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Whistler sends watchdog letter to Beijing

Local politicians remind China of human rights declaration

Whistler politicians are flexing their Olympic muscles abroad, calling on the Mayor of Beijing to protect human rights in China.

At the last council meeting on July 5 council approved sending a letter to Mayor WANG Qishan Shizhang of Beijing, the host city of the 2008 Olympic Games, asking him to influence the Chinese government to abide by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

"If it isn’t us and we don’t do it now, then I don’t know who will and I don’t know when," said Councillor Ralph Forsyth in his bid for council support of the letter.

Days after council made their decision to send the letter a non-governmental report by former MP David Kilgour and lawyer David Matas found evidence that China is harvesting organs from live Falun Gong prisoners without their consent.

Falun Gong followers say it is a spiritual movement to improve physical and mental health. The Chinese government banned it as a cult in 1999.

The report emphasized the importance of the Whistler letter.

"I was shocked," said Forsyth. "If these are the kinds of things that happen, then who will stand up and do something about it…? This is a glorious opportunity we have (in Whistler). This is to me one of the legacies that can come out of Olympism. It’s not just about stadiums and great events. It’s about leveraging the power that we have when the world watches us to do something that’s right."

This isn’t the first time Forsyth has written to an international government to appeal to them to uphold human rights. He has been writing letters on behalf of prisoners of conscience for Amnesty International since the 1980s.

While he didn’t refer directly to Falun Gong (also called Falun Dafa) in his letter, Forsyth was moved to pen his missive after a letter from the organization to council in May, asking council to proclaim that month "Falun Dafa Month."

"When I saw the letter from Falun Dafa I thought ‘you know, I have an opportunity; these people have written to me,’" said Forsyth. "Usually I’m the one sending the letter and it dawned on me that I have some influence and I have some power and that could be used for the same ends that I’ve used writing for."

The letter carries more weight with the mayor of Whistler’s signature and official Resort Municipality of Whistler letterhead and so Forsyth took it to council.

Councillors Bob Lorriman and Gord McKeever voted against sending the letter directly to the mayor of Beijing, preferring instead to send it through more diplomatic channels via the federal government.

In the end Mayor Ken Melamed cast the deciding vote with only six members of council present.

When asked why he supported Forsyth’s letter he said:

"Sometimes we’re too careful… There’s a place for emotion and feeling in politics."

Joan Quain of the Falan Dafa Association of Canada, who wrote the original letter that prompted this action, was extremely pleased and surprised when she learned about council’s decision. She said many local governments are worried about wading into the contentious Falun Dafa topic, and are not willing to upset the Chinese government. Another argument she often hears is that this is not a local issue; this is something happening far away.

"Many people say… this is not a provincial issue, this is a federal issue and that’s how they get out from under it," she said.

"It’s wonderful that this gentleman took it upon himself to write this letter."

Forsyth knows it’s not a Whistler issue. For him it’s a personal issue and he worked on the letter on his own time at no cost to taxpayers.

"I understand my job as a councillor is to look after the interests of our town," he said. "But it’s something that is personal. I don’t wish to impose my personal values on council or steer that in any direction. But if there’s something that I feel can be done and I can use this ounce of power that I have for this brief time, then I’m going to exercise it.

"I might not ever get elected again and if I look back on this opportunity that I had, what will I tell my boys? That I did nothing?"

And even something as simple as a letter to China could make a difference, said Quain.

"Letters really count for a lot when they get to China from dignitaries in Canada," she said.

"We’ve found when letters are sent to China the area that the persecution is happening in eases up a bit."

It can be disheartening at times, said Forsyth. He has written to government’s to stop executions, such as the much-publicized case of Nigerian writer and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa. He was executed in 1996 despite pressure from around the world.

But, you never know when one letter could make a difference.

"Hopefully some kid is going to pick up the paper and say ‘I can write a letter’ and they’ll look up Amnesty International on the Internet and maybe they’ll start writing letters too," said Forsyth.

"That would be a really good thing."