Mainland religious affairs chief says SAR has wisdom to deal with Falun Gong 'poisonous tumour'

The mainland's top religious affairs official yesterday hinted that the SAR Government should de-register Falun Gong, branding it a 'poisonous tumour'. Speaking at a religious conference at the Chinese University, Ye Xiaowen, head of the State Council's Religious Affairs Office, attacked what he said was the cruelty of the sect and said no responsible government would turn a blind eye to 'evil acts' Falun Gong committed. He said it had become clear the Falun Gong in Hong Kong had betrayed its original purpose and become political and international. It was only a matter of time before it showed its 'evil' face in the SAR. Mr Ye is the most senior central government official to have commented on Falun Gong activities in Hong Kong. Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa has been under increasing pressure to act against the group. Two weeks ago, he told legislators the sect 'more or less bears some characteristics of an evil cult'. Mr Ye had his comments well-prepared yesterday. They were projected on to a screen when he was asked by the audience about Falun Gong. His comments appeared to be a clear signal from Beijing that the SAR should take action to prevent Falun Gong from using Hong Kong to engage in subversive activity against China. Mr Ye stopped short of dictating what Hong Kong should do but said he was confident the 'Hong Kong public have the wisdom' to deal with Falun Gong. He indirectly conceded that Falun Gong had not broken any laws in Hong Kong, but said even 'poppy flowers have a beautiful face'. 'Falun Gong is a poisonous tumour to society. It has already taken the lives of 1,600 people in the mainland,' he said. 'Falun Gong in Hong Kong is nothing different [from the group on the mainland],' he said. 'They also believe in what [sect founder] Li Hongzhi preaches. They also obey the so-called scriptures of Li Hongzhi.' He did not offer new evidence in condemning the sect yesterday and maintained Beijing had banned the movement not because of its creeds but because it had caused great 'destruction' and 'disruption' to Chinese society. He insisted Falun Gong was 'undeniably evil' because no religion would encourage mothers to burn their daughters. He was referring to the case of Liu Siying, a 12-year-old girl from Henan province, who set herself on fire last month in Tiananmen Square, allegedly to demonstrate her faith to the sect. Mr Ye, however, sidestepped questions from the audience - including at least one Falun Gong practitioner - on whether he thought there was anything good about Falun Gong. Cindy Wong Yiu-hing, a finance professional and a Falun Gong follower who migrated to Hong Kong from China seven years ago, said she was unhappy with Mr Ye's evasive response. She said she was worried Mr Ye's comments would undermine the SAR's freedom of speech and assembly. Hong Kong Catholic Auxiliary Bishop John Tong Hon, a guest at the conference, said it would be wrong to generalise about Falun Gong being a cult. He also said he could not agree with Mr Ye and his comments about the canonisation of 120 Catholic martyrs in October. 'There is nothing to talk about if two men don't share the same path,' Bishop Tong said. Falun Gong is registered under the Societies Ordinance. Those who oppose it have called for it to be de-registered, effectively banning it. The Government's Information Co-ordinator, Stephen Lam Sui-lung, said yesterday all organisations should abide by the law. 'On this basis, the Government will observe closely the activities of Falun Gong and will not allow anyone to abuse Hong Kong's freedoms.' He said the Government would not tolerate anyone undermining peace and order here or on the mainland. Last week, Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, deputy to Cardinal John Baptist Wu Cheng-chung, said Mr Tung should clarify his comments on Falun Gong, saying the remarks were alarming. Speaking to local Catholics, Protestants and Salvation Army members yesterday, Mr Ye devoted a lengthy portion of his speech to what he described as atrocities committed by foreign missionaries in China almost a century ago and accused Pope John Paul of jeopardising relations between the Vatican and China in October when he ignored Beijing's warning and named the martyrs as saints. 'Why can't the Pope apologise and admit he was wrong?' Mr Ye asked. 'If he says sorry, we will have face . . . and the tension can ease.'