SCMP: Paper joins [group] row

Monday, March 12, 2001

The row over the mainland-banned Falun Gong has escalated, with the Catholic Church accusing the security chief of defaming the religious [group].

In an editorial headlined "To shame others is to shame yourself, thus attracting shame in return", the Catholic weekly Kung Kao Po said Secretary for Security Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee should not criticise the [group] based on its "somewhat mysterious" beliefs.

"In a society that has the rule of law, mysterious or even superstitious beliefs are not crimes. Unless there is solid evidence that it is harming others, religion should belong to religion, and the rule of law should belong to the rule of law," it said.

It said the public should be left alone to judge the [group], and as security chief, Mrs Ip should not comment.

A Security Bureau spokeswoman said Mrs Ip had no comment on the criticism.

Last month, Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, in an article in the Sunday Examiner, condemned Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa for branding the [group] as "more or less bearing some characteristics of an [Chinese government's slanderous word]".

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