July 25, 2006   Tour raps transplant 'abuse'

A national tour condemning alleged organ harvesting from Falun Gong prisoners in China makes a stop today at the legislature.

"It's still happening, and that's why they're travelling across the world," said Shar Chen, with the University of Alberta Falun Gong group.

Chen said similar atrocities happened in Hitler's time.

"I don't think it should happen in the civilized world."

Hearts, kidneys, livers and corneas are cut from executed devotees of the outlawed Falun Gong movement.

They're sold for transplantation at a premium, sometimes to foreigners, concluded a recent report by former Liberal cabinet minister David Kilgour and Winnipeg human rights lawyer David Matas.

Kilgour will make a presentation today at the World Transplant Congress in Boston, hosting 6,000 worldwide delegates.

"We have reason to believe there will be a number of surgeons from China (attending) who've operated on Falun Gong," Kilgour said yesterday.

He said his recent presentations on the topic in Holland, Belgium and Britain were well received.

Chen said the four-person tour will cover much of Alberta.

The stops include St. Albert, Westlock, Leduc, Red Deer, Calgary and farther south, bringing attention to the organ harvesting.

The rally today runs from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.