Falungong folly has gone far enough

Tung Chee-Hwa, Hong Kong's chief executive, last week branded the Falungong meditation sect an "evil cult" and vowed that it would be "closely monitored", weakening confidence that Hong Kong will retain the freedom of speech, religion and assembly which it enjoyed under British rule before the crown colony was returned to Beijing in 1997.

It is impossible to imagine why Beijing felt it necessary to embark on a campaign to crush Falungong about 18 months ago despite its members' vehement denials of having any political agenda. The crackdown on the sect, which espouses breathing exercises, clean living and a mix of Buddhism, Taoism and traditional Chinese beliefs, clearly illustrates the failure of an overwhelmingly centralized, top-down, communist-style government.

It also shows that the human spirit, with its cravings for the divine and intangible, can never be crushed by oppressive state forces, no matter how extensive the repressive apparatus or how brutal the ruthlessness of the oppressor.

Under an agreement reached with Britain before the handover in 1997, Beijing promised to allow Hong Kong citizens their Western- style freedoms and autonomy for 50 years.

To not honor that pledge for the sake of rooting out and destroying a religious sect with no more than 500 members in Hong Kong will have huge repercussions on China's international relations, not to mention any hope of a peaceful re-unification of Taiwan with the mainland.

Instead of trying to extend its control into the very souls of its people, Beijing should abandon this arrogant folly and let its people, both on the mainland and in Hong Kong, live in peace.

-- The Bangkok Post