1. 

Falun Gong Celebrates 10th Anniversary around the World on 13th May 2002

May 13th, 2002, marks the 10th anniversary since Falun Gong was first taught to the public by its founder, Mr. Li Hongzhi. Celebrations are well underway in Sydney, Hong Kong, Tokyo, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Toronto, London, Berlin, Moscow and an estimated 20 other cities around the world. Practitioners gather together with family, friends, community and government leaders to give thanks for the health and joy Falun Dafa has brought to their lives. At the same time, they seek to honor the courage, compassion and strength that people who practice Falun Dafa in China have displayed over the past three years in the face of Jiang Zemin’s vicious persecution.

13 May 2002, World Falun Dafa Day 10th Anniversary celebration - Sunrise Practice, at Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney.

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Sydney Morning Herald: 10 Minute Herald

14 May 2002 - About 100 Falun Dafa practitioners gathered in the Royal Botanic Garden yesterday to welcome the start of World Falun Dafa Day. They hope to reach enlightenment through five simple exercises and adherence to Truth, Compassion and Tolerance. Photo: Peter Rae

3. 

IOC urged to act over plans for pre-Olympic crackdown in China (Excerpt)

(AFP,Friday May 3, 12:02 PM) Two groups of Chinese dissidents have called on the IOC to review its decision to award the 2008 Olympics to Beijing after publishing what they described as evidence of plans for a crackdown in the run up to the Games.

The groups, the Committee for Investigation on Persecution of Religion in China and the Free China Movement, released what they said was a report from authorities in Jilin province calling for a crackdown on all dissident groups, particularly the banned Falungong spiritual movement, "in order to host a better and successful Olympics in 2008." The report called for organisers of demonstrations to be swiftly arrested and "punished severely", sanctions of up to three years in custody and fines of 10,000 yuan (1,200 dollars) for offenders and for Falun Gong activists to be particularly harshly dealt with.

The appeal to the IOC follows recent hints from Rogge that China's human rights abuses could yet result in it being stripped of the Games. "We are convinced that the Olympic Games will improve human rights in China," Rogge told the BBC. "However the IOC is a responsible organisation and if either security, logistics or human rights are not acted upon to our satisfaction then we will act." IOC officials have since played down the comments, denying that they amounted to a warning to China.

4. 

China’s State-Run Airwaves: Falun Gong Brings Appeal Directly to the People Over Cable Television Networks 6,000 Arrests Ordered in Harbin City – Killings Continue as Grassroots Efforts to Appeal Persist Throughout the Country

NEW YORK, May 9th, 2002 (Falun Dafa Information Center) – For the fifth time in the past three months, the broadcast signal from a large cable television network in a major Chinese city was recently overridden – this time for up to 75 minutes – broadcasting programs exposing the human rights violations carried out under Jiang Zemin’s orders, and presenting positive views about Falun Gong.

Preliminary reports from Heilongjiang Province say that Luo Gan (appointed by Jiang Zemin to oversee the state-ordered extermination of Falun Gong) has already visited Harbin City and given local authorities the order to arrest 6,000 practitioners by the end of June.

In China, virtually all media is controlled by the government. Thus, for the past nearly three years television, radio and newspapers have been flooded with anti-Falun Gong propaganda seeking to bend popular opinion against those who practice. For many Chinese, it was the first opportunity to see how people in over 50 countries around the world are practicing Falun Gong.

Falun Gong Celebrates 10th Anniversary

Sydney Morning Herald Photo Report (14/5/02)

IOC urged to act over plans for pre-Olympic crackdown in China

6000 Arrests ordered in Harbin City China

To date, 412 Falun Gong Practitioners have been verified that have died from Police Torture in China.

"Golden Lotus" exhibition by Falun Dafa practitioners, being displayed in the IBM building in Sydney, has been given permission by the management to be displayed permanently for its excellent art form.

Mr Ding Guangen, China's Propaganda Minister, Politburo Member and Deputy Chief of "6-10" Office has been Served with a U.S. Class-Action Lawsuit for Persecution of Falun Gong

Charges against the defendant include "Torture; Genocide, Right to Life, Right to Liberty and Security of Person and to be free of Arbitrary Detention and Arrest, Freedom of Thought, Conscience, and Religious Belief."

Falun Dafa Practitioners Around the World Prepare to Celebrate 10-Year Anniversary, as the Persecution in China Leaves 7 More Dead

According to a source with China’s Public Security Bureau, 40 people have been killed while in police custody in Heilongjiang province during the month of April. Such contrasts typify the increasingly divergent attitude towards Falun Gong between China and the rest of the world.

* What is Falun Gong?

* Why the Persecution?

* What is the 6-10 Office?

* Self Immolation or Plot?