CNN: UN committee to hear Falun Gong fears

HONG KONG, China -- A United Nations committee visiting Hong Kong this week will hear concerns from human rights agencies over mounting pressure from Beijing to clamp down on the Falun Gong spiritual group.

The Hong Kong Government said it was aware non-government organizations were planning to raise the issue during a visit by UN human rights representatives but said that at this stage the Falun Gong itself had not requested a meeting.

The visit coincides with heightened fears from human rights groups that the territory's government may bow to pressure from mainland China and outlaw the group.

The groups say that Beijing's increased pressure on Hong Kong's leadership over the Falun Gong threatens to undermine the 'one country two systems' policy which was intended to guarantee the territory's autonomy under Chinese rule.

Falun Gong has been branded an "[Chinese government's slanderous word]" by the Chinese government and banned on the mainland although it remains legal in the territories of Hong Kong and Macau.

Last week Hong Kong security chief, Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee refused to rule out a possible ban on Falun Gong.

Her comments were followed by calls from pro-Beijing legislators to consider enacting the territory's subversion laws to regulate the activities of the controversial group.

On Monday Hong Kong's Principal Assistant for Home Affairs John Dean told CNN.com that the government had at no stage considered postponing the scheduled UN visit, the first since the 1997 handover of the former British colony to Chinese control.

He said it was "possible" the representatives of the UN human rights committee, Justice P.N. Bhagwati of India and Christine Chanet of France, would raise Article 23 of the mini-constitution during their meeting with the Secretary of Security, as it was an issue at an earlier hearing.

Treason laws

A key element of the 'one country two systems' policy', Article 23 allows Hong Kong's leadership to enact laws on its own "to prohibit any act of treason, secession, sedition, subversion against the Central People's Government, ... to prohibit foreign political organizations or bodies from conducting political activities in the Region, and to prohibit political organizations or bodies of the Region from establishing ties with foreign political organizations or bodies".

Both the Hong Kong based Human Rights Monitor group and Human Rights Watch from New York have expressed alarm at any move to ban the Falun Gong using the sedition or treason laws.

Director of the Human Rights Monitor Group, Law Yuk Kai said he was planning to meet the committee and present a submission "especially on the recent development about Chinese officials openly pressuring the Hong Kong government to take action to curb Falun Gong activities in Hong Kong".

"We see this as a threat to the autonomy and human rights of Hong Kong" hesaid.

"This is one of the most important issues we need to raise, because according to basic law we are one country two systems. In this system what is most important is that we have constitutionally guaranteed rights and they are different to China."

Upholding rights

He said banning the Falun Gong using sedition laws would be in contradiction of Article 39 of Hong Kong's Basic Law which safeguards international conventions on civil and political rights.

On Sunday the Hong Kong Government released a statement responding to comments on the Falun Gong by "a human rights group" saying it was "firmly committed to upholding human rights as guaranteed under the Basic Law".

"All organizations in Hong Kong must abide by Hong Kong laws and their operation and activities must be within the law," it said. The three-sentence statement concluded by saying "the [Hong Kong Government], in dealing with the activities of any group, will strictly adhere to the principle of acting in accordance with the law".

Principal Assistant for Home Affairs John Dean said there were no specific issues on the UN visit agenda except for those the government thought the committee might raise due to previous visits.

However, he said, if issues were raised "we will of course address it".

"They are coming here to see for themselves the state of the implementation of human rights in Hong Kong," he said.

The visiting UN officials are scheduled to hold talks with policy Secretaries, the Secretary of Security, the Chief Secretary, the Chief Executive as well as executive and legislative councilors, representatives of political parties and non-government organizations.

The United Nations Human Rights Committee representatives arrived in Hong Kong on Monday.

The visit follows the Committee's hearing of Hong Kong's report under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in November 1999.