(Clearwisdom.net) On the afternoon of October 29, 2002, three Falun Dafa
practitioners from Hong Kong and practitioners in the greater New York Area held
a press conference on the square in front of the UN. They prepared an appeal
letter to UN Secretary Mr. Annan and called on all kindhearted people in the
world to pay attention to a Hong Kong issue -- that under pressure from the
Mainland regime, the Hong King government plans to enact Article 23 of the Basic
Law and break the promise of "one country, two systems."
At the press conference, a New York practitioner told the story of how on
March 14, Hong Kong police forcibly arrested Hong Kong and Swiss Falun Dafa
practitioners while they were peacefully appealing in front of the Chinese
Liaison Office and brought accusations against the practitioners, charging them
with assaulting the police and obstructing the street.
Hong Kong Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Lau Yuk-ling told of her experience
since March 14th , and the Hong Kong government's increasing
restrictions on Falun Gong activities over the last two years.
Ms. Lau said, "The Hong Kong government violates the Basic Law. Falun Gong is
a legally registered group but is discriminated against. Since last July, we
have applied over 70 times to rent a site to hold a Fa conference but all of our
applications have been rejected. Over 130 overseas practitioners came to Hong
Kong to attend activities but were denied entry to Hong Kong. What's worse, an
overseas practitioner was carried to the plane in a hemp bag. Australian artist
and Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Zhang Cuiying planned an art exhibition in Hong
Kong, but she was not allowed to enter. The Basic Law stipulates that a small
gathering of less than 50 people doesn't need to apply for a permit. There were
only 16 practitioners who participated in the peaceful appeal, and they only
occupied seven square meters of a 140 square meter area. But the police
mobilized a large contingent and forcibly carried us to a police van, and filed
false charges of 'blocking the street' and 'attacking the police' against us.
Even the judge was clearly biased, taking the side of the police for the sake of
his personal fame and profits."
Ms. Lau then read a letter of appeal to UN Secretary Mr. Kofi Annan. The
letter said, "Recently, under Jiang's pressure, some leaders in the Hong Kong
government have proposed sweeping legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law on
subversion and secession of the country. If their plot succeeds, Falun Gong
would be banned in Hong Kong as it is in Mainland China. Moreover, other
religious and democratic groups would also be subjected to suppression. Hong
Kong's freedoms, democracy and rule of law would be ruined by Jiang. There would
be no difference between the Mainland and Hong Kong, and "one country, two
systems" would completely disappear. The issue is currently "under
consultation," and people from all walks of life are greatly alarmed. "
After the press conference, accompanied by New York practitioners, Hong Kong
practitioners managed to deliver the appeal letter to the Secretariat of the UN. Radio Free Asia and the World Journal came to the press conference and
conducted interviews.
Posting date: 11/2/2002
Original article date: 11/2/2002
Category: Falun Dafa Worldwide
Translated on 11/2/2002
Chinese version available at http://minghui.cc/mh/articles/2002/10/31/38900.html