The Hong Kong Administration Needs To Revisit Rationality

In 2003, eighty Falun Gong practitioners, including a ten-year-old child, travelled to Hong Kong for a Falun Gong event. Alas, at the Hong Kong airport, Hong Kong authorities refused entry, accusing them of being "security risks." They have applied for judicial review and the high court heard their case beginning September 20, 2005. During the oral arguments on September 23rd, the Hong Kong government refused to provide evidence of their contention, the "Immigration Watch List." According to the plaintiffs, the Hong Kong government denied the judge's request more than ten times under the pretext "security reasons." The judge found such contention "irrational."

One can assume that if the Hong Kong government makes public the "Immigration Watch List," it will become known that those named on the list are Falun Gong practitioners. The true reason for Hong Kong's government groundlessly "barring practitioners from entering Hong Kong" will become public record. There will be legal documents recording government misconduct, and the. Jiang regime's (which provided the watch list) crime will be exposed. Not wanting to face condemnation for "Discriminating based on people's belief," Hong Kong's government refused to provide the appropriate evidence. Instead, it refused repeatedly to honour the judges' request and provide the watch list, hiding behind the excuse of "security reasons." Such flagrant disregard of a judge's order is insupportable and condemned by the court and Hong Kong's populace.

This irrational contempt of the court began with the illogical actions by the Hong Kong government in February 2003, when Hong Kong practitioners held an experience sharing conference. Eighty Falun Gong practitioners from Taiwan travelled to Hong Kong to attend the event. Without explanation, the government barred all eighty practitioners from entering Hong Kong. This is an contemptible human rights violation by the Hong Kong government who behaved as a puppet of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). This event has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong to the world's people. The Hong Kong government effectively railroaded the city's environment of freedom of belief. This is indeed an irrational act by the Hong Kong government.

The administration's absurdity was also reflected by its harassment and slander during Falun Gong practitioners' peaceful appeals. On March 14th, 2002, four Falun Gong practitioners from Switzerland and 12 from Hong Kong held a peaceful sit-in appeal and hunger strike in front of Hong Kong's Chinese Liaison Office. The intent was to expose and condemn the former Chinese President Jiang Zemin's secret orders to shoot Falun Gong practitioners. Several hours into the appeal, at the request of the P.R.C.'s Liaison Office, Hong Kong policemen arrived at the appeal site and forcefully arrested the sixteen practitioners. Subsequently, the police filed charges against the practitioners for "obstruction of the sidewalk" and "attacking police." Fortunately, in May of 2005, Hong Kong's supreme court overturned these convictions. The practitioners, who were accused of assaulting and obstructing police, were exonerated.

The absurd actions by the Hong Kong government continued with its efforts to promote Article 23 legislation. Such legislation was intended to bring the China's inhuman persecution of Falun Gong practitioner to Hong Kong. Using Article 23, criminal charges, including "overturning the country's government," "leaking the country's secrets," and "participating in banned organisations," were to be levelled against practitioners. Further objectives of the government were to curtail Hong Kong Falun Gong practitioners' legal rights and prevent distribution of Falun Gong truth clarification material into China through Hong Kong.

Everyone knows that the illogical behaviour by Hong Kong's government had roots in the insane persecution by Jiang's regime. Even at that time, people realised fully well that the persecution of Falun Gong was being extended from Mainland China to Hong Kong, and that Hong Kong's populace would also be directly harmed. Consequently, 500,000 people of Hong Kong's populace partook in the large anti-Article 23 parade on July 1st, 2002. This parade triggered the death of the Article 23 legislation.

In a society that is truly governed by law, the government will not interfere with people's freedom of belief, especially when they believe in the principles "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance."

Using the excuse of "security reasons," the Hong Kong government refused to provide the immigration watch list containing Falun Gong practitioners' names. Yet it cannot escape the "human rights violation" and "discrimination based on belief" charges, nor can it hide that the CCP controls the Hong Kong government. It can no longer keep secret that the long arm of the persecution of Falun Gong has reached into Hong Kong. Moreover, people will know that the Hong Kong government helped the CCP in its persecution of Falun Gong. This is truly foolish.

In fact, the Hong Kong government has to some extent been supportive of Falun Gong. In 2001, when the persecution of Falun Gong by Jiang's regime was at its height, the Hong Kong's government approved the practitioners' application to use government property for a large-scale experience sharing conference. During the conference, no practitioner was interfered with or harassed by the Hong Kong government.

Today, the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong is nearing its end. Not only people overseas, but also many people from within China have come to know the goodness of Falun Dafa and the evilness of the CCP. In particular, after publication of the book Nine Commentaries on Communist Party, people have woken up and become aware of the CCP's evil nature. They also now understand the harm the persecution did to Falun Gong. Thus, many people publicly withdrew from the CCP and all associated organisations. Countless people have broken away from the evil and become clear-headed and rational.

The evil is being annihilated. The Hong Kong government should become rational, regain its conscience and duty to dispense justice fairly. Such criteria are the fundamentals for judging right from wrong. If the Hong Kong government can truly resist the evil's pressure and protect Hong Kong's free environment, allowing practitioners to practise Falun Gong, it will have returned to true rationality and shown that it protects the rights of Hong Kong's populace.