April 17, 2001

HONG KONG (AP)--The Falun Gong spiritual [group] said Tuesday it will protest during a visit next month by Chinese President Jiang Zemin, [...].

Falun Gong intends to air its complaints about mainland China's often-brutal crackdown outside a business conference here also to be attended by former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

"We hope to take this opportunity to tell them about Falun Gong," said Kan Hung-cheung, a local spokesman for the [group] that is outlawed and branded an "[Chinese government's slanderous term omitted]" in mainland China. "We hope they will be concerned with this matter and help us to stop the crackdown."

Falun Gong is legal in Hong Kong, which continues to enjoy Western-style freedoms of speech and religion almost four years after Britain returned its former colony to China.

[...]

Kan said Falun Gong's protest schedule hasn't been finalized, but it is planning a series of activities including a peaceful demonstration, mass meditation exercises, outdoor and indoor exhibitions and the distribution of leaflets.

Kan said the activities - coinciding with a Fortune magazine conference on May 8-10 to be attended by Jiang and Clinton - are expected to attract Falun Gong members from Japan, Singapore and Taiwan, and as far away as Australia, Europe, Canada and the U.S.

Falun Gong hasn't yet found a venue for its exhibition, although it has complained previously that some local hotels have refused to rent any space to the [group].

The group stirred a major local controversy in January by hiring a venue in Hong Kong City Hall to host an event at which participants accused authorities of carrying out the torture-killings of Falun Gong adherents in mainland China.

[...]

The Hong Kong government didn't immediately return a reporter's phone calls inquiring about the planned protest.

As Beijing's local allies have clamored for a clampdown on Falun Gong activities here, Hong Kong officials have said they will closely monitor the group, but they have stopped short of taking any actions against the [group].

Wiping out Falun Gong remains a priority in mainland China, and local pro-democracy advocates say Hong Kong's handling of the Falun Gong issue could be a crucial test of local freedoms.