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Falun Gong practitioners gather at their protest site outside the Chinese consulate on Thursday night. (Christina Liao/The Epoch Times)

A court ruling Thursday ordered the long-standing Falun Gong appeal site structures outside the Chinese Consulate in Vancouver to be dismantled within seven days.

Justice Sunni Stromberg-Stein issued a 37-page ruling upholding the City of Vancouver’s application seeking the removal of a hut and signs that have been part of the Falun Gong 24/7 protest since 2001.

As news of the ruling filtered through the Vancouver Falun Gong community, more than 40 practitioners gathered outside the consulate on Thursday night, marking day 2717 of the protest.

Joe Arvay, the lawyer representing the Falun Gong practitioners who have maintained the vigil in protest of the Chinese regime's ongoing persecution of their counterparts in China, has urged the group to appeal.

“We are very disappointed with this court ruling and we are seriously considering an appeal,” says Falun Dafa Association of Canada (FDAC) spokesperson Sue Zhang.

“Our fellow practitioners in China don’t have any voice, and we are here trying to be their voice, trying to stop the persecution, nothing else. We are here not for ourselves, not for any other gain or whatever, just to stop the brutal persecution.”

To tell the world about what they say is a genocide in China, practitioners erected a wall of posters and photographs of persecuted members along the consulate fence, as well as a small hut by the sidewalk for shelter.

Falun Dafa Association spokesperson Sue Zhang stands by signs on the consulate fence portraying the torture of Falun Gong practitioners in China. (Christina Liao/The Epoch Times)

“We have been here now over seven years, we are not interfering with anyone and we have cooperated with the city all along,” Zhang says.

Stromberg-Stein stated in the judgment that she accepted that former Mayor Sam Sullivan wanted the structures removed in 2006 “as part of his public order agenda.”

“The evidence of the now former Mayor, which I accept, is that his wish to do so had nothing to do with the fact that the structures were in front of the Chinese Consulate or because of the sensitivities of the Chinese government,” the judgment stated.

Arvay had argued that Sullivan wanted the structures removed at the behest of the Chinese regime. He said Chinese consulate officials had pressured Sullivan to get rid of the protest.

“Unfortunately former mayor Sam Sullivan initiated this case and we feel he was under pressure from the Chinese Communist Party,” says Zhang. “The two mayors before him were fine with this. We feel the Chinese government has pressured very hard to remove us.”

A report written by a Chinese spy operating in Canada suggested that due to successful lobbying by Beijing, the Canadian government had pressed the City of Vancouver to remove the protest, according to a June 2005 statement by defecting Chinese agent Hao Fengjun.

The Falun Gong group maintains the City of Vancouver initially gave verbal approval for the protest which they say has had the effect of embarrassing the Chinese regime and is invaluable in raising awareness of the persecution. The regime outlawed the practice in 1999.

“We feel we have a constitutional right to be here,” says Zhang. “Canadian laws protect freedom of expression. When people are being killed for their organs to make a profit, and so many people are tortured to death just for their belief of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance … We are proud being here as Canadians, so we are very disappointed over the court ruling today.”

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【大纪元1月25日讯】（大纪元记者任子慧编译报道)震惊日本的中国制造毒饺子事件后的整整一年后，饺子中毒事件近日再成为热门话题，24日日本媒体大量报导了，日本在去年退还给中国的毒饺子，被中国唐山及承德等钢铁公司，当作“员工福利”派发给属下员工导致多人中毒事件。有日媒指，听信了中共一方在饺子问题上宣传的中国民众，没有意识到中毒的危险，进食后出现中毒。

去年1月，导致日本人中毒的石家庄市天洋公司生产的冷冻饺子，被大批退还给中国。近期有人踢爆，指去年的四五月份，该批问题饺子，被唐山钢铁公司当作员工福利，发放给员工，有员工食用后出现腹泻等中毒症状。

毒饺子 当员工福利派发

另外，《读卖新闻》也报导指，去年五月唐山钢铁公司将问题饺子当作福利免费派发给属下员工，对像主要以夜班员工为主，把在日本因发生中毒事件而被禁止出口的天洋食品产品“一口饺子”，分别两至四袋派发给员工。

