(Clearwisdom.net)

March 14, 2002 (News from Hong Kong) - To protest the Jiang regime's "Shoot to Kill" and "Killing without Pardon" orders, 4 Swiss Falun Gong practitioners started a 3-day hunger strike on the morning of March 14 in front of the Chinese Liaison Office. Twelve local Hong Kong practitioners joined the peaceful petition. At 1 p.m., Hong Kong police forcefully removed and detained all 16 practitioners. At present, the 4 Swiss practitioners have been released on bail, but the 12 Hong Kong practitioners are still in detention.

The following is a press statement issued by Hong Kong Falun Gong practitioners on the incident:

March 14, 2002

To All Media,

On the Hong Kong police's forcible removal and detention of 4 Swiss Falun Gong practitioners and 12 local Falun Gong practitioners who were conducting a peaceful petition outside the Chinese Liaison Office today, Hong Kong Falun Gong spokesperson states:

Because the Mainland authorities recently issued an order of "killing without pardon" which was targeted at Falun Gong practitioners, four Swiss Falun Gong practitioners came to Hong Kong spontaneously to conduct a three-day hunger strike petition outside the Chinese Liaison Office. Their intention was to urgently appeal to conscionable governments, organizations and all kind-hearted people around the world for their immediate help to stop the Jiang Zemin regime's persecution against Falun Gong. They hoped to rescue the practitioners in Mainland who are facing grave danger. These practitioners conducted themselves in a peaceful manner and acted in accordance with the law. Their actions did not cause disturbance to the public. However, under the pressure coming from high above, after only four hours of the peaceful sit-in, the Hong Kong Police Department deployed dozens of police officers and used force to remove these peaceful practitioners. They also used force to remove local practitioners who were present and who questioned the legality of the police's action. Several practitioners were injured in the process. Regrettably, the actions taken by the Hong Kong police were entirely unnecessary, and were in fact crude and unreasonable.

Hong Kong has been a society where human rights are valued. People enjoy freedom of speech, freedom of belief, freedom of assembly as well as basic rights such as the right to petition peacefully. Falun Gong practitioners note that the Hong Kong Government and its various departments have accommodated petition activities that involved far more people and lasted much longer. However, when several Falun Gong practitioners were conducting a three-day peaceful hunger strike sit-in in an open, public area, they were subjected to such crude treatment. It is reasonable to believe that the Hong Kong Government has received pressure from the higher authorities in Mainland. It also makes one wonder whether the SAR Government is willing and capable of defending the rule of law in Hong Kong, safeguarding the traditional image of Hong Kong being a free, open society where human rights are respected.

We hope that the Hong Kong police can handle this incident fairly, and act in the spirit of the rule of law. We hope that the Hong Kong police will release all illegally detained practitioners, let them continue with their peaceful petition and exercise their legal rights.