(Clearwisdom.net) August 13th report: the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said on August 9th that because the Chinese government "added unacceptable conditions at the last moment and refused to let us visit Hong Kong," the organization was forced to postpone its planned first-time visit to mainland China in early August. Regarding the Chinese government's repeated retracting its promises and obstructing the organization from visiting China in order to cover up its brutal persecution against religious organizations, USCIRF said it would not give up the hope of future visits to China.
Visit postponed
The Beijing government said the canceling of the visit was due to technical reasons. However, it was learned that USCIRF began negotiating this visit with the Chinese government as early as February 2003. One week ago, the organization complained that the Chinese government proposed some unacceptable mandatory conditions at the last moment before the visit, which practically annulled the original plan.
USCIRF is a special organization founded by the US government according to the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. It provides reports and suggestions regarding the state of religious freedom in countries around the world. In December 2002, the Chinese government told Richard L. Armitage, deputy secretary of the US State Department, that it was willing to invite USCIRF members to visit China. After six months of diplomatic negotiations, USCIRF received a sudden notice from Beijing right before the trip. The notice demanded that the organization cancel its visit to Hong Kong; otherwise the Chinese government would not issue a visa. In the end, USCIRF decided to postpone the visit.
Future of "One Country, Two Systems" policy is worrisome
USCIRF held a press conference, saying they asked the Chinese government as early as February this year at the beginning of the negotiations to include Hong Kong in their visit. At that time the Chinese government said there would be no problem for a Hong Kong visit. However, one week before the expected arrival of USCIRF in China, the Chinese government still had not provided the organization with a list of cities the organization could visit. It also would not assure the organization that it could interview famous religious organizations and leaders. In addition, it "insisted" that Hong Kong be taken off the itinerary.
Mr. Gaer, president of USCIRF said the Chinese government's actions showed that the Party's control over foreign contact with Hong Kong has reached an unprecedented level, and it violates the "one country, two systems" policy. This action raises the concern that only six years after Hong Kong's return to Chinese sovereignty, the autonomy of Hong Kong has become highly unstable.
Martin Lee, chairman of Hong Kong's Democratic Party criticized Beijing and said Beijing did this because it didn't want USCIRF to talk to religious leaders in Hong Kong who are against Article 23. Ha Seong-kwong, head of The Foundation of the Catholic Mission in Hong Kong was surprised at the Party's action, since even if the Party didn't allow the USCIRF to visit Hong Kong, the organization can still learn about Hong Kong's situation. He couldn't understand why the Party would make such a "stupid" decision.
The dark nature of China's persecution of religions
Early this year, Mr. Li Shixiong, President of the Committee for Investigation on Persecution of Religion in China provided the United Nations Human Rights Convention with pictures of authentic documents taken by Christians in China showing the Chinese government's persecution of Christians and its violation of human rights. What he presented to the UN were secret documents issued by the Jilin Province Department of Public Security. The document explicitly stated that the Chinese government "must increase the strike force on Falun Gong practitioners. When these people are found, arrest them first and make up the procedures later." The government's persecution against Falun Gong exceeds its persecution against the House Church. It was learned that Jiang sent down orders to labor camps and prisons, saying, "no law regulates the treatment of Falun Gong practitioners," and "the deaths of Falun Gong practitioners from beating is nothing and shall be counted as suicide." Over the past four years, at least 100,000 Falun Gong practitioners have been sent to labor camps without trial, and at least 760 practitioners have been tortured to death. Their names and stories have been verified and published on Clearwisdom Net.
Li Shixiong pointed out in his letter that Jiang is like Hitler in that he uses the banner of "nation" and "the people" while satisfying his egotistical and perverted desires and benefiting himself. He is applying legalized terrorism under the name of "national law."
In its annual report published in May 2003, USCIRF revealed many of the Party's "serious violations of religious freedom." Although the constitution of China allows citizens to have religious freedom, the Party controls, monitors and restricts religious activities, claiming it is "protecting public safety, maintaining public order and ensuring public health." China signed an agreement of International Civil Rights and Political Rights in 1998 in agreement to protect freedom of thought, freedom of conscience and freedom of religion. However, this is only a mere sheet of paper to the Party, as the Party does not have any intent to follow it in any way.
