HONG KONG, Apr 23, 2001 -- (Reuters) Followers of the controversial Falun Gong spiritual movement plan to stage mass protests in Hong Kong on Wednesday demanding that China halts its crackdown against the group.

The protests will mark the second anniversary of a huge Falun Gong demonstration in Beijing which shocked China's leadership, and serve as a dry run for an array of demonstrations planned when Chinese President Jiang Zemin visits the territory in early May.

Falun Gong, which combines meditation and exercise [...], was subsequently banned on the mainland in July 1999 and denounced as an "[Chinese government's slanderous term omitted]," but the group remains legal in Hong Kong.

Spokesman Kan Hung-cheong said followers will hold mass outdoor exercises in Hong Kong and plan to deliver a petition to Chinese officials.

"We will have an exercise session and try to hand a petition letter to Chinese officials (in Hong Kong) to ask China to stop suppressing fellow practitioners on the mainland," Kan said on Monday.

"We want to tell people that our activities are merely a reaction to the crackdown on the mainland. We are not politically motivated and we will conduct our activities peacefully."

Wednesday is the second anniversary of a large demonstration when 10,000 Falun Gong members surrounded the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in Beijing.

[...]

Human rights groups believe more than 100 Falun Gong members have died of police abuse and thousands are in labor camps, but the group has continued to irk Chinese leaders with small but frequent protests on the mainland.

Sporadic protests by the Falun Gong in Hong Kong also have irritated the Chinese leadership and plans by the group to stage demonstrations to coincide with Jiang's May 8-10 visit will likely raise more hackles in Beijing.

Hong Kong was guaranteed a high degree of autonomy after its return to China in mid-1997, but Beijing's increasingly strident attacks against the group have raised questions over how much say the former British territory will really have in its own affairs.

Analysts say the local government may come under strong pressure to curb the group in coming weeks to avoid embarrassing the Chinese leader, who will be in town to attend the 2001 Fortune Global Forum.

Last week, Chief Secretary Anson Chan said Jiang had assured the Hong Kong administration that it will be given full rein to decide how best to handle the Falun Gong.

However, rights groups everywhere are closely watching to see if freedoms in the territory would be upheld.

"In May, we will have some petition activities. We won't rule out the possibility of foreign members coming to Hong Kong to join us but we don't know how many will turn up," Kan said.

Overseas followers are expected to converge on Hong Kong about the time of Jiang's visit, which is just days ahead of the anniversary of the movement's founding on May 13.

[...]

Posting date: 4/25/2001
Original article date: 4/23/2001
Category: News & Media Reports

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