Group charges China executing Falun Gong followers for organs 
The Guardian (Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island) 

August 9, 2006 Wednesday 

SECTION: THE PROVINCE; Pg. A3 

LENGTH: 634 words 


BYLINE: Ron Ryder 


Thousands of followers of China's outlawed Falun Gong spiritual movement are 
being executed in order to provide organs for surgical transplant, a group 
staging a rally in Charlottetown Tuesday charged. 

Three members of the Global Mission to rescue Persecuted Falun Gong 
Practitioners, strung a banner in front of city hall in order to call 
attention to new allegations that the years-old state harassment of Falun 
Gong was devolving into rampant executions. 

Can Sun, Yvonne Zhao and Yan Liu made the trip from Toronto to call on 
Canadians to become involved in the fight to protect their fellow believers. 

"In Ontario when someone is on the waiting list for a liver transplant the 
average time is something like 3.7 years," said Sun. 

"In China the wait time for a transplant of a liver once someone has been 
approved could be around a week." 

Sun said the prosecution and jailing of Falun Gong practitioners has been 
well-documented over the past several years. 

He said it is just becoming clear now that the disappearance of Falun Going 
members may be tied into the recent increase in the number of organ 
transplants taking place in China. 

He said a recent report from former MP David Kilgour and human rights lawyer 
David Matas concluded that there have been verifiable cases of "organ 
seizures" among the Falun Gong. 

The Tuesday rally drew a small crowd of onlookers, including Charlottetown 
MP Shawn Murphy and Malpeque MP Wayne Easter. 

Murphy said the treatment of Falun Gong has been an ongoing topic of 
discussion in Ottawa, and the allegation that the abuse has degenerated into 
executions and organ piracy is especially worrisome. 

"I know it's going to be coming up in the legislature this fall," he said. 

"I'll be pressing for a thorough investigation into these allegations, 
preferably something under the care of the United Nations." 

Easter said he thinks the world community can't ignore charges as serious as 
those raised by people like Sun, Liu and Zhao. 

"The kind of abuse that is being talked about here is about as evil as 
something could possibly be," he said. 

GRAPHIC: Can Sun, Falun Gong practitioner from Toronto, speaks at a rally in 
Charlottetown Tuesday. His group alleges China is executing followers of the 
outlawed spiritual movement to harvest organs for transplants. 

LOAD-DATE: August 9, 2006