HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong leader Tung Chee-hwa said on Thursday he had no immediate plans to propose legislation to ban the controversial Falun Gong spiritual group, which he called a well-organized cult with a political agenda.
The remarks were his bluntest yet on the group, which was banned in mainland China in mid-1999 but is still legal in this special administrative region of the communist country.
``Undoubtedly, Falun Gong is a cult, it is well-organized, it has lots of resources and it is an organization that has politics on its mind,'' he told legislators during a question and answer session.
But Tung, who has previously described the group as ``bearing more or less the characteristics of an evil cult,'' ruled out immediate measures to curb the group.
``I don't think that it is now the time to enact legislation. We are not at that stage yet but we will keep a close eye on their every move,'' he said.
China, which accuses Falun Gong of trying to topple its communist leadership, has intensified its crackdown on the group since an apparent suicide attempt by alleged members in Beijing in January. A mother and her 12-year-old daughter died after the self-immolation incident on Beijing's Tiananmen Square.
The group in Hong Kong, which has over 300 members, has irked Beijing with several protests this year against the crackdown, including demonstrations during a visit to the territory by Chinese President Jiang Zemin.
Tung and other senior officials have said they were studying how cults were handled in other countries and have not ruled out enacting laws at some point to curb the group.
The recent adoption of an anti-sect law in France prompted some religious and rights groups in Hong Kong to speak out strongly against any curbs on the Falun Gong, saying it would spell the death of religious freedoms in the territory.
The Falun Gong hit back quickly at Tung on Thursday.
``What Mr. Tung said is very prejudiced, wrong, unfair and irresponsible,'' said Tony Chan, a Hong Kong Falun Gong member.
``If he looks at other countries, he will see that all other governments have nothing against the Falun Gong. Even in France, which has legislated against sects, we are not regarded a cult.''
Hong Kong, a British colony for more than 150 years, reverted to Chinese rule in July 1997 with the pledge it would have a high degree of autonomy and enjoy broad freedoms within China.