August 16, 2002
Major Business News

Every chance they get, Hong Kong officials repeat that the region's autonomy is not being whittled away by Beijing. The government doth protest too much. Just consider the Falun Gong's March 14 protest outside Beijing's liaison office in Hong Kong -- 16 members were arrested, and yesterday convicted, for obstruction. Whether under pressure from Beijing or not, the SAR is certainly doing its bidding.

Life is increasingly difficult for Falun Gong followers in Hong Kong. After more than 30 members were seized and beaten while visiting the mainland in April last year, Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa suggested the [group]'s adherents were dangerous. A month later, 100 Falun Gong members from foreign countries were detained and deported by immigration officials at Chek Lap Kok airport.

Hong Kong police have begun contriving reasons to thwart peaceful Falun Gong activities, for instance, tearing down the group's banners because approval was not secured from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department. The group's favorite protest site was taken away, supposedly to make way for more flowerbeds.

All of this undercuts the Justice Department's claim that the decision to prosecute in the March 14 Falun Gong case was not politically motivated. Indeed, as the protesters' defense lawyer pointed out, the police barricades were more of an "obstruction" to the general public than the protesters themselves.

Falun Gong followers pose no threat to Hong Kong. If Mr. Tung's government wishes to uphold Hong Kong's status as a stable base for the international business community, it would make sense to focus less on flowerbeds and more on preserving the impartiality of the police and judiciary.