(Minghui.org) Practitioners in southern Taiwan gathered in the Gushan District of Kaohsiung on April 22 for a rally and march to commemorate the April 25 peaceful appeal in Beijing in 1999. This event also called for an end to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 24-year-long persecution of Falun Dafa.
The rally was held in the morning at Aozidi Forest Park. The gentle exercises and photo exhibition attracted a large number of passersby, some of whom stopped to learn the exercises.
Led by the Tian Guo Marching Band in the afternoon, the march was made up of four sections: Dafa all over the world, the wrongful persecution, quitting the CCP organizations, and ending the suppression. When the procession passed major streets in Gushan, some elected officials from major political parties also joined.
Falun Dafa practitioners parade in Kaohsiung on April 22
Impressed by the bright colors of the Tian Guo Marching Band, waist drum team, and heavenly maidens, many people stopped to watch and read the banners that said, “Falun Dafa Is Good,” “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance Is Good,” and “End the CCP’s Forced Organ Harvesting.” People also accepted pamphlets and lotus flowers.
Messages on the banners urge people to help stop the persecution in China.
A Memorable Moment
After many Falun Dafa practitioners were illegally arrested in Tianjin in April 1999, about 10,000 practitioners went to the State Council for Appeals Office in Beijing on April 25. Their peaceful manner and kindness impressed pedestrians, including the police officers. One female officer said, “Do you know what virtue is? This is virtue!”
The issue was peacefully resolved that day, and media outlets called it the largest and most peaceful appeal in Chinese history. Although the CCP initiated the persecution of Falun Dafa in July 1999, the April 25 Appeal gave the world, including the people in Taiwan, an opportunity to see what Falun Dafa really is. Many Taiwanese people have since started to practice and are helping to end the ongoing persecution in China.
People read introductions to Falun Dafa.
Stop the Brutality
Lin spent a long time looking at the display boards and talking with practitioners. Seeing the “End Forced Organ Harvesting” poster he said, “I have been to mainland China a few times. I've heard that many people go there for kidney transplants.”
He said many people were not that bad but, unfortunately, had been brainwashed by the CCP. “The hate propaganda starts in kindergarten and elementary school,” he said. “The [CCP] regime is doomed.”
One woman read each poster in detail. She said live organ harvesting not only happens to adults but also children. “I have read news reports about this,” she said. “Someone was missing. When the person was finally located, they found that some organs had been removed.”
People read the posters.
Another woman said the CCP is known for suppressing innocent citizens for its own benefit. She said persecuted groups such as Falun Dafa should hold press conferences to raise awareness of the human rights abuses taking place there. “Look at what’s going on in China. It helps us understand that freedom does not come easy. That is why I strongly support practitioners for upholding their basic rights,” she said.
One man said he suffered from insomnia and was interested in Falun Dafa’s health benefits. He said he had heard that keeping in mind “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good” would bring blessings. “I like these posters because they are very meaningful,” he said. “More people need to know these important facts.”
Wang came to the park to exercise. After he read the information, he said the CCP’s organ harvesting was outrageous. “We all know that ‘good is rewarded’ and ‘evil incurs retribution,’” he explained. “It is just a matter of time before the CCP will collapse.”
Stay Away from the CCP
Passersby give practitioners a thumbs-up.
Ye and his mother were walking by the park when they noticed the event. Impressed by the large rally, he said many people have heard how practicing Falun Dafa benefits oneself as well as society. “Unfortunately, practitioners are mistreated under the CCP’s rule, and organ harvesting is unpardonable,” he said. “You are doing the right thing and you have my support.”
Lin joined the march because his friend Tsai is a Falun Dafa practitioner. They became friends when they joined the army 50 years ago but have not seen each other since then. “I learned about the persecution in China on television,” he said. “The atheistic CCP regime is reckless in mistreating its own people. That is why freedom of belief is so precious.”
Su and his friend both came up to watch the march. He knew that Falun Dafa practitioners were innocent and that the CCP was defaming the peaceful group. “Such events are important because people need to know what is happening in China.”
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Category: April 25 Events
