Hong Kong: Practitioners from Around the World Peacefully Appeal to the Government to Treat Falun Gong with Justice and Kindness

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 Charter Gardens to hold a peaceful appeal. These countries and regions include Hong Kong, Australia, Taiwan, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States, Switzerland, Sweden, France and the UK. The practitioners openly appealed to the Hong Kong government to not succumb to the pressure from Jiang Zemin’s dictatorship, but to respect Hong Kong’s human rights and rule of law, safeguard Hong Kong people’s fundamental interests and treat Falun Gong with justice and rationality. During the event, 50 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 labour 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 and protested in nations around the world. We have been peaceful and law-abiding, and have been fully approved and praised.

Since July 1999, when China began to suppress Falun Gong on a large scale, Hong Kong practitioners have often received unfair treatments 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 made 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 legally entering the region [around its fifth anniversary of reversion to China on July 1, 2002].

It is estimated that, around the fifth anniversary of HK’s reversion to China, the Hong Kong government denied over 130 overseas Falun Gong practitioners’ entry into the region. 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 before the fifth anniversary of HK’s return. 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 high autonomy of “One Country, Two Systems” or tarnish Hong Kong’s free and open international image.

There were 98 Taiwan Falun Gong practitioners who were denied entry by the Hong Kong Immigration Department during the fifth anniversary celebrations. The Taiwan practitioners expressed in their appeal letter that the practitioners who were repatriated had no record of crimes. They held legal visas but were refused entry. What’s worse, some practitioners were wrapped in canvas tarps and subjected to violence. The Hong Kong government must have been pressured by Jiang to treat Falun Gong practitioners in such an inhumane fashion.

It is estimated that over half of those who tried to enter Hong Kong were blocked, and it is enough to prove that the Hong Kong government had a “black list” provided by the Mainland. All Falun Gong practitioners required the Hong Kong government to withdraw the “black list” that seriously infringes upon human rights and rule of law.

As for 16 practitioners who were falsely charged as “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 therefore create a wonderful future for Hong Kong people. (For more information on this event, please see www.clearharmony.net/articles/5165.html.)

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

Over 200 practitioners also held a group practice in a seashore park.