《共同社》引述相关人士透露，监督天洋食品的河北省国有资产监督管理委员会向唐山钢铁的总公司河北钢铁集团作出了发放饺子的指示。而《产经新闻》报导说，天洋公司因毒饺子突然间中断出口，面临经营问题，于是国有企业的河北省钢铁集团出手，将卖剩的超过10万餐饺子，分别派发给集团属下，包括唐山、承德、张家口等子公司的员工，导致多人中毒。

唐山钢铁公司相关人士透露说，公司在发生员工中毒问题后回收了该批饺子。一名出现过中毒症状的男性员工向共同社证实称，“食用后立即出现剧烈腹痛，连续2天卧病在床”。虽然该男性没有在医院接受检查，无法断定中毒原因是在日本发生中毒事件的饺子中检测出的甲胺磷，但食用后立即发病说明很可能是中毒。

中共称安全 民众跟着倒霉

《产经新闻》报导指出，新发生的中毒事件，主要因中国民众听信了中共当局公开发表的“在中国国内没有投毒”的言论，加上大陆媒体称天洋食品公司“工厂安全管理妥当”等，以及天洋食品公司被视为受害者的广泛报导方式，变相令民众误信“在日本投毒之说”，而完全没有意识到中毒的危险所致。

去年7月中方低调通报给日方说有六人因饺子中毒，并透露说跟承德钢铁公司有关，据说六月发生的中毒事件中包括承德钢铁公司的四人。但发现中毒事件后，毒饺子已经广泛流出。

承德钢铁员工向日本媒体透露，饺子是那个“一口吃饺子”，约在去年五月左右，该公司附近有四家员工食堂贩卖问题饺子，当时有很多人排队购买，可过一两个月后，公司突然回收卖剩的饺子，但并无解释原因，是否有发生中毒事件。

除唐山及承德钢铁公司外，邯郸钢铁厂发生类似事件。邯郸钢铁厂去年四月至六月期间，分别将两三袋的问题饺子，分发给属下员工，更包括系列病原的员工，据说有三万人领受该批饺子。

2007年12月至2008年1月在日本兵库县有三家共十人因食用问题饺子出现中毒症状，9人住院，其中一个女孩更一度出现昏迷不醒。据调查显示，因该批饺子使用了被日本禁止的敌敌畏杀虫剂。事件怀疑有人故意投毒，同年在中国也发生导致四人中毒事件，中方称已于去年秋季将3名原天洋食品公司员工，作为投毒嫌疑逮捕，但审查拘留至今，仍无清楚结论。

Poison Dumplings Become Fringe Benefits

By Ren Zihui
Epoch Times Staff Jan 27, 2009

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Tianyang Potherb-pork dumplings in Japanese supermarkets. (AFP)

One year after poisonous dumplings from China made headlines in Japan, these same dumplings managed to make news again. [Please see Over 1,000 Japanese Poisoned by Dumplings Imported From China.] 

On January 24, 2009, Japanese media reported that poisonous dumplings Japan returned to China last year became presents. The Tangshan Iron & Steel Co. and the ChengGang Co. gave their employees these same dumplings as worker benefits and many of them became ill thereafter.

In January 2008, many Japanese were poisoned after eating frozen dumplings made by the Tianyang Company in Shijiazhuang City. All the dumplings were returned to China. Recently the Daily Yomiuri disclosed these dumplings were given to employees of the Tangshan Iron & Steel Co. last May as a fringe benefit. These employees, mainly the night shift, received two to four bags of the bite-size returned dumplings. Some of them had symptoms of food poisoning such as severe diarrhea.

An employee from the Tangshan Co. said the company recalled the dumplings after some of them suffered from food poisoning. A male employee who confirmed to the Kyodo News, “I had sharp abdominal pains right after I ate the dumplings and was bedridden for two days.”

