(Minghui.org) Falun Gong teaches people to follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Nearly 100 million people across China were practicing Falun Gong in 1999 after experiencing improvements in their health and character. Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline's growing popularity as a threat to the CCP's atheistic ideology and issued an order to ban the practice on July 20, 1999.
Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners due to persecution over the past 19 years, but the actual number is believed to be much higher. Many more have been imprisoned and tortured for their faith.
To commemorate the fellow practitioners who died in the persecution and call for stopping the brutality, Falun Gong practitioners around the world marked the occasion on July 20 with rallies, marches, and candlelight vigils. The following are reports on candlelight vigils in Thailand and Macau.
Candlelight Vigil in Thailand
Falun Gong practitioners held a candlelight vigil in Lumpini Park, in Bangkok, Thailand on the evening of July 15, 2018. They called for an end to the persecution.
Falun Gong practitioners commemorate fellow practitioners who died in the persecution in China.
Passersby learn about Falun Gong.
Falun Gong practitioners demonstrated the exercises and introduced Falun Gong to the passersby. They also exposed the CCP's brutal persecution and the state-sanctioned live organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners. Many passersby paused to learn more.
Ms. Wang from Northeast China was in a somber mood when attending the event. Her mother was tortured in a CCP prison with more than a dozen torture methods, and was almost paralyzed. Wang and her sister were also repeatedly detained and tortured. She was escorted to and incarcerated in the infamous Masanjia Forced Labor Camp on July 20 six years ago. Her aunt was also incarcerated and tortured in the Masanjia Forced Labor Camp later. Her aunt died due to the torture on July 20 two years ago.
Candlelight Vigil in Macau
Falun Gong practitioners held a rally across from the China Liaison Office in Macau at 8:00 p.m. on July 17, 2018. They protested the CCP's persecution and called for ending the brutality. They held a candlelight vigil to commemorate the fellow practitioners who have died in the persecution.
Practitioners in Macau hold candlelight vigil.
Related article in Chinese: Candlelight vigil in Macau
Category: July 20 Events
