On July 20, 1999, a day of terror for many in China that would change their lives forever. For many, their most basic human rights were taken away, and the right to practice peaceful meditation and gentle exercises and to believe in Heaven and gods was taken away.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) banned the spiritual practice of Falun Gong on this day. This brought much sadness and atrocities in China. People refused to stop practicing because they benefitted greatly from the continuous practice of Falun Gong. The CCP government wrongly jailed, killed, tortured, and abused many innocent Chinese people because they believed in Falun Gong.
Falun Gong, or Falun Dafa, is practiced freely throughout all countries except China. In Melbourne, in remembrance of July 20, 1999, Falun Gong practitioners on Saturday, July 15, showed the beauty of the peaceful practice while demonstrating Falun Gong’s gentle exercises and meditation and displaying the principles of Truth, Compassion, and Tolerance in a parade through the city.
The parade began at the Melbourne Arts Centre on St Kilda Road. It commenced over Prince’s Bridge and passed St. Paul’s Cathedral toward the city center, passing shops and the Town Hall, then through Chinatown, and ending in front of Victoria’s State Library.
The Tian Guo Marching Band led the way; following behind them was a walking story that onlookers could see as they listened to the drums, trumpets, and other wind instruments. People stopped in their tracks with smiles as the band passed them. Everyone stayed still, happy to read the banners and to watch the practitioners in yellow demonstrate the exercises as they walked.
Some onlookers mimicked their actions. A boat carrying a vast lotus flower with a young Chinese girl wearing traditional Chinese dress displayed how we all work together even in the most turbulent seas or hard times.
Vietnamese and Chinese Falun Gong practitioners wore their traditional costumes while more banners recounted how the CCP conducted an unjust and horrendous ban on Chinese Falun Gong practitioners. The parade’s finale was the traditional Chinese drummers dressed in yellow suits with their hair tied up in yellow bandanas. The Melbourne audience saw the truth before them in a spectacular display.
You could see them reading the banners with their faces, saddened by the CCP’s ban and human rights crimes towards the Falun Gong practitioners in China. However, they are left with joy and hope as they listen to the Falun Gong Chinese drummers.
As the Tian Guo Marching Band led the parade to the front of Victoria’s State Library, they continued playing while waiting for the parade to finish. Participants who had completed the parade gathered; some stood with their banners while others stopped to talk to passersby.
An introduction was given to welcome everyone, and the Chinese Falun Dafa practitioners wearing traditional Chinese clothing demonstrated meditation and exercises. Supporters of Falun Gong gave a short talk in support. The first speaker was Andrew Bush, a Veteran Liberal Party member, and a human rights advocator. He talked about how the Chinese Communist Party came to use Falun Dafa practitioners as part of their live organ-harvesting scheme.
He has seen credible reports that 20 percent of the people operated on did not receive any anesthetic. He asked the audience to imagine how painful, agonizing, and torturing that would be.
Mr. Bush said: “We are dealing with a mob, a gang; I think they should be called that thinks power must be held at all costs. They have the right to dictate to all their citizens how they will behave and what they will do without any input from their citizens at all. Contrast that to Australia, where we care for our citizens; when they need care, where we encourage our citizens, where we respect them, where we support them, where we trust them, where we understand them, but you don’t get that in China.
“Today, roughly 1.2 million immigrants live in Australia as permanent residents or citizens because they want freedom. Quite a number are Falun Dafa practitioners.
“I am not a Falun Dafa practitioner, but I do the Falun Dafa exercises occasionally as I have a terrible back and spine, and they help. I am a theologian, and I have studied Falun Dafa. I can tell you it is a very ethical good movement with very good values, and the people that practice are very good, decent, and honorable. I know quite a few of them, and I would trust them with my life, but I would never trust the CCP.”
Andrew Bush talked more about the Chinese Communist Party pushing its power and influence on other major countries and making a point that we know the CCP wants to take control of Taiwan. He hopes the Chinese people might one day gain control of their country and human rights. He believes we should speak up about the abuse, atrocities, and harm that the CCP causes to bring about a better future for everyone.
President Duy Quang Nguyen of the Vietnamese community in Victoria gave a short talk in English and Vietnamese.
Mr. Nguyen said: “When the Communist Party took over the country, the south of Vietnam, they put people in a concentration camp, and hundreds of thousands died there. I believe that the end of the Chinese Communist Party will be the end of the Vietnamese Communist Party. It will be just time for all of us, and I thought that one day China, Vietnam, Taipei, and Hong Kong will soon be a free country, like us in Australia.”
The China Democratic Movement Alliance Australia spokesperson Gao Jian shared his views on living in China.
He said: “On this day (July 20, 1999), the Chinese Communist Party announced a civil crackdown that compromises millions of Falun Gong practitioners. The CCP issued orders and instilled fear, and engaged in brutal killings. All government controls media outlets, including television, video, and newspaper, were mobilized to spread lies about Falun Gong.
“News of Falun Gong practitioners being arrested by the police constantly appeared in the newspaper and on television. Many Falun Gong practitioners were imprisoned and heavily sentenced. Some were forced to go to psychiatric hospitals where their minds and bodies were abused. The CCP established the 610 Office with the public security ministry to suppress Falun Gong.
“Over the past 24 years, the practice of Falun Gong has spread worldwide, although the CCP persecution of Falun Gong has intensified. The Chinese Communist Party relies on lies and terror to maintain its power. In contrast, Falun Gong practitioners expose the CCP’s hideous nature through truth clarification and helping people quit the CCP and awaken to the truth of the persecution of the evil CCP.
“The principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance move and awaken people with great love.
“In this time of moral decline worldwide, Falun Dafa, with its universal principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance, is spreading throughout China. It brings light and hope to the Chinese nation. We express great gratitude to Master Li Hongzhi and the grace of the practitioners of Falun Dafa, who have defended their faith through the practice and awakened people’s consciousness.
“Over two decades, the Australian Democracy Movement has supported Falun Dafa. We have learned a great deal from you. Let us work together and awaken people to usher in a new China, a new world free from the evil CCP. May justice prevail, and may the heavens eliminate the CCP. Thank you.”
In between talks and entertainment, letters of support were read out; they were from Liberal Party’s Brad Rowswell, MP for Sandringham, and David Limbrick, MP of the Liberal Democracy Party. Falun Dafa practitioners from China shared their experiences of practicing Falun Gong in China under the harsh treatment of the CCP.
Other guest speakers were Mr. Gerard Flood from the Democratic Labour Party and Frank Ruan Jie, the Secretary of the Federation of the Chinese Democratic Political Parties and Secretary of the Chinese Labour Party.
The Chinese Male Choir sang two songs in Chinese, The King of Falun Dafa and Searching. The men sang with great vigor and poise that all could enjoy the rhythm and harmony even if they could not speak Chinese. The young students of the Minghui School showed the Chinese traditional culture through a play called I Learned The Three Chinese Primers and sang the song Be Saved. The Melbourne people were uplifted and applauded all the performances.
The Tian Guo Marching Band played one last time as many people were now seated and stood with interest. Many people watching began to ask questions and talk to the Falun Dafa practitioners handing out information brochures. It was a great day speaking and showing the truth about China’s traditional culture.