The Sankei Shimbun reported that because the Tianyang Company’s dumplings were banned for exportation, the company faced a financial crisis. The state-own Hebei Iron and Steel Group (HBIS) got involved and distributed over 100 thousand bags of the dumplings to employees of its subsidiary companies such as Tangshan Iron & Steel, ChengGang Company, HanGang Company, and the Zhangjiakou Company.

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According to Sankei Shimbun, this new round of food poisoning happened because people believed the reports from the government, that “No deliberate poisoning has happened inside China.” Also the state media described the Tianyang Company as “having proper product safety management” and making the Tianyang Company look like the victim in the incident.

Besides Tangshan and ChengGang, the same incident also happened in HanGang. From April to June in 2008, HanGang gave each of its employees two to three bags of the problematic dumplings. It is said that 30 thousand people took those dumplings home.

Between December 2007 and January 2008, ten people in Hyogo County, Japan, suffered food poisoning after eating imported dumplings from China. Nine of them were hospitalized and one girl fell into a coma. Investigation showed the dumplings contained dichlorvos, a pesticide that was banned in Japan. The same year four people in China were also poisoned from the same dumplings. Beijing claimed to have arrested three employees from the Tianyang Company. They were suspected to purposely poison the dumplings. The case is still ongoing.

Read original article in Chinese

Last Updated
Jan 27, 2009

 

http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/content/view/11006/

No Basis for Verdicts

Mao Qi’s lawyer, Jin Guanghong said, “There is no specific Chinese law that specifies Falun Gong is a cult. Therefore Falun Gong practitioners should not receive criminal sentences.”

Mao also said, “I have worked on Falun Gong practitioners’ cases before, so I’m familiar with this type of case. My defense for Falun Gong practitioners includes the following three points:

1. Subjectively speaking, it is not a fact that Falun Gong practitioners use a cult to violate the law. They practice Falun Gong just to get fit and healthy, and not to violate the law. Falun Gong is not a cult. Whether it is a cult or not should not be defined by the judicial system casually.

2. Falun Gong practitioners’ making and distributing information materials is an extension of the people’s right to freedom of speech and expression.

3. People who practice Falun Gong are all very kindhearted and care about others greatly. They not only do no harm to society, but they actually contribute to maintaining society’s peace and stability. We therefore should not give them criminal sentences.”

Accusations of Torture

According to the lawyers, Falun Gong practitioners stated in the court that when they were illegally detained in brainwashing centers, they were beaten, deprived of sleep, subjected to drug abuse, and subjected to torture that disfigured their faces.

Some Falun Gong practitioners’ bodies are still severely scarred. During the trial, one of them, Mr. Zhu Renbin whose face was pale, was holding the liver area in his abdomen and looked very weak.

朱婉琪，是一個典型的台灣社會菁英。她是美國紐約州律師，高中北一女畢業，擁有美國賓夕法尼亞大學法律碩士、台灣東吳大學法律碩士。在當律師之前，曾經是《天下雜誌》的記者，同時當過將近一年的外交官。美國紐約遭受恐怖攻擊的九一一事件，她也是少數的生還者之一。

小時候就是「俠女」性格

從小就是大家眼中的「俠女」，喜歡打抱不平，她曾經當街把插隊搭計程車的人從車裏拉出來，或是勸阻嚴厲責罵孩子的母親，甚至在公車上請年輕人讓座給老年人。

朱婉琪八年前開始修煉法輪功，當年正是江澤民下令鎮壓法輪功的一九九九年，修煉一個月之後，她便寫信給當時的美國總統克林頓，要求關切法輪功問題。

隨著中共虐殺中國法輪功學員的迫害越演越烈，朱婉琪約在三年前辭去每月六千美金的高薪工作，專心當一名人權律師，開始在國際社會奔走，向國際法庭、聯合國等聲援中國學員，同時發起控告江澤民，因而被中共視為「頭號不受歡迎人物」之一。

