United States: Falun Gong Practitioners from Different States and Countries Peacefully Appeal in Front of the Chinese Consulate in Houston

Falun Gong practitioners from different places have been taking turns appealing in front of the Chinese Consulate in Houston since October 7, 2002. They are collecting signatures on a letter to President Bush in the hope that the President will help in rescuing their imprisoned family members. Falun Gong practitioners say that they will continue to appeal in front of the Chinese Consulate until the end of Jiang's visit to the U.S.

According to the news source, the Falun Gong practitioners who are participating in this activity came from California, Florida--even from Canada and Australia-- in addition to Texas.

One Falun Gong practitioner, a volunteer contact person, said that more and more Falun Gong practitioners would gather in Houston to protest the brutal persecution of Falun Gong by Jiang's regime before October 23, which is the day when Jiang will arrive in Houston.

In January 2002, a Canadian Falun Gong practitioner, Li Jinyu, was successfully re-united with her husband, Lin Shenli, who had been imprisoned in China, by seeking help from members of Parliament and other officials in the Canadian Foreign Ministry to rescue Lin. This incident has greatly encouraged other Falun Gong practitioners. Li Jinyu and Lin Shenli also joined the peaceful sit-in appeal in front of the Chinese Consulate in Houston. Practitioners held a banner across the street which read, "President Bush, Please Rescue Our Family Members" in English.

Australian citizen Dai Zhizhen displayed some photos and other materials. She said that her husband, Chen Chengyong had been imprisoned for two years because he practiced Falun Gong. He died from brutal torture that he received during his imprisonment. Invited by many human rights organizations, she has visited 16 countries to condemn the human rights violations by the Jiang regime.

One gentleman who said he was a political leader in the district where the Chinese Consulate is located came to the protest site to show his support. This gentleman, who did not want his name publicized, said that he was going to invite more Americans to the sit-in in front of the Chinese Consulate in order to demonstrate American society's concerns about the human rights violations in China.