinese "law" KunLun Zhang could have possibly broken that is worthy of punishment.
The vast majority of Canadians would reject trade and political relations without social conscience. Ottawa West-Nepean MP Marlene Catterall's efforts to press the Falun Gong case during the trade mission is consistent with Canadian values. Our prime minister must uphold this ideal in all his international efforts.
Sharda Vaidyanath,
Gloucester