Two Beijing allies met for the first time with Falun Gong followers and warned them to cut ties with mainland adherents and take a lower profile in Hong Kong, both sides said yesterday.
Falun Gong said it wanted to promote understanding by asking for the face-to-face session with two representatives of China's National People's Congress -- but there was no apparent shift in position by anybody.
"If you keep pushing so hard, you'll just be hitting your head against a wall," said Raymond Wu (鄔維庸), one of the NPC representatives, during the meeting that was videotaped late Friday and can be seen on a Hong Kong newspapers' Internet site.
Wu and NPC colleague Ma Lik talked for 75 minutes with Falun Gong figures including Kan Hung-cheung, a local spokesman for the meditation sect whom China's Xinhua News Agency has singled out as "a backbone member of the evil cult."
Kan said yesterday that Falun Gong had initiated the unprecedented meeting, which he called a "good start" to promoting understanding and communication with Beijing's allies -- who accuse Falun Gong of abusing Hong Kong's free speech rights to try to subvert the Chinese government.
On the videotape, Kan urged the Beijing allies to help Falun Gong "make this a start, a rational, well intended and peaceful communication channel.
"I hope the two National People's Congress representatives will, if it is possible, listen to our opinions and appeal on behalf of us, to put forward the truth and to understand us," Kan said.
Wu and Ma said they were meeting with Falun Gong in their personal capacities, and Ma said yesterday he would not be used as a conduit for Falun Gong to deliver its messages to the Chinese leadership in Beijing.
"We don't expect a lot of outcome," Ma said.
The adversaries met in the headquarters of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong, the biggest pro-Beijing party where Ma serves as secretary general. Party workers used paper to cover up all DAB party emblems so they could not be seen in the video tape.
Pro-Beijing forces are outraged to see what they view as anti-China activities right on Chinese soil. Hong Kong's political leader, Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa (董建華), labeled Falun Gong a "cult" on Thursday and said Hong Kong authorities will closely monitor its activities although not announcing any actions against the group.
Falun Gong met with the pro-Beijing figures the next day.
Pro-democracy politicians and human rights activists are worried the battle will end with Hong Kong clamping down on Falun Gong, and thus eroding the territory's freedoms.
But some said they were encouraged to see the two sides meet. "My worry is that criticizing the central government in a high-profile way is seen to be a sin here," said Law Yuk-kai, director of the Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor. "That's something not very heartening, but it's good there's some type of dialogue."
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