AFP: Hong Kong Falungong mark second anniversary of China's ban

Friday July 20, 3:59 PM

HONG KONG, July 20 (AFP) - Some 150 Falungong practitioners in Hong Kong Friday marked the second anniversary of the spiritual movement's banning in China with a protest to call for the end of its persecution.

They also urged the Hong Kong government not to follow China in banning the movement.

Members of the group performed Falungong exercises in front of the government offices in the Central district, before handing a petition to Hong Kong government authorities.

They displayed yellow and blue banners which said "SOS - Rescue the Falungong Practitioners" and wore T-shirts which read "Falungong appeals to all: Help stop the killings in China".

Beijing outlawed the Falungong in July 1999, branding it an "[Jiang Zemin government's slanderous term omitted]", and has rounded up hundreds of practitioners, with some 250 dying in police custody and 10,000 being sentenced to "reeducation" in labor camps, according to the movement.

Falungong remains legal in Hong Kong, returned to China in 1997 but allowed a degree of autonomy, although remarks by government officials have raised fears that it could be banned here as well.

Falungong spokeswoman Sophie Xiao told AFP the group hoped the petition and protest would persuade local authorities to "protect the rule of law in the territory and encourage them to make the right judgments and not just toe Beijing's line."

"We ask that our SAR (special administrative region) government do not violate Hong Kong's freedom and democracy, do not breach the trust bestowed to them by Hong Kong people, do not turn Hong Kong into just another city of China where unconstitutional and inhumane persecution could take place," the petition said.

The group also expressed concern that "ungrounded remarks" against the group by chief executive Tung Chee-hwa and other senior government officials were a prelude to banning the group.

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Falungong practitioners claim to belong to a non-violent spiritual movement that is not a cult and should not be banned.

The group planned to march from the government headquarters to the Chinese liaison office in western district on Hong Kong island to hand in another petition letter to authorities there.

It was also due to hold a candlelight vigil later Friday.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/010720/1/19ia1.html

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