DATE=12/11/1999 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT TITLE=HONG KONG - FALUN GONG (L-ONLY) NUMBER=2-257059 BYLINE=GRACE CUTLER DATELINE=HONG KONG CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: About one thousand followers of the Falun Gong meditation sect Saturday gathered outside the Hong Kong headquarters of China's Xinhua News Agency. Grace Cutler reports from the Chinese territory, the group gathered to protest China's crackdown on fellow Falun Gong members. TEXT: //SOUND OF MUSIC AND MEDITATION TAPE// Falun Gong practitioners from about 20 countries--many dressed in bright yellow shirts--lined the walkways adjacent to China's Xinhua News Agency in Hong Kong. With closed eyes, they meditated and performed stretching exercises. Representatives from many of the visiting countries delivered letters of protest to Xinhua concerning the government crackdown on fellow practitioners in China. Beijing considers Falun Gong an evil cult and outlawed the practice in July. Members of the meditation group say as many as 30-thousand Falun Gong followers in China have been detained or imprisoned by the government. Practitioners are in Hong Kong as a part of a three- day regional conference. The annual meeting is the largest gathering of Falun Gong practitioners in Hong Kong since the Chinese government outlawed the group. Falun Gong is allowed in the Chinese territory because it has a separate legal system from China. Fiona Chin, a spokeswoman for conference organizers, says members gathered here want to spread the word that Falun Gong is a peaceful and benevolent group. //CHIN ACT// We would like to have a meeting in Hong Kong at this point in time when the Chinese are really suppressing the practitioners in China. Because Hong Kong is part of China now and to be able to hold such a conference by practitioners from around the world is very meaningful. //END ACT// Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa Saturday warned Falun Gong followers not to do anything to jeopardize the one country - two systems policy. Human Rights are protected in Hong Kong under the agreement in which the territory was handed back to China from Great Britain in 1997. (signed) NEB/GC/PLM 11-Dec-1999 04:02 AM EDT (11-Dec-1999 0902 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .
