New Jersey Online: Falun Gong supporters rally in Princeton

07/09/01

PRINCETON BOROUGH -- Some 60 human rights activists, en route to Washington, D.C., voiced their opposition to the Chinese government's crackdown on the practice of Falun Gong in downtown Princeton yesterday.

Michele Goncalves of Manalapan, a walk organizer, said hundreds are expected during the next week or so to join the journey to Washington for a rally July 19.

"They walk from Boston. They bike from Florida. They drive from San Francisco. Each is determined to rescue the practitioners in China," she said.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a practice of refining the body and mind through certain exercises and meditation. The movement was introduced in China by Master Li Hongzhi in 1992 and became widely popular.

The People's Republic of China considers the movement a threat to society, and banned it in July 1999 as "[Jiang Zemin government's slanderous term omitted]."

Advocates of the controversial movement estimate that Chinese authorities have tortured or executed more than 250 Falun Gong practitioners, and that more than 10,000 have been sent to labor camps without a trial, more than 300 have been jailed, more than 50,000 have been detained and countless others are unaccounted for.

The protest journey that stopped here began in Boston. It is called the S.O.S campaign and was launched in seven cities. Many of the activists are traveling by foot, and plan to reach Washington by the July 19 rally, where they will join human rights advocates in speaking out about China's campaign against the growing spiritual movement.

Ying Chen of Marlton told her brother's story over the weekend in Metuchen, where marchers stopped on their way through the state. She said she hasn't heard from Gang Chen for more than a year and that he was forced into a labor camp last June as Chinese authorities cracked down on Falun Gong followers.

Patrick Au of Edison said he has practiced the energy exercise for more than three years, and said Americans need to be aware of what's happening in his native country.

"I just wish that more people knew about it," he said.

Hao Wang of Boston is also in the 450-mile walk. Wang said the rally is important because "The people can't have their stories told in China."

Wang said that the Chinese government is trying to eradicate the practice of Falun Gong and their campaign message to the public is "No measures are too excessive."

Erin Elliott, 19, of Bergen County joined the walk in New York. Elliott spoke out about the murder of a 19-year-old woman in China.

"As a citizen of America I am lucky to be able to exercise my freedom of belief in something as simple as truthfulness, compassion and forbearance," she said to the crowd outside Princeton University's Firestone Library during a demonstration of the meditation. "If I were a young adult in China I would be arrested and jailed and quite possibly killed for this belief."

Demonstrators are scheduled to leave Princeton this morning and proceed to the State House in Trenton before going to Philadelphia and Baltimore.

Advocates are calling on voters to contact their elected representatives about the issue and to talk to friends and family members about it.

"The more people know about it, the better. The Chinese government is relying on lack of knowledge," said Mengyang Jian of Boston, who said her aunt and cousin are under house arrest. http://www.nj.com/mercer/times/index.ssf?/mercer/times/07-09-C4AR1AJB.html