In my letter to the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs of Australia dated May 25 2005, I wrote, “ Falun Gong may be a cult, but its practitioners are a social vulnerable group and innocent people. They need help but no persecution.” I just quoted the word “cult” from the propaganda material of the Chinese Communist Regime, and did not mean to imply any negative connotation.

In the letter, my real sense is that no matter what kind of religion it is, whether you agree with it or not, its practitioners should not be persecuted. As I know, these people are very kind and innocent. I have clarified on many occasions that in my opinion Falun Gong is a religion that should be allowed to practice in China, and that the Falun Gong organization is a special group with a certain religious belief. In my conscience, I feel true sympathy over the Falun Gong practitioners since they are now still being persecuted by the Chinese Communist Regime.

Chen Yonglin
June 17 2005