16 June 2001 / 01:39 AM

ABOUT 100 local Falun Gong practitioners marched to the SAR Government Headquarters yesterday, seeking talks with Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa a day after he had labeled the [group] ''undoubtedly'' an [slanderous term omitted].

But a spokesman said the [group] had no intention of suing Mr Tung for his ''libelous'' remarks, despite a suggestion from a lawyer that they could do so if the SAR leader repeated them outside the Legislative Council.

Meanwhile, it emerged that the government has teamed up with the Central Government Liaison Office to step up pressure on the [group] amid calls from Beijing leaders for a law to ban it.

Practitioners marched from Chater Garden about 2pm and handed over a petition seeking ''dialogue'' with Mr Tung. Spokesmen from the Chief Executive's Office and the Security Bureau said Mr Tung and officials did not plan to meet [group] members at the moment.

In their letter to Mr Tung, the practitioners expressed ''serious concern, deep regrets and strong objection'' to his remarks, made during a Legislative Council question-and-answer session.

They said his words were ''derogatory, unfair, libelous and groundless'' and accused Mr Tung of violating the ''freedom of conscience'' principle, expressing surprise that neither he nor his officials would meet them.

The Human Rights Monitor accused Mr Tung of committing ''a serious breach of the Basic Law and intentionally guaranteed rights'' with his latest attack on the [group].

It exemplified ''a growing trend of religious and political intolerance within the upper ranks of the government,'' the rights group said.

It called on Mr Tung to stand up for the rights of SAR people ''instead of making continual attacks on the group that are unjustified and puerile.'' Mr Tung's remarks to Legco are seen as a means of appeasing central leaders without enacting legislation that could affect his standing here before his re-election bid next year.

A source said the government would adopt tougher ''executive measures'' against the [group] such as continuing to bar its overseas practitioners who are on a blacklist provided by Beijing and closely monitoring local members. At the same time the Liaison Office would co-ordinate attacks by pro-Beijing organizations on the [group].

The source said during his visit last month, President Jiang Zemin had ''scolded'' Mr Tung for not banning the [group], already outlawed by Beijing. [Group] spokeswoman Hui Cheung Yee-han said local members already faced harassment when they attempted to distribute leaflets and were misunderstood by their family and friends. Thirty-three members could no longer continue with their businesses on the mainland because their home-return permits had been confiscated.

[...]

Bar Association chairman Alan Leong Kah-kit said Mr Tung's comments were exempt from any defamation action because of legislative privilege. But if he repeated them elsewhere any [group] member could sue him. [Group] spokesman Kan Hung-cheung said Mr Tung's criticism had no sound legal basis, as there was no definition of an evil cult.

''We are a spiritual body and not a political organization,'' he said, adding: ''We have no plan to sue Mr Tung for defaming us.''

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