Letter to European Representative for Hong Kong on Article 23

Date: 14 December 2002

Mr Christopher Jackson
Special Representative for Hong Kong
Economic & trade Affairs to the European Communities
Rue d’Arlon 118
1040 Brussels
Belgium

Dear Mr Jackson,

Re: Article 23 in Hong Kong

I feel sorry to know that you are representing the Hong Kong Government to lobby all MEPs to support the legislation of Article 23 in HK.

I understand that you should do your job well. However, I think that everyone in the world must be responsible for maintaining the basic human rights and the moral standard of human society, and be responsible for their conscience. Have you ever thought, what your action would bring to HK residents and other countries as well as you and your family? Would one day your current action make your and your family’s conscience condemned?

If Article 23 were really needed in Hong Kong and the legislation would guarantee the interests of the country and Hong Kong people, it would be not opposed by so many people with different background. Those who want to legislate Article 23 are Jiang Zemin’s Regime only. Their prime purpose is to meet their own selfish desire by all means trying to damage the legal system of HK and endanger more people. In June this year, Chinese vice-Premier Qian Qichen said openly to the media that the legislation of Article 23 must be carried out as soon as possible in order to ban Falun Gong in HK. This has shown clearly that the introduction of Article 23 to protect the national security has been used as an excuse to destroy basic human rights in HK, including freedom in speech and beliefs, etc.

The persecution as what has been received by Falun Gong practitioners in China never happened in the history. For almost 4 years, there have been millions families suffering from separation. Jiang’s Regime’s policy against Falun Gong is to cut off financial sources, to destroy Falun Gong’s reputation and physically eliminate Falun Gong practitioners. It has lead to over 1,6000 deaths (according to internal resources) during police detention. There have been millions of people who have lost their jobs or study at schools/universities, become homeless suffering from lack of food, cold weather, etc. You may not know all these, and it would be even more difficult for you to image all these, whom has been brought up in a free, open and democratic society.

As a Hong Kong citizen, I was detained for 8 months in Beijing for practising Falun Gong and peacefully appealing against the persecution in China. My company in Mainland China has been sealed up by police. The company’s properties were also forced to be sold. Even my 10-year-old son has become, since 1999, one of those who are on the blacklist and forbidden to enter Mainland China. How could a child harm national security? A child should be protected by his/her country. However, he has now become one of those who are considered by his country as dangerous people simply because his mother practises Falun Gong? Isn’t it absurd?

I am telling you all this because I hope that you can use your wisdom and your conscience to consider whether what you are doing would bring benefits to our country, Hong Kong and the people in the whole world who love freedom and democracy.

We should live in a noble, openhearted and guileless way and be a person who has no regret to one’s life and family. What I have written are words from my heart. Please think carefully about your view and actions on Article 23 and do not become a guilty person blamed by Hong Kong people.

Yours sincerely
[name omitted for security reasons]