Hong Kong, China - Despite claims that an immigration blacklist exists against it, the Falun Gong movement says its situation has improved recently in Hong Kong.
Falun Gong has never been illegal in the territory, where civil and religious rights are protected, and their daily protests against the central government outside the Star Ferry are a fact of life.
But ever since former president Jiang Zemin declared the meditation group an "evil cult" in June 1999 and banned its practice in the mainland, the group has worried it will face pressure here.
They cite the case of March 2002 when 16 Falun Gong members holding a demonstration outside the Central Government Liaison Office in Western were arrested and charged with obstruction of a public place. All 16 were convicted but, in May this year, the Court of Final Appeal overturned the decision, saying the nature of the demonstration did not qualify as obstruction.
In February 2003, 80 Falun Gong members from Taiwan were denied entry at Hong Kong International Airport. The practitioners, who were to attend a conference here, claim they were bruised on their arms and hands after being manhandled.
Now that incident is the subject of a judicial review to be heard today. Four of the Taiwanese who were denied entry are the principal applicants and are in Hong Kong for the hearing.
Falun Gong spokesman Kan Hung- cheung says he is still disappointed at the hostile behavior of immigration officers during the incident, but says he has seen an overall improvement in the treatment of sect members.
"Recently, the police have behaved better than before," he said. "Generally, we are well-treated by the police."
In the past, according to Kan, the police placed unfair restrictions on Falun Gong activities. When then- president Jiang visited the SAR in 2001, Kan said police kept Falun Gong demonstrators well out of range by assigning them to a far-off spot.
In addition, Kan said, even ordinary Falun Gong demonstrations were strictly regulated.
Demonstrators were often ordered to stay off the main road and instead march on the sidewalk. Kan said police have relaxed their restrictions lately, allowing demonstrators to march on the road.
He praised Hong Kong officials for the improvement in attitude toward the Falun Gong despite what he perceives to be heavy pressure from Beijing.
Official suspicions were aired in the press here Monday that the Falun Gong could contribute to unrest during the upcoming World Trade Organization talks by interfering with RTHK broadcasts.
Kan blamed Beijing for "once again spreading rumors" against his group.
According to Kan, the Falun Gong has been unfairly accused in the past of interrupting radio broadcasts in the mainland.
He said the accusations are not backed by hard evidence, although he could see the reason for attempting such a move. Kan said the Falun Gong has not formalized plans for a protest during the WTO conference but the group will most likely make its presence known.
"We are seriously considering taking the opportunity to let more people know about the truth of the persecution that's going on in the mainland," he said.
Founded in 1992 by Li Hongzhi, a former trumpet player from northeast China, Falun Gong claims more than 100 million followers worldwide.
It maintains that it is a spiritual sect blending Buddhism, Taoism and breathing exercises that aims to cultivate the mind and heart "through the careful study of universal principles based on truthfulness, benevolence and forbearance," according to the official Web site.
The group was banned after followers staged a massive silent demonstration outside the main leadership compound in Beijing in 1999.
Since then, there has been an ongoing war of words between Beijing and the group, with the Falun Gong occasionally seizing a few minutes of pirated air time on television in the mainland to state its case and members being routinely rounded up in police raids.
According to the Falun Dafa Information Center, there have been more than 2,300 confirmed deaths since the persecution of the Falun Gong in China began in 1999.
Hundreds of thousands of alleged practitioners have been detained, and more than 100,000 have been sent to forced labor camps, often without trial, the group claims.
Kan said the group's main goal now is to enlist the people's support in its struggle for justice. "We are absolutely not political," he said. "We only want the persecution to stop."