December 22, 2001

Fighting persecution: Falun Gong practitioners Leeshai Lemish, from Israel, and Zenon Dolnyckyj, from Canada, get their point across in Chater Garden yesterday. Picture by Garrige Ho

Five foreign members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement expelled from the mainland last month took their protest to the offices of the Chief Executive and the Chief Secretary yesterday. They were among 35 Western members arrested and expelled after they unfurled a giant banner in Tiananmen Square on November 20 in support of Falun Gong's call for an end to [...] state-sponsored persecution.

Yesterday, the group from Canada, Germany, Sweden and Israel was joined by about 40 local members in Chater Garden in a meditation exercise.

They then took their petition to the offices of Tung Chee-hwa and Donald Tsang Yam kuen at the Central Government Offices. They left after a police officer and a government official accepted their petition.

[...]

Yesterday's petition said the Falun Gong was benevolent and called on Hong Kong people to cherish their freedom of religion and expression.

"There is still a small piece of free land left where Chinese people can enjoy their basic human rights," Canadian student Zenon Dolnyckyj, 23, said, reading from the petition. "Hong Kong is the only territory in China where people can practice Falun Dafa at their own wish."

The five alleged they and the rest of the Tiananmen group were subjected to repeated beatings last month by mainland officers and that the abuse continued until their expulsion more than a day later.

Falun Gong member and Swedish computer graphics specialist Lilian Staf, 25, said: "We were foreigners with the international media present. I can only imagine how Chinese Falun Gong members are treated behind closed doors."

Responding for Mr Tung and Mr Tsang, a Security Bureau spokesman said last night Falun Gong members were free to practice as long as they followed SAR laws.