By Xin Fei

The Epoch Times

May 03, 2005

(Clearwisdom.net) Two Singaporean Falun Gong practitioners were practicing their exercises at Merlion Park on February 23, 2003. As a result, in May 2004 Huang Caihua and Cheng Lujin were charged on eight counts, including "assembly without a permit" and "possession and distribution of non-licensed VCDs."

Nearly a year later on April 27 2005, a Singaporean court fined the pair SGD 24,000 and SGD 20,000 to Ms. Huang and Ms. Cheng respectively. They refused to accept the sentence and vowed to appeal the ruling. They were then sent to Changi Women's Prison and may be incarcerated there for as long as 24 weeks.

On April 28, The Epoch Times' reporter Xin Fei interviewed Mr. Hu Ping, the famous political critic and chief editor of Beijing Spring, who lives in the US.

The following is the full text of the interview with Mr. Hu:

Reporter: Mr. Hu, what do you think of the sentence meted out by the Singaporean court to fine and imprison the two Singaporean Falun Gong practitioners?

Mr. Hu: Of course, the Singaporean government's treatment of this matter was extremely wrong. It is very common for Falun Gong practitioners to practice in the U.S. and other countries, and it has never been a problem in any countries ruled by law. But it is ridiculous that they were found guilty in Singapore.

Reporter: Why do you think the Singaporean government would do so?

Mr. Hu: Certainly, it was because of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) political and economic pressure. From a series of past incidents we know that China has tried various approaches to pressure other countries to suppress Falun Gong. Fortunately, most countries are not affected by China's pressure as they insist on their own position.

Reporter: Do you think Singapore is a democratic nation ruled by law?

Mr. Hu: Basically, there is very little democracy in Singapore, though it is much better than China. But comparing to many other democratic countries, the difference is quite significant. According to Freedom House, Singapore has yet to be regarded as a democratic state.

Reporter: What do you think of the ties between Singapore and China?

Mr. Hu: Of course they have maintained cordial ties. When most of the leaders around the world were strongly condemning China for its cruel atrocities in the "June 4th Tiananmen Square Massacre," Lee Kuan Yew was the exception. China's leader once mentioned that he wanted to follow Singapore's non-democratic approaches to rule China with authoritarianism. As a result, Singapore really has ample room for improvement.

Reporter: What do you think is the impact on Singapore in the international community if the government treats Falun Gong practitioners in such an unfair way?

Mr. Hu: In terms of protection of basic freedom and basic human rights, Singapore's image is always not so good in the international community. Therefore, most countries were not surprised to see such an incident happening in Singapore, but they didn't approve of the way it deals with Falun Gong. What the Singaporean government has done is harmful to its national image as it helps the tyrant to do evil things.

Reporter: What do you think is the international community's general attitude towards Falun Gong?

Mr. Hu: It is very clear that Falun Gong's influence has become more and more significant around the world, and it has gained more and more sympathy and support. And it is obvious that Falun Gong has grown very fast internationally in recent years. In the meantime, the Chinese Communist regime has spared no effort to oppress Falun Gong, and the incident in Singapore is simply one such example. Therefore, the suppression and the protests will continue to take place in the future.

Reporter: Do you have any advice to the Singaporean government?

Mr. Hu: I'd like to urge the Singaporean government not to bow to the Chinese Communist regime's pressure, and not to help the tyrant to do more evil things. Instead, it should again review this case to truly protect people's basic freedom of belief. It is known to everyone that what Falun Gong practitioners have done is universal in most countries around the world, and it has never been regarded as anything illegal by local governments, as they have never caused any damage nor interfered with citizens' daily lives. As such, it is unreasonable for the Singaporean government to handle this incident in this way. Without legal basis, what the Singaporean government has done is illegal.

Source: http://theepochtimes.com/news/5-5-3/28400.html

Posting date: 5/5/2005
Original article date: 5/5/2005
Category: News & Media Reports

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