Reuters: Hong Kong Chief Slammed for Calling Falun Gong XXX

HONG KONG, Feb 9, 2001 -- (Reuters) Human rights campaigners accused Hong Kong leader Tung Chee-hwa on Friday of siding with Beijing's communist leadership by joining in branding the Falun Gong spiritual movement an "[Chinese governments slanderous word]". Tung warned the Falun Gong on Thursday that it would be closely watched and prevented from exploiting Hong Kong's freedom to upset stability in the territory or provoke mainland China. Tung told a session of Hong Kong's 60-member legislative council that the Falun Gong had some characteristics of an "XXX", the words China uses to describe the movement which is banned on the mainland. Falun Gong is legal in Hong Kong, which was granted a high degree of autonomy after returning to Chinese rule in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" formula worked out with Britain. Falun Gong has taken an aggressive stand in Hong Kong this year, pushing its anti-Beijing protests. Law Yuk-kai of the group the Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor deplored Tung's echoing of Beijing in calling the group an "XXX" and questioned what closer scrutiny meant. "Describing it as an XXX is irresponsible. Governments have to restrain themselves from calling any belief or group such names," he said. "If Falun Gong is just voicing its views, it does not deserve such things (surveillance). Does that mean the government will tap their phones, intercept their mail?" Martin Lee, leader of the Democratic Party, said: "If we carry on like this and the central government isn't nice to the Catholics, Protestants or Buddhists either, and seeks to brand all of them as XXX, will Hong Kong call them XXX too?" An editorial in the mass-circulated Chinese-language Apple Daily called Tung's remarks "dangerous and unreasonable". []