AFP: Jiang Zemin to Shorten Hong Kong Visit Due to Planned Protests

HONG KONG, Apr 18, 2001 -- (Agence France Presse) Chinese President Jiang Zemin is expected to shorten a visit to Hong Kong next month due to planned protests by Falun Gong followers and pro-democracy activists, a report said Wednesday.

Jiang is likely to stay in Hong Kong for only a day instead of a week, as originally planned, the territory's Chinese-language Apple Daily said.

The whirlwind visit has allowed the number of government security personnel assigned to protect Jiang and his entourage to be cut, lessening pressure on resources, the report added.

Several groups in Hong Kong, including the Falun Gong spiritual group and pro-democracy campaigners, have planned protests while Jiang is in Hong Kong for the Fortune forum of leading government and business leaders, from May 8 to 10.

Earlier, the Oriental Daily News had said Jiang would make a three-day visit to Hong Kong, and that Beijing had instructed a ban on all Hong Kong and Macau tours for mainlanders between May 7 to 9.

The ban was imposed to prevent Chinese nationals from attending Falun Gong demonstrations during the visit.

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