(Clearwisdom.net) The 16th World Transplant Games were held from August 25 to September 1, 2007 at the Metropolitan Youth Center (Thai-Japan) in Bangkok, Thailand. Over 1,300 athletes who had had organ transplants from 48 countries participated in this event. There were also transplant medical personnel and supporters. The sponsor approved Falun Dafa practitioners' presence at the event to expose the Chinese Communist Party's crime of removing organs from living practitioners. Doctors and athletes who learned about the brutal persecution and torture of Falun Gong practitioners in China were shocked and signed a petition condemning the persecution and demanding that Beijing allow international organizations to conduct independent investigations in China's forced labor camps and prisons.
Many people visited the Falun Gong booth to learn the truth about the persecution and signed the petition to stop the persecution
In the Center, eight booths were set up in the break area for the athletes; seven were Thailand's official booths, and one was for Falun Gong. Practitioners prepared information materials in 38 languages and told the participants about the persecution of Falun Gong in English, French, Japanese, Polish, and Thai. Participants could read the facts about the persecution in their own language and were shocked upon learning the truth.
Practitioners made eye-catching display boards and decorated the exhibition area in bright yellow and dark purple. They hung colorful lotus flowers inside the exhibition area and placed information materials on a lotus flower stand outside. Passersby lingered around the booth. Some of them told the practitioners that they felt very comfortable every time they passed the booth. The practitioners' booth was the prettiest scene at the Center.
Visitors formed non-stop traffic at the Center during the event. The independent investigation report from Canadian investigators was convincing and shocked those who read it. Many people signed the petition letters. They called their friends to come to the booth to learn about the facts and said they would tell everyone they knew. Some athletes went to the booth right after their events and waited in line to sign the petition under the scorching sun. Some rushed to the booth to sign the petition after they heard about it from their friends. People took the handouts from practitioners and the truth started to spread out among them. Some participants wore the lotus flowers they received from practitioners on their chests. Colorful lotus flowers could be seen everywhere at the Center and attracted more people to the booth to hear the facts about Falun Dafa. A lot of people said the Falun Dafa booth was the most popular topic at the event.
Petra, the mother of an athlete from the Netherlands, felt the pain upon hearing about the persecution and couldn't stop crying. She gave a practitioner a pair of wooden shoes to show her goodwill and shared the facts she learned with people who had come to Thailand with her. Petra's son later won a gold medal in the Games and she rushed to the booth and shared her joy with the practitioners.
A gentleman from the Kidney Transplant Association of the Philippines (KITAP) cried upon hearing about organ harvesting from living practitioners. He recorded the content of the display to show it to the people in KITAP. He said it was something they must know. He later called everyone in his group to go to the booth to sign the petition. A Chinese from Malaysia brought an athlete from China to the booth to tell him about the persecution of Falun Gong. The athlete refused to hear about it because of the CCP's propaganda. The Malaysian Chinese said he would make him (the athlete from China) understand the true situation of the persecution.
Athletes from Canada and Australia told the practitioners they had seen The Epoch Times newspaper. A gentleman from Vancouver said every time he drove by the Chinese Consulate he would see practitioners protesting the persecution, "I support you." A Swiss athlete said he learned the truth about Falun Dafa through practitioners' long-distance walk. The Swiss athlete admired the practitioners' courage and effort to spread the truth about Falun Dafa.
A polish athlete hugged a practitioner to show sympathy after learning the facts. A research staff member from a university in the U.S. said she would research this topic with her students. She said what the practitioners did was wonderful.
Members of organ transplant associations from Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Turkey, the Philippines, Tunisia, and Thailand came to talk to the practitioners during the event. They thought what the CCP did to practitioners was unacceptable. They took copies of the independent report written by two Canadian investigators and expressed their support for Falun Dafa. The Chairperson from the Dutch Transplant Foundation said they had urged the government to pass a bill to prohibit Dutch people from going to China for organ transplants. An athlete from Israel said it was a well-known fact in his country that the CCP removes organs form living practitioners. The government is working on whether to prohibit the people from going to China to receive organ transplants.
Many people tried to provide ideas to help the practitioners to stop the persecution. Some suggested mailing the truth-clarification materials to the Chair of the International Olympic Committee, others wanted to invite practitioners to attend the an organ transplantation meeting in Geneva. Thirty-six people left their business cards wanting to stay in contact with practitioners. Practitioners received 29 presents from people from 22 countries. This represents the support for Falun Gong from just people around the world. 582 athletes, doctors and participants signed the petition letters to stop the persecution.
Category: Organ Harvesting