這一次，朱婉琪四天之內之所以兩度闖關香港，除了觀察一國兩制的成效之外，為的就是與香港律師討論司法覆核案，研究港府侵犯台灣法輪功學員入境基本人權的案情。更重要的是，要對前來香港參加七一活動的中共領導人胡錦濤說：「停止迫害法輪功，法辦元兇江澤民！」

這是朱婉琪這一生第四次被港府暴力遣返，前後歷時九小時，距離她第三次被暴力遣返，也僅僅相距四天。回憶起這第四次的暴力遣返，儘管她是一位女性，但卻毫無驚慌之意，反而流露無限的悲憫，只為香港人民感到惋惜。

第四次遣返事件發生在六月二十八日，當天上午十點，朱婉琪還到台灣立法院舉行記者會，強烈譴責她在六月二十四日的香港行遭到第三次暴力遣返，同時當場表明，記者會結束之後，她將要搭當天中午十二點四十分的長榮班機，再次入境香港。

雖是女性，但面對邪惡無恐懼

「明知山有虎，偏向虎山行」，在班機飛越台灣海峽的航程中，朱婉琪想到「我是來救人的，再給香港政府扳回顏面的機會」，心頭那一把正義及良知的火炬便熊熊燃燒，將那些恐懼化為灰燼。

兩點多鐘一下飛機，朱婉琪揹著簡單的行囊，步入香港機場準備通關。通關閘道的香港入境處官員，將朱婉琪的資料在電腦中比對，發現她在「黑名單」之內，頓時收起原本微笑迎接觀光客的笑臉，神情漠然的請機場航警，將她帶到機場辦公室。

入境處的官員早已熟悉朱婉琪「這號人物」，看到朱婉琪，頗有「妳怎麼又來了」的心緒，四目相對，雙方的心情都非常複雜。此時此景，朱婉琪覺得非常諷刺，原本用於遣返毒販、恐怖份子的手段，卻用在和平、理性的人權律師。

進入機場辦公室之後，朱婉琪被十多名男女警察團團圍住，等待更高階的官員做出是否遣返的決定。在等待的過程中，朱婉琪告訴這十幾名基層警察，對於上級長官不公不義侵犯人權的命令，可以拒絕執行。

但多數官員都面露無奈、凝重的表情，有幾位女警對她說：「朱律師，我們是很尊敬妳的，我們都知道妳的事情，但我們在執行命令。」

朱婉琪繼續正色道：「我是全球反對香港二十三條立法的台灣代表，我不只為中國人權講話，也替香港人權講話，現在你們卻要把一個支持你們的人權律師遣返，當午夜夢迴時，你們不會感到良心不安嗎？」

話說到這裡，一位女警的眼眶當場紅了起來，轉身離開，一位男警則低下了頭開始沉默，現場的氣氛無奈中泛著沉重。

這種氣氛朱婉琪感受到了，又繼續對他們說：「即便你們沒有最後的決定權，但我希望你們都能夠一起發出善念，『好人不要被遣返』，這對你們的未來都是有好處的。」此話一出，這些航警們臉上原本沉重凝結的表情，頓時柔和了起來。

心懷慈悲令航警落淚

儘管朱婉琪遭到違反國際公約的對待，但對於眼前的這一群香港基層警察卻沒有一絲懼怕或怨氣，反而是流露出無限的悲憫。這也讓一位負責檢查朱婉琪行李的女警，為自己執行違心的公務感到汗顏，翻查行李時眼眶泛紅、雙手顫抖。

朱婉琪回想起來，非常為這些航警感到心疼：「他們其實是有良知的，但卻因為他們的高階長官一個錯誤的命令，而受到牽累，做出他們不願意違背良心的事情。」

後來一位女性官員林佩玲主任出現了，表明香港入境事務處機場管制科指揮官陳孟麟決定遣返朱婉琪，儘管朱婉琪繼續勸說，但仍然無效。

突然之間，員警們摘下朱婉琪的眼鏡，十幾名男女員警撲向她，用鎮暴毯像裹粽子般的將她搬上抬車，然後推出機場辦公室。

十幾名警察就這樣一路推著朱婉琪，狂奔機門口。在這過程中，朱婉琪儘管呼吸急促、四肢難受，但並沒有反抗，只是不斷的對他們說：「你們這樣做，對你們自己不好，會遭到惡報的。」試圖不斷喚醒他們的良知。

