(Clearwisdom.net)

On July 3, 2002, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., 200 Falun Gong practitioners from more than ten countries and regions gathered at the Chater Garden to hold a peaceful appeal. The practitioners openly appealed to the Hong Kong government to not succumb to the pressure from Jiang's dictatorship, but to respect Hong Kong's human rights and rule of law, safeguard the Hong Kong people's fundamental interests and treat Falun Gong with justice and rationality. During the event, practitioners from Hong Kong and overseas paraded to the headquarters of the Hong Kong government to deliver an appeal letter to the Hong Kong government on behalf of their respective countries and regions.

In the letter, Falun Gong practitioners pointed out: "Falun Dafa takes 'Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance', the universal truth, as the standard for cultivation practice. It cultivates goodness and is peaceful. All of Dafa's activities are open to the public, and the practice is voluntary. Each practitioner is from different walks of life, and there are no activities that violate the law or that are harmful to society." Falun Gong will only bring goodness to any society, including Hong Kong. However, "since July 20, 1999, when the gang inside the Chinese government that's led by the head political scoundrel began to suppress Falun Gong practitioners, more than 100 million people have been unjustifiably persecuted; more than 100,000 people have been sent to jails, to forced labor camps, and to mental hospitals; close to 1,000 people have been persecuted to death without cause; and this type of persecution still continues. Because of this, the students of Falun Gong are doing all they can to let the world's people and governments know the truth about this persecution and the degree of its wickedness." Falun Gong practitioners have peacefully appealed in nations around the world. We have been peaceful and law-abiding, and have met with acceptance and praise.

Since July 1999, when China began to suppress Falun Gong on a large scale, Hong Kong practitioners have often received unfair treatment by the Hong Kong government. In particular, over the past year, the HK government had refused approval to over 50 applications Falun Gong practitioners had submitted to rent a public place for holding activities. It also arrested and falsely charged 16 Falun Gong practitioners who peacefully and legally appealed outside the Chinese Liaison Office last March, and blocked a large number of overseas Falun Gong practitioners from entering the region around its fifth anniversary of return to China on July 1, 2002.

It is estimated that the Hong Kong government has denied over 130 overseas Falun Gong practitioners' entry into the region in the past few days. Falun Gong practitioners sent letters to the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr. Donald Tsang, to express their concerns about Falun Gong practitioners' being denied entry without cause and inhumanely treated, and also to request the Hong Kong government to deal with the case of the appealing practitioners fairly and justly. The practitioners also urged the Hong Kong government not to blindly follow the directives from the Beijing authorities to suppress Falun Gong, but to safeguard Falun Gong's legal position and rights in Hong Kong, and not to damage the policy of "One Country, Two Systems" and not to tarnish Hong Kong's international image of being a free and open region.

There were 98 Taiwan Falun Gong practitioners who were denied entry by the Hong Kong Immigration Department. The Taiwan practitioners expressed in their appeal letter that the practitioners who were repatriated had no criminal record. They held legal visas but were refused entry. What's worse, some practitioners were wrapped in canvas tarps and subjected to violence.

It is estimated that over half of those who tried to enter Hong Kong were blocked, and it is strong evidence that the Hong Kong government had a "blacklist" provided by the Mainland Chinese authorities. The Falun Gong practitioners requested the Hong Kong government to destroy the "blacklist" that seriously infringes upon human rights and the rule of law.

As for 16 practitioners who were falsely charged with "obstructing traffic," "obstructing the police from executing their duty" and "assaulting the police," all Falun Gong practitioners and supporting communities hope that the Hong Kong government and the judiciary system can safeguard justice and secure a bright future for Hong Kong's people.

Several large media outlets covered the event. The practitioners also handed out Dafa truth-clarifying literature and displayed poster boards.

Reported on July 3, 2002