08/24/2002

HONG KONG (AP)--Hong Kong officials Saturday delivered another warning against the distribution of Falun Gong materials at an exhibition that showcases the art of an Australian [practitioner] of the meditation [group].

Annissa Chan - a spokeswoman for the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, which runs City Hall where the exhibition was being held - said officials warned the organizer Epoch Group Ltd. that it was against a rental agreement to distribute unauthorized printed material. Chan declined to elaborate.

It was the second warning from the government since the exhibition opened Friday. Officials have demanded that the organizer remove copies of a book, 'The Golden Brush,' which features painter Zhang Cuiying's paintings, Falun Gong information and a message from Zhang condemning Beijing's crackdown of [Falun Gong].

Zhang, who is an Australian citizen and lives in Sydney, was jailed in mainland China for her Falun Gong activities. She was not allowed entry into Hong Kong this week to attend the opening of her exhibition.

[...]

Law Yuk-kai, director of the Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor, criticized the department, saying it was 'turning into a tool' to restrict Falun Gong activities.

Meanwhile, a pro-Beijing newspaper Tao Kung Pao Saturday questioned why the government allowed the exhibition, which runs until Monday.

[...]

While banned [...] in mainland China, Falun Gong is legal in this former British colony, which retains many Western-style rights.