While walking in a park in Bangkok one day I heard music and followed the sound. I came upon this group of women and motioned to my camera and they nodded  approval for me to take photos. Soon one of the women approached me and told me they were refugees from China and were members of Falun Gong which is considered a religion in China and is banned. She said they were touring Thailand to raise awareness of the situation and today were practicing a traditional Chinese dance that they perform.

When they all took a break the leader came over and introduced herself and told me amazing stories. She had been imprisoned in China for 3 years and was tortured everyday with the intention of making her sign a statement against Falun Gong. She refused and was eventually released after going on an extended hunger strike. They did not want her to die in prison so they released her to be confined by her family and she was watched continuosly by the police. She eventually escaped and became a refugee under the United Nations as was this whole group of women.

I asked if the dance they were performing was Fallon Gong and she said no, it was a traditional Chinese dance. I asked if they would perform Falun Gong and she asked the others if they would. The photos below are from those very slow meditative movements.

This amazing woman is their leader.  I was so touched by her story and amazed at her inner strength and calmness after what she had been through.

After this demonstration they returned to their practice. I took some more photos and waved goodby and left with an experience and feelings that I'll never forget.