Falun Gong practitioners in Slovakia celebrated New Year with a peaceful protest at the Chinese Embassy in Bratislava. Although the night was cold, the practitioners were not perturbed by this as their hearts were warm with the desire to let the world’s people know about the human rights abuses against their fellow practitioners in China.

39-year-old Falun Dafa practitioner Ms. Dai Zhijuan was the Senior Physician employed by the Dalian City Women and Children's Hospital in Liaoning Province. She had been arrested twice and taken to the Masanjia Forced Labour Camp, where she was subjected to all sorts of torture, such as being deprived of the right to sleep, forced to do heavy labour, injected with unknown drugs, etc. She was tortured nearly to death twice before being bailed out on medical parole. She died on December 21st, 2005. Her husband Yang Chuanjun (also a Falun Dafa practitioner) is now detained in Dalian City Prison.

Mr. Chen Wen, 75, was a Falun Gong practitioner from Hubei Province. About two or three months ago, he went to another town to tell people, who had been misled by the government propaganda, the facts about Falun Dafa and expose the persecution and passed away there. Someone who saw Chen's body said Chen's face was blue and purple, but it was not apparent if there were more wounds under his clothes. From what we have learned, there is a high probability that Mr. Chen had been followed on his trip to Yingcheng. There is speculation that Mr. Chen was beaten to death by the people who followed him.

In April 2001, authorities at the Shijiazhuang Forced Labour Camp attempted to violently "transform" all the Dafa practitioners in their custody. Practitioners were forced to stand on stools, wearing handcuffs and steel wire wrapped around their arms and secured to the ceiling, and then the stools were kicked out from under them. As they hung from the ceiling, the steel wires quickly cut into their arms to the bone, and blood flowed down the wire. If they still refused the so-called "transformation," the wardens would grab the practitioners and yank them downward with all their strength; many of the practitioners' arms were permanently damaged.

63-year-old Dafa Practitioner Mr. Jiang Zhongliang steadfastly practised Falun Dafa. He was detained by the unlawful staff of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) many times and was illegally fined and sentenced to forced labour, etc. After he was released from the forced labour camp, he was extremely emaciated. Mr. Jiang passed away around November of 2005 and the details still need to be investigated.

By following the instructions I made informational materials. Basically I clarified the facts wherever I went. In the beginning I didn't know how to answer questions such as, "What is Falun Gong?" Gradually I was able to clarify the facts logically and reasonably. Some people would sincerely say, "Thank you" after they understood the facts. One cab driver shook my hand and expressed his gratitude repeatedly.

So I started to sing Pudu quietly. The leader felt strange after I finished the prelude and asked, "Your song doesn't have words? Only notes?" I turned around and looked at practitioners. Everyone was surprised with joy and some of them even hummed a little with me. Realising that everyone had understood me, I ignored the leader's question and continued. Before long, the class leader became quiet, and the beautiful melody made the environment peaceful and calm.

Many people asked with concern, "How can I help you?" When they learned that nearly seven million people have withdrawn their membership in the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliates, they're so excited, "Good, good! China has hope."

A dozen Falun Gong adherents staged a peaceful rally opposite the Chinese embassy yesterday, calling for the release of five Chinese followers being detained at the Bangkok immigration office for nearly three weeks. They vowed to hold a meditation protest every Friday until the police free the five detainees. The gathering also protested against the Chinese government's persecution of Falun Gong followers.

Han Qi served as the Prime Minister under three generations of Emperors at the Imperial Court during the Song Dynasty. He was a straightforward and upstanding person known for his generosity and great breadth of mind. People respectfully called him “Sir Han.” He once said, “In order to become a person with great integrity, one must be able to endure small things.”