“I want to stand up for those people in China who are without a voice.”
That was the motivation for Richmond’s Sonya Chia, who was one of 150 or so Falun Gong practitioners protesting peacefully last week outside the Chinese consulate in Vancouver.
The group, including Chia, were drawing attention to what it called an “attack on Falun Gong volunteers in Hong Kong” and to commemorate the “largest peaceful appeal for freedom of belief in China’s history.”
Chia told the Richmond News that it was important for people to know that practitioners of Falun Gong - a spiritual practice rooted in Buddhism which consists of two main components: self-improvement and gentle exercises and meditation – are still “being persecuted in China.”
“Most people have a misunderstanding that this is a provocative protest. It is very peaceful,” said Chia, an immigrant of Malaysia 13 years ago, who lives near Garden City and Cook roads.
“Even my uncle in Malaysia thinks it’s some kind of power thing.”
Chia said she first discovered the teachings of Falun Gong in 2006, while being treated for health issues by a Chinese medicine practitioner, while living in Singapore.
“Life was stressful in Singapore. My Chinese medicine doctor advised me to read this book of Falun Gong,” said Chia, whose grandparents are from China.
“It was a major breakthrough for me, both mentally and physically.
“At that time I was still travelling to China. But (my doctor) told me not to take that book to China.
“Back then, I wasn’t aware of the persecution; CCP has control of the media and the word rarely got out in those days.”
Chia said, thankfully, she quit the job that called for her to take trips to China.
Local Falun Gong practitioners – who have been protesting weekly for years outside of the Chinese consulate in Vancouver – spoke last week of how on April 25, 1999 “more than 10,000 fellow faith members stood out front of the central government in Beijing to peacefully petition for their right to practice their faith.”
“Over two decades later, Falun Gong remain the largest persecuted group in China,” according to the group’s press release.
“Last week in Hong Kong, Falun Gong volunteers and the info booths were attacked in the streets and news channels threatened for exposing forced organ harvesting in China.”
