Friends of Falun Gong USA Urges President Bush to Publicly Oppose Hong Kong's Article 23 Legislation

June 16, 2003

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

202-56-2461

Dear President Bush;

Friends of Falun Gong-USA is a U.S.-based nonprofit human rights organization consisting of about 1,000 Americans who support the freedom of belief of persons who practice Falun Gong, but who do not practice Falun Gong themselves. We urge you to preserve democracy and human rights in Hong Kong by speaking against the enactment of Article 23 of the Basic Law before June 20, 2003.

Claudia Rosett's editorial in the Wall Street Journal, June 11, 2003 said, "Atrocities do not always begin with bloodshed. Some start with genteel legalisms. Only later do you see the barrel of the gun." This proposed legislation provides the repressive leaders in Mainland a legal mechanism to be able to suppress any dissident group at will via the SAR Government and will bring Hong Kong one step closer to being just another city in China. Article 23 paves the way for the genocide of Falun Gong occurring in China to begin in Hong Kong.

In January 1992, Congress passed the US -- Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992 in preparation for Britain's hand over of Hong Kong to China. Section 2(B) of the act states, "The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, beginning on July 1, 1997, will continue to enjoy a high degree of autonomy on all matters other than defense and foreign affairs. Section 2(C) states, There is provision for implementation of a 'one country, two systems' policy, under which Hong Kong will retain its current lifestyle and legal, social, and economic systems until at least the year 2047." However, less than five years after the hand over, the Project for the New American Century (PNAC) stated in a letter dated November 25, 2002, "With the enactment of the proposed national security laws, it would be impossible to credibly maintain that Hong Kong enjoys the high degree of autonomy and the rights and freedoms it was promised on its reversion to China."

Also, section 202(a) of the US -- Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992 states, "Presidential Determination. -- On or after July 1,1997, whenever the President determines that Hong Kong is not sufficiently autonomous to justify treatment under a particular law of the United States, or any provision thereof, different from that accorded the People' Republic of China, the President may issue an Executive order suspending the application of section 201(a) to such law or provision of law." Are we going to ignore this provision made by the American Government when it is so appropriate for the situation occurring in Hong Kong now?

I urge you and your administration to state publicly that you are opposed to Article 23 of the Basic Law and that you are prepared to enforce section 202(a) of the US -- Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992 should Article 23 be enacted.

Sincerely,

Executive Director