4 July 2001 / 02:54 AM

AMERICAN officials, businessmen and politicians have expressed their concern to a Hong Kong delegation over Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa's labelling of the Falun Gong as an "[Jiang Zemin government's slanderous term omitted]".

But they were "extremely pleased" that the SAR government had clearly stated it had no plan to legislate against the mainland-banned group. Their views were relayed yesterday by members of the delegation to the United States organised by a pro-government think-tank, the Better Hong Kong Foundation.

Foundation chief executive George Yuen Kam-ho said the issue had been raised several times during the US visit.

"They knew what Mr Tung had said on the [group], but they would not say to us whether he should enact an anti-xx law because we are not a government body.

"What they said was that the [group] in Hong Kong is acting within the law," Mr Yuen said. "But if they [[group] members] violated any laws, the SAR government has the right and the reason to handle the issue."

http://www.hk-imail.com/inews/public/article_v.cfm?articleid=25075&intcatid= 1