這條入境處辦公室到達機門口之間的機場走道，朱婉琪第三次被遣返時也被抬著走過，當時朱婉琪用英語對其他旅客大喊：「我是人權律師，但卻被暴力遣返，只因為我反對共產黨！」

當時身邊的航警竟然沒有人掩住她的嘴巴，就這樣任憑朱婉琪大喊十餘分鐘直到機門口，彷彿認同朱婉琪說出了他們的心聲。有些外國遊客聽見了，看到這一幕非常吃驚。

等到朱婉琪被推到機門口時，在被鬆綁之後，朱婉琪對航警們說：「你們遣返的是一個好人」，一個女警對她點點頭。看到航警們氣喘噓噓、揮汗如雨，朱婉琪又說：「我今天為香港而來是要做最正的事情，神都在保護著，所以現在感覺很自在，你們做的卻是違心的事情，身體才會感到有壓力，你們應該都來煉法輪功。」

朱婉琪當場又取出台灣知名點心「麻糬」請這些航警們吃，一個遭到暴力對待的人權律師，心裡全無恨意只是友善，讓航警們感到非常不好意思。

場景回到第四次的暴力遣返，到達機門口之後，朱婉琪稍微受到鬆綁，後來一位長榮航空公司駐港的值班主管出現，表示長榮必須將她載回台灣，但朱婉琪沒有同意：「一個人權律師，若是這樣輕易對不公不義妥協，又怎麼去保護其他人的權益呢？」

這位值班主管受到感動，雖然現實上為難，並不願勉強朱婉琪登機，就讓原本要載送朱婉琪的班機先飛了。不過，港府入境處最後還是要求長榮航空，若不配合遣返朱婉琪就要對其罰款，並且再度強押朱婉琪上了飛機。即便被押上飛機，朱婉琪還是要求見機長，表達不願登機的自由意志，但沒有被接受。

在被押上飛機之前的空檔時間裡，朱婉琪仍然不斷的向身邊的航警苦勸：「台灣法輪功學員來香港沒有惡意，只是想向中共領導人要求停止迫害法輪功，這群人當中甚至還有連普通話都說不好的老太太，這樣的人會對香港產生什麼危害呢？希望你們不要做出傷害港台兩地情誼的事情。」

航警們聽得啞口無言、沒有一人反駁，只是沉默不語。有位女警轉身表現的很難過，有的轉身離的遠一些，不想面對眼前天人交戰的煎熬。

朱婉琪認為，光看香港入境處官員的表現全過程，就知道他們被強迫執行違心的公務，根本沒有行政、司法的獨立空間，這正好戳破中共「一國兩制」、「港人自治」的謊言。

雪地裡小女孩故事激勵人心

回想在走遍全世界的足跡當中，最令朱婉琪最難忘的是在俄羅斯雪地的一個小女孩的故事。當時正值俄羅斯最寒冷的冬天，一個約莫六歲大的俄羅斯小女孩裸著腳踝穿雙破鞋，在市集裡發揭露法輪功迫害的傳單，因為太冷，小女孩邊跳著，邊發傳單。

朱婉琪見狀之後相當不解，小女孩為什麼不穿襪呢？小女孩的媽媽怎麼能夠放任自己的女兒這樣呢？

後來旁人告訴她，小女孩與她的母親都是法輪功學員，有一天，媽媽問女兒：「我們的錢很少，妳要我用來幫妳買襪子，還是用來印製法輪功真相傳單，妳選擇哪一個？」後來小女孩選擇後者。

朱婉琪聽了之後，當場在冬天的雪地裡熱淚盈眶，久久不能自己。多年過去了，這個雪地裡的場景常常浮現在朱婉琪的腦海中，細細的回味著，同時激勵自己，要在人權界中繼續奮力奔走，直到世界上再也沒有角落裡的迫害。