By Chow Chung-Yan

November 12, 2001

Falun Gong followers clashed with environmental hygiene officials yesterday over a wooden banner they placed outside the China Liaison Office that labeled the mainland Government "state terrorists." On Saturday, police and hygiene officials tore down such banners, saying they had breached environmental hygiene laws.

Falun Gong spokesman in Hong Kong Kan Hung-chung said yesterday: "They said we first have to apply to the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department for placing banners on the ground. And we could only do so for no more than three weeks. "It's ridiculous. The Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance is for business advertisements. I have never heard other demonstrators being treated like this." Mr Kan said they would continue their protest outside the liaison office. [Group] members would now hold the wooden banner instead of placing it on the ground. But Mr Kan complained that police continued to "harass" them yesterday. "Even though we were just holding the banner, they still said it was not allowed. An officer even said no banner was allowed outside the liaison office." He said the followers had started placing banners outside the office in August, and police had never questioned them. Mr Kan claimed they had been singled out by police but said they were staging a peaceful protest and had not caused inconvenience to the public. Food and Environmental Hygiene Department officers could not be reached for comment last night.

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