Edmonton Sun: Falun Gong [group] calls for action

Friday, January 26, 2001 Local devotees of a quasi-religious movement are disappointed Ottawa is doing little to address their claim that Chinese officials in Canada are spreading lies about their faith. "The issue deserves more attention. They should do more," said Tom Ozimek, an Edmonton practitioner of Falun Gong, a set of spiritual beliefs declared a threat to public order by the Chinese government in 1999. Ozimek, who claims Chinese officials handed out anti-Falun Gong pamphlets in Edmonton, isn't alone in his concern. At a recent Toronto press conference, lawyer Rocco Galati, who represents the practitioners, said Chinese consular officials labeled Falun Gong followers as [slanderous words]. Foreign Affairs said if people feel threatened in Canada, they should report the matter to their local police. "That's a normal course of action," said department spokesman Marie-Christine Lilkoff. Police spokesman Dean Parthenis said there's been no complaints to date. Ozimek said Falun Gong followers are still considering going to police. But Huixia Chen, a Chinese immigrant in Edmonton and Falun Gong devotee, said Ottawa should do more to protect relatives of people in Canada such as her sister, who has been threatened by police in China for following Falun Gong. "If they can help, that would be great," she said. Foreign Affairs said it raises human rights concerns with China on a regular basis. "We believe dialogue is important to give us access to influence the Chinese," Lilkoff said. The Canadian International Development Agency gave $67.1 million to China for the fiscal year 1998-99. The Chinese consulate in Calgary didn't return Sun phone calls.