Tung Chee-hwa yesterday strengthened his attacks on Falun Gong, saying there was no doubt it was a political and well-organised 'evil cult' - but said it was not yet time to enact anti-cult laws.
Pro-democracy legislators said Mr Tung's remarks amounted to passing a death sentence on 'one country, two systems' as Hong Kong appeared to be blindly following Beijing, which outlawed the sect in July 1999.
Local Falun Gong representatives said the remarks were defamatory. The Chief Executive has in the past said the sect bore 'more or less the characteristics of an evil cult'.
Mr Tung made the remarks when questioned by Chan Kam-lam of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong during a 70-minute Legco session about his views on enacting an anti-cult law.
'No doubt, the Falun Gong is an evil cult,' Mr Tung said under the protection of privilege. 'It is tightly and strictly organised, its financial sources are very abundant and it is a political organisation.'
He said that Falun Gong in Hong Kong and on the mainland was headed by the same leader with the same 'dogma', and that the sect should be closely watched.
