Jul 27, 2020 04:13 AM
Banned in China: some Falun Gong members fear new Hong Kong national security law
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-hongko...KKCN24S02V
EXCERPTS: The spiritual group Falun Gong was banned in mainland China in 1999 but its members have been allowed to practice in Hong Kong freely [...] Yang Xiaolan said she no longer feels safe in the city after the security law made the broadly defined crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces punishable by up to life in prison.
“In the mainland, my heart always trembled when I practiced Falun Gong. I constantly feared for my life,” said Yang, who fled mainland China in 2009. [...] The Hong Kong government declined to comment on how the new law would impact Falun Gong, but said the law preserves “the basic rights and freedom lawfully enjoyed by law-abiding citizens.” The law makes no mention of religious or spiritual groups.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the new Hong Kong law will sanction[?] any behavior that endangers national security. On Falun Gong generally, the ministry said in a statement: “Falun Gong is a cult organization banned by the Chinese government in accordance with the law, which has also been spurned by the Chinese people for a long time. Banning this cult organization is an act of justice by the Chinese government, made in response to the people’s demand and an effort to maintain social stability and to protect human rights. The alleged suppression is nonsense.”
Falun Gong was founded in mainland China in 1992, combining meditation, slow-motion exercises, moral teachings broadly based on Buddhism and Taoism and leader Li Hongzhi’s sometimes unorthodox theories, such as his belief that aliens have started to take over the world.
The Chinese Communist Party saw the group’s growing popularity as a challenge to its rule and banned it after 10,000 practitioners silently protested in Beijing, calling it an “evil cult” that threatened national stability, and imprisoned some of its members. Some Falun Gong members [in Hong Kong] said they have already made changes. [...] Falun Gong used to prominently display a poster saying “Heaven will destroy the Communist Party.” About two weeks after the new law, it was gone... (MORE - details)
RELATED: The Epoch Times .... China’s censorship of LGBT content and online communities
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-hongko...KKCN24S02V
EXCERPTS: The spiritual group Falun Gong was banned in mainland China in 1999 but its members have been allowed to practice in Hong Kong freely [...] Yang Xiaolan said she no longer feels safe in the city after the security law made the broadly defined crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces punishable by up to life in prison.
“In the mainland, my heart always trembled when I practiced Falun Gong. I constantly feared for my life,” said Yang, who fled mainland China in 2009. [...] The Hong Kong government declined to comment on how the new law would impact Falun Gong, but said the law preserves “the basic rights and freedom lawfully enjoyed by law-abiding citizens.” The law makes no mention of religious or spiritual groups.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the new Hong Kong law will sanction[?] any behavior that endangers national security. On Falun Gong generally, the ministry said in a statement: “Falun Gong is a cult organization banned by the Chinese government in accordance with the law, which has also been spurned by the Chinese people for a long time. Banning this cult organization is an act of justice by the Chinese government, made in response to the people’s demand and an effort to maintain social stability and to protect human rights. The alleged suppression is nonsense.”
Falun Gong was founded in mainland China in 1992, combining meditation, slow-motion exercises, moral teachings broadly based on Buddhism and Taoism and leader Li Hongzhi’s sometimes unorthodox theories, such as his belief that aliens have started to take over the world.
The Chinese Communist Party saw the group’s growing popularity as a challenge to its rule and banned it after 10,000 practitioners silently protested in Beijing, calling it an “evil cult” that threatened national stability, and imprisoned some of its members. Some Falun Gong members [in Hong Kong] said they have already made changes. [...] Falun Gong used to prominently display a poster saying “Heaven will destroy the Communist Party.” About two weeks after the new law, it was gone... (MORE - details)
RELATED: The Epoch Times .... China’s censorship of LGBT content and online communities