Falun Gong members make stop in Timmins 
Timmins Daily Press (Ontario) 

August 17, 2006 Thursday 

SECTION: FRONT; Pg. A1 

LENGTH: 367 words 


BYLINE: Michael Peeling 

BODY: 


Practitioners of an Asian form of spirituality spread an urgent message of 
human rights abuses Wednesday morning on the steps of city hall, citing a 
report by a former MP and a human rights lawyer. 

Representatives of the spiritual group Falun Gong told stories of illegal 
human organ harvesting supported by the Chinese Communist Party involving 
members of the group being sent to prison camps for their beliefs, then 
having vital organs removed while still alive. 

David Kilgour, a former MP and Secretary of State for Asia Pacific, and 
David Matas, a well-known human rights lawyer, released a report in July 
detailing the findings of their own independent investigation into the organ 
harvesting of Falun Gong members. 

The report concludes they "believe that there has and continues to be large 
scale organ seizures from unwilling Falun Gong practitioners." 

Clement Sun, a Falun Gong spokesperson, says the communist regime believes 
its power over the people of China is undermined by the Falun Gong teachings 
of "truthfulness, compassion and tolerance in oneself" and its practises of 
meditation and gentle exercises "to achieve ... a state of selflessness and 
inner balance." 

"The Chinese government feels it must control everything, so it goes after 
Falun Gong because we have grown to over 70 million members," Sun said. 

Amanda Turcotte, who recently moved to Timmins from North Bay with her 
daughter, Paige, was shocked and surprised to hear about the organ 
harvesting. 

"I've never heard of that going on," Turcotte said. "What's being done about 
it?" 

Dana Zhao, a Falun Gong practitioner based in Toronto, said that people are 
asked in the streets of China by government-controlled police officers if 
they are affiliated with the spiritual group and if they answer yes, they 
are kidnapped and put into concentration camps. 

"Falun Gong won't lie because of their belief in the truth, but they will 
try to avoid answering the question," Zhao said. 

Prisoners often have their kidneys, livers, lungs, hearts or corneas 
removed, supposedly for tens of thousands of dollars in profits. 

Zhao said family members often don't find out what happened to their 
relatives because their bodies are burnt beyond recognition. 

GRAPHIC: Amanda Turcotte, left, stopped to speak with Tianqi Li, a 
practitioner of Falun Gong, who claims to have been an illegal prisoner of 
the communist government in China. Li hosted an information session 
Wednesday about the alleged organ harvesting and other human rights abuses 
Falun Gong members are subjected to by the government. 

LOAD-DATE: August 17, 2006