overseas media on Falun Gong

The Falun Gong is "an evil cult", Tung Chee-hwa, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) said Thursday at a Legislative Council question and answer session.

"The Falun Gong is in no doubt an evil cult. It is very well- organized, has bountiful financial resources, and is a political organization," Tung said, adding that the SAR government is studying the law of other countries in dealing with cults.

"I don't think this is the time to enact a law as we have not arrived at that stage yet," Tung said. But the government will " monitor closely" every move of Falun Gong followers in Hong Kong, he added.

"Since the Falun Gong has caused big hazards on the Chinese mainland, we will monitor their every move in Hong Kong as they have the same master and share the same doctrines," Tung said. "We will monitor them in order not to let them cause any harm to social safety" in Hong Kong or "to bring instability to the mainland," he added.

When asked if he had any solid evidence to support the claim that the Falun Gong is "an evil sect" by Albert Ho from the Democratic Party, Tung said, "If you had seen the self-burning incidents at Tiananmen Square ... you would have arrived at the same conclusion."