(Minghui.org) On July 10, 2012, the Transplantation Unit of the Medical Development Division of Malaysia and the Malaysian Society of Transplantation held a workshop on “The Realities and Risks of Organ Trafficking.” David Matas, a well-known human rights lawyer in Canada, a 2010 Nobel peace prize nominee, and one of the authors of Bloody Harvest, was invited as the only keynote speaker.

Keynote Speaker David Matas, Canadian human rights lawyer

 
David Matas speaking on “The Realities and Risks of Organ Trafficking”

 
Medical professionals at the workshop studying the information brochure

 
Asking questions pertaining to “The Realities and Risks of Organ Trafficking”

The workshop was enthusiastically supported by the medical community. At 11:30 a.m., more than 100 local medical experts, doctors, nurses, and lawyers concerned about medical ethics attended the workshop at Malaysia Medical College. The conference room was full, and the hosting organization had to add temporary seating.

In his presentation that took more than an hour, Mr. Matas put forward 14 principles that organ transplantation organizations in every country should follow. He emphasized the brutality of Chinese organ trafficking, especially the heinous fact that the entire country has participated in organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners, which is different from underground organ trafficking in other countries. In his opinion, however critical a patient's condition is, one should not sacrifice another person’s life for his or her organs.

According to his presentation, since 1999, China has become the biggest organ transplantation country in the world. Many patients from other countries have gone to China to get new kidneys, livers, or hearts. He said these organs were harvested from living Falun Gong practitioners.

Mr. Matas: The international community needs to stop this atrocity of live organ harvesting

Mr. Matas presented 14 suggestions to the Malaysian government and medical community to help stop the CCP’s crime of live organ harvesting. The suggestions included: not sending any patients to China for organ transplants, refusing to train Chinese medical doctors in organ transplantation, refusing to publish papers that report on using death-row inmates for organ transplantation, denying medical professionals involved in organ trafficking membership in The Transplantation Society, having the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in each country advise tourists not to get organ transplants in China, and not providing health insurance to those patients that go to China for organ transplants.

In answering a question, Mr. Matas said that, although that China is not the only country that traffics in organs, in China it is controlled by government, while in other countries it is underground. He said, “There is organ trafficking in India, but the Indian government attempts to stop it. In China, on the contrary, organ trafficking for lucrative profit involves the police, armed police, military hospitals, and the government itself.”

Mr. Matas pointed out that, since the publication of “Report into Allegations of Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners in China” in 2006, many countries have set forth some policies to stop organ trafficking. For example, Australia no longer trains Chinese organ transplantation doctors and Israel does not insure those patients who go to China for organ transplants. Such decisions were based on the investigation report. In addition, the Taiwan government banned organ trafficking.

In concluding he said that he had learned that Malaysia is attempting to establish a code to stop organ trafficking. If successful, Malaysia would be a leader in this effort.

Three experts in organ transplantation in Malaysia agreed that patients that go to other countries for organ transplantation violate medical ethics and encourage organ trafficking, which should be stopped.

Datuk Dr. Harjit Singh: We should keep patients from getting involved in illegal organ transplants

 
Datuk Dr. Harjit Singh, President of the Malaysian Society of Transplantation, at a press conference

Datuk Dr. Harjit Singh, President of the Malaysian Society of Transplantation, pointed out at a press conference that a responsible person would stop patients involved in illegal organ transplantation. Such illegal transactions focus on profit but not the patient's health.

He said, “As responsible people, we should keep patients from getting involved in illegal organ transplantation. People should select right and legal channels, not illegal means.”

Datuk Dr. Ghazali Ahmad: Medical Development Division will stop providing medicines for patients that go to other countries for organ transplants

 
Datuk Dr. Ghazali Ahmad, Head, Department of Nephrology, Hospital of Kuala Lumpur, at a press conference

Datuk Dr. Ghazali Ahmad, Senior Consultant and Head, Department of Nephrology, Hospital of Kuala Lumpur, disclosed that the government knew about the occurrence of illegal organ transplantation and that, beginning in 2012, the Medical Development Division no longer provides medicines for patients that go to other countries for organ transplants.

Dr. Lela Yasmin Mansor: We cannot cause more tragedies

 
Dr. Lela Yasmin Mansor, Chief National Manager, National Transplant Resource Centre, at a press conference

Dr. Lela Yasmin Mansor, Chief National Manager, National Transplant Resource Centre, pointed out in a press conference that the reason for inviting Mr. Matas to give a talk was so that public and the media would know that getting an illegal organ transplant in another country is not a solution. Regarding the CCP’s seizing and killing of Falun Gong practitioners for their organs, Dr. Manor said that illegal organ transplantation encourages organ trafficking, “We cannot cause more tragedies.”

Background

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a traditional Chinese spiritual discipline for mind and body. The practice involves slow, gentle movements and meditation. It is easy to learn, enjoyable to practice, and free of charge. Its principles are based on Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. The practice began in China in 1992 and quickly spread by word of mouth throughout China and then beyond. Its beneficial effects in uplifting an individual’s physical health, spiritual wellbeing, and moral character, not to mention its positive influence in the community and society as a whole, have been undeniable. In fact, Falun Gong is practiced by over 100 million people in over 100 countries. The main works of Falun Gong are available in over 30 languages.

On July 20, 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched a brutal persecution of Falun Gong. Since the start of the persecution, Falun Gong practitioners throughout the world have been constantly speaking out about the truth of Falun Gong and exposing the CCP's crimes in a tireless effort to end the persecution.

In 2006, David Matas, international human rights lawyer, and David Kilgour, former Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific) for Canada formed an independent investigation team and released their findings to the media on July 6, 2006: “Report into Allegations of Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners in China”

Their investigation continued and found new evidence. From 2006 to 2009, they released three reports. Bloody Harvest, published in October 2009, was based on their third report. They stated: “We have concluded that the government of China and its agencies in numerous parts of the country, in particular hospitals but also detention centres and ‘people’s courts’, since 1999 have put to death a large but unknown number of Falun Gong prisoners of conscience.”

For several years, Mr. Matas and Mr. Kilgour toured more than 80 cities in over 40 countries to expose the CCP’s atrocities of organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners in hopes of stopping such crimes.

Mr. Matas graduated from Princeton University and the University of Oxford. He has made outstanding contributions in human rights, immigration, and refugee issues. He received the Order of Canada on December 30, 2008, the highest honor from the Canadian government. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 for exposing CCP’s atrocity of live organ harvesting.