A Test for Hong Kong on Religion

Falun Gong, the religious movement that Beijing aims to eradicate, has broken no laws in Hong Kong. A few of its members stage occasional protests against oppression of the movement on the mainland, but that has been the extent of the group’s political agenda on the island.

Now pressure from Beijing to outlaw Falun Gong in Hong Kong too is mounting, and disturbingly it is producing results. Tung Chee-hwa, Beijing’s representative in Hong Kong, last week branded the group an “evil cult,” a term that Beijing used in banning the movement, and some prominent Hong Kong officials are calling for a new subversion law to crack down on its members. Curtailing the rights of Falun Gong, or any other religious group, would discredit not only Hong Kong’s ruling elite but Beijing’s commitment to respect the island’s broad autonomy.

Hong Kong thrived as a British colony, even though its leaders were appointed in London and priority was given to administrative efficiency rather than representative democracy. The city enjoyed civil liberties that mainland Chinese never saw. When the colony reverted to Chinese rule in the summer of 1997, Beijing granted Hong Kong a special status and promised to preserve its freedoms. Those freedoms are under increasing threat.

Hong Kong’s constitution provides for a law against treason and sedition, but the ruling executive council has not introduced such legislation for fear of a popular backlash.

Appointed by Beijing, Tung has been steadily yielding to mainland pressure to curb Falun Gong activities. He has said the city’s freedoms will not be compromised, but in speaking of Falun Gong his rhetoric ominously resembles Beijing’s. Several of the city’s well-known officials have said they want Falun Gong’s registration revoked.

Falun Gong has only about 400 members in Hong Kong , and its activities are sporadic and peaceful, but it has become an embarrassment for Hong Kong leaders. Nevertheless, officials should think twice before yielding to Beijing’s pressure to crack down. As pro-democracy legislator Martin Lee has pointed out, Falun Gong is a legitimate organization operating within the laws of Hong Kong. There are many other religious and civic groups on the island opposed to the oppressive rules of the Communist mainland. All would be in danger if Hong Kong outlawed Falun Gong.