A German newspaper, Wiesbaden Courier, reported on August 22 that a Hong Kong court issued a guilty verdict against 16 Falun Gong members for obstructing public safety, and sentenced them to monetary punitive damages. By doing so, Hong Kong has significantly edged toward adopting Mainland China's restrictive policies against the group.
The article reported on a young lady who was present alongside scores of Hong Kong students to witness the reunification ceremony of Hong Kong with Mainland China just five years ago. Contrary to the skeptics' predictions, the students believed at that time that a promising and positive future was in store for Hong Kong. But this Chinese woman, a resident of Wiesbaden, has become disillusioned with this latest Hong Kong court decision against the Falun Gong practitioners. "China's rampant human rights violations have found their way into Hong Kong."
The practitioners' peaceful appeal this March in front of the Chinese Liaison Office was nothing out of the ordinary, but it apparently outraged the Chinese dictator. The appeal was held on a 10-meter-wide sidewalk, and consisted of a small group of practitioners wearing bright-yellow T-shirts, and holding a modest banner. The demonstrators included four Swiss nationals, a New Zealander, and 11 local Chinese. Only a short time had passed when the Hong Kong police arrived in several cars and blocked off the street. They forcefully arrested and dragged the demonstrators away. Several policewomen manhandled a 60-year-old woman, while a male police officer applied pressure to a painful acupuncture point on another practitioner's ear. The practitioners were falsely accused of "obstruction of a public space" and "disturbing public safety."
The final verdict was disheartening to the abovementioned lady, who is also a practitioner of Falun Gong. In her eyes, China's earlier promise to preserve the "one country, two systems" policy and to guarantee constitutional freedoms and human rights is no longer the reality. It appears that the government leaders of the former Crown Colony, who still enjoy some privileges, are eager to obey the Chinese Central Government. As a result, people in Hong Kong are also being persecuted.
Even though the 16 Falun Gong practitioners did not end up in torture chambers or labor camps as their counterparts in China usually do, the court still pronounced them "guilty" and charged them with fines, which certainly reflects negatively on Hong Kong's future.
This is not surprising, though, as tense relations had already surfaced between Beijing and London during the winding up of the lease agreement in 1997. Beijing did not like the proposals of former Hong Kong Governor Chris Patton and his subsequent establishment of democratic reforms. Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa then assembled a transitional parliament to suit his own interests, and quickly moved to either remove or amend two-dozen human rights laws. Particularly curtailed were freedom of assembly and the right to privacy protection.
Mr. Martin Lessenthin, a spokesperson for the Internationale Gesellschaft fuer Menschenrechte (IGFM: International Association for Threatened Peoples) said China is "exerting it's influence piece by piece." It is clear to this Frankfurt-based association that Jiang Zemin is putting great pressure on his puppets. "This does not merely affect the Falun Gong group, but also the underground Christians," said Mr. Lessenthin. The future outlook of the former, liberal island-state is becoming increasingly complicated. If the anti-subversion law is ratified, critics and the unjustly prosecuted from all walks of life will likely be silenced. "Wantonness will have her doors wide open then," said Mr. Lessenthin.
As is the case in Mainland China, international cooperation with western nations abroad will become increasingly strained.
