AWSJ: Thinking 'Evil' Thoughts

July 18, 2001

It's official: The Hong Kong government has taken the position that the Falun Gong spiritual group is an [Jiang Zemin government's slanderous term omitted]. There was some question earlier about this, even after Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa stood up in the legislature and said careful consideration had led him to that conclusion. The confusion arose because his No. 2 man, Donald Tsang, later suggested that this was just a personal opinion. But Mr. Tsang is now on board, and the Secretary for Security Regina Ip told the Journal last Friday that Mr. Tung was in fact speaking for the government.

These leaders admit that the Falun Gong hasn't broken any laws or done anything to harm other people. Yet they are singling out this local group of perhaps 500 people for following an "[Jiang Zemin government's slanderous term omitted]," which is the Chinese phrase usually translated as [Jiang Zemin government's slanderous term omitted].

Falun Gong members already face a lot of discrimination from society. Two years ago mainland China first banned the group, and this made many in the territory hesitant to associate with known members. Several members have lost their jobs because of this. When the group tried to rent function rooms for a convention in Hong Kong, more than 30 hotels turned it away.

The Hong Kong government's new policy can only make life more difficult for the members. Mrs. Ip has explained that she will monitor the Falun Gong carefully. This is not only an infringement on their privacy, since the group has given no indications that it will break the law. It also sets an example, suggesting other people should also take a cautious attitude toward them. After all, it's implied, how can a follower of an [Jiang Zemin government's slanderous term omitted] make a good employee, or be trusted to carry out any other function in society?

Fortunately, not everyone is cowering. Yesterday a representative of the Catholic Church in Hong Kong called this situation "absurd." The Rev. Stephen Chan said that the government has a duty to protect and safeguard voluntary associations. The church is right to be alarmed. Even if Mr. Tung is not using the police and prosecutors to attack Falun Gong, he is using his considerable authority to discourage individuals from joining or condoning it. Religious freedom means the freedom to follow one's belief free of government interference, which must include verbal attacks by leaders.

It's also a pretty scary attack on freedom of thought. Using the word "evil" to describe ideas, rather than actions, is inadvisable for any political leader. Granted, it might make sense in the case of some discrete value system that has demonstrably harmed others, like racism. But if Mr. Tung is going to damn the Falun Gong world view, which preaches "truth, benevolence and forbearance," some further explanation is necessary. As Father Chan said, "The government is damaging the reputation of a group of people. If they say the group is bad, they should substantiate it."

So far Mr. Tung hasn't offered much. He has only referred to the self-immolations [...] on Tiananmen Square in January. There are still many questions about that incident, but it is clear that the group's founder Li Hongzhi is firmly opposed to suicide. In fact, it is the vicious crackdown on Falun Gong which creates the biggest risk of future suicides, by driving believers to despair and possibly someday pushing Mr. Li down the millenarian road.

The closest the Hong Kong government has come to an explanation of its policy was a speech by Mrs. Ip last Friday. She cited American psychologist Margaret Singer's work, which is a mainstay of the anti[slanderous word omitted] movement. Mrs. Ip didn't mention Falun Gong by name, but she listed Dr. Singer's criteria for a [slanderous word omitted] and then said, " ... I am sure you can judge for yourself whether any particular group is such that it comes within the definition of a [slanderous word omitted] as identified by Dr. Singer."

However, it's not as simple as the secretary for security suggests. Some of the Singer criteria could indeed be applied to Falun Gong. But then again these same criteria could also apply to the Catholic Church.

Others of the criteria might possibly apply to Falun Gong, but there isn't enough publicly available evidence to be sure.

And some criteria clearly don't apply. For instance, the Falun Gong doesn't "require members to undergo a major disruption or change in lifestyle," nor is it "totalistic in controlling ... members' behavior." Falun Gong members typically hold normal jobs, live with their families and otherwise have a normal life, in contrast to most groups labeled [slanderous word omitted]. Mrs. Ip went on to mention the use of "brainwashing" techniques, but Falun Gong doesn't seem to use these people drift in and out of the group at will.

If Mr. Tung and Mrs. Ip are sincere in wanting to prevent a tragedy, they could present the public with any concrete information they have to support the case that Falun Gong fits Dr. Singer's criteria. They could also accept the group's offer to meet with government officials. After all, if it merits watching, what better vantage point for doing so than the opposite side of a conference table? If the fear is that a persecution complex will lead to mass suicide, reassurance in the form of dialogue would help to defuse tension. It would be simple enough to tell the public that this doesn't imply any government imprimatur for the group.

But this won't happen because Mr. Tung seems motivated more by the desire to please Beijing than an imperative to protect Hong Kong citizens. Mrs. Ip hinted at this when she told the Journal last Friday she understood it is "not part of U.S. culture to pass judgment on other people's beliefs and values, but this is not the Chinese culture. Our culture has always been, the government has always been prescriptive. The government always has to take a stand and urge the people to tell right from wrong, tell the good from the evil. This is the traditional role of the government. Mr. Tung was working in accordance with that tradition."

Mrs. Ip is certainly right that this is the culture of mainland China, and Mr. Tung is following it. But Hong Kong has its own separate political culture, underpinned by the common-law tradition. It requires that no individual or group be singled out for punishment or curtailment of rights by the government without due process of law.