Asian Wall Street Journal: HK Rhetoric Stirs Falun Gong Fears; Free Speech Tested

Staff Reporter

April 26, 2001

HONG KONG -- A stern verbal attack on Falun Gong by Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa sparked fears that the city is bending to pressure from Beijing to restrict the spiritual movement.

Editorial writers, human-rights activists and members of the movement itself -- which is banned in China but legal in Hong Kong -- said a crucial test of Hong Kong's commitment to free speech would come next month, when Chinese President Jiang Zemin makes a rare visit.

"If demonstrations are broken up, or members are arrested or dragged away, it would be a sign Falun Gong is being singled out for political reasons," said Paul Harris, founding chairman of Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor. "That would be a very serious erosion of our freedom."

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An editorial in the local Sing Tao Daily said Mr. Tung was treading on thin ice. "If there is the slightest deviation in how Falun Gong demonstrations are handled, it could inflict long-term damage on this city," it said.

Police have handled the demonstrations calmly so far. In contrast with the mainland, where the movement spread like wildfire to fill a spiritual void left by atheist policies, Falun Gong has fewer than 1,000 members in Hong Kong, according to local practitioners. Their public demonstrations have generally consisted of more than 200 people performing silent meditation and distributing photos and literature about Beijing's crackdown on the group.

Kan Hung-cheung, a spokesman for Falun Gong in Hong Kong, said the group submitted a request with police to demonstrate near the convention center where Mr. Jiang is scheduled to speak on May 8, and that it expected a reply within a few days.

Organizers planning demonstrations of 50 or more people must notify police a week in advance under Hong Kong rules, and peaceful rallies are routinely permitted to proceed.

"We'll go ahead with our peaceful appeals," Mr. Kan said. "If Tung Chee Hwa follows Beijing's hard line against Falun Gong, that would jeopardize the 'One country two systems' spirit."