Toronto Sun: Kevin Connor - May 21, 2007 - Hundreds of protesters from many walks of life called for the fall of communism in China at a rally held at Queen's Park yesterday.
"As Chinese-Canadians we have worried for years about China and the lives of our families under control of this blood-thirsty regime," said event organizer Jinan Liu.
"Now the Chinese are saying no to the tyrant Chinese Communist Party. Now it is a matter of time before its collapse."
The recent loss of 20 million members from the CCP shows that the Chinese people consider political liberties as important as economic prosperity, said Dr. Lavinia Stan, director of the centre for post-communist studies at St. Francis Xavier University.
ECONOMIC FREEDOM
"As in Eastern Europe, the Chinese people have started to realize that economic freedom means little if not accompanied by political freedom," Stan said.
"With its history of repression, its present ideological ambiguity and its uncertain future, the CCP has become obsolete. It should have the decency and the courage to allow multiparty elections."
Many in the crowd were worried about the "atrocities" their loved ones face for practising Falun Gong.
Falun Gong is an ancient form of qigong, the practice of refining the body and mind through special exercises and meditation.
Like tai chi, qigong is a vital part of many people's lives in Asia.
Only a few years after its public introduction in 1992, Falun Gong quickly grew to become the most popular form of qigong ever in Chinese history; however, in 1999 the CCP started a crackdown on its followers.
3,034 DEATHS
The Falun Gong Information Centre says they have verified 3,034 deaths since 1999 and hundreds of thousands have been detained.
"I am here today to protest those atrocities against the practitioners of Falun Gong as well as human rights violations in any manner contrary to the Charter of United Nations," said Muhammad Ali Bukhari, a human rights advocate.
No comments:
Post a Comment