Ottawa Citizen Reports on Protests as Hong Kong prepares to mark handover anniversary (excerpt)

Monday July 01, 2002

The Ottawa Citizen reported that the Falun Gong meditation [group] has complained that more than 90 practitioners were barred from entering the territory where they hoped to protest while Jiang attends Monday's ceremonies that also will include Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa being sworn in for a second five-year term. "This is obviously suppressing dissident voices," said Law Yuk-kai, director of the Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor, after he was manhandled by police at one of several demonstrations marking the anniversary of Hong Kong's return from Britain to China on July 1, 1997.

[...]

One Falun Gong [practitioner], Australian citizen Leon Wang, was detained at the Hong Kong airport Sunday and he told The Associated Press in a phone call he saw two women being wrapped in plastic and carried onto an airplane after they refused to co-operate with officials.

"I'm here to meet some clients, but they didn't even ask me what I'm in town for," said Wang, a 31-year-old Sydney businessman who said he has traveled to Hong Kong several times before without problems.

Hui Yee-han, a Hong Kong Falun Gong spokeswoman, accused the authorities of tying the hands and feet of some overseas [practitioners] of the group as they tried to enter Hong Kong to protest against Jiang's efforts to eradicate Falun Gong in Mainland China.

Hui said since June 22, immigration authorities had turned away 96 [practitioners], including two Americans, 67 Taiwanese, 13 Australians, four Japanese, two Swedes, one Swiss, two Singaporeans and one Indonesian.

About 75 local Falun Gong [practitioners], however, were still able to stage meditation exercises outside Hong Kong's immigration headquarters Sunday.

[...]

Beijing has has carried out a [suppression] that Falun Gong says has left hundreds dead in police custody. The group remains legal in Hong Kong and frequently protests there against its suppression in China.

When Jiang last visited for an economic conference in May 2001, Falun Gong said 100 of its [practitioners] were turned away by immigration officials.

The Hong Kong Journalists Association and a British-based group called Article 19 - The Global Campaign for Free Expression voiced fears that the next five years under Tung's leadership will see erosion of local freedoms and autonomy.

They released a report, entitled The Line Hardens, that cited moves to enact an anti-subversion law, a tougher approach against Falun Gong practitioners and the barring of prominent Chinese-American dissident Harry Wu from visiting the city.

"Officials seem more intent on restricting the freedom of expression and assembly of those who do not agree with the general direction being taken by the administration," said Mak Yin-ting, the journalist association's chairwoman.

http://www.southam.com/ottawacitizen/newsnow/cpfs/world/020630/w063007.html

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