Communist Party leaders attend a Buddhist ceremony in Hong Kong
Hong Kong (AsiaNews/Agencies) Government officials from Beijing arrived in Hong Kong today to attend a Buddhist ceremony while gearing up to meet with local political and religious leaders. It is still not clear whether there will be a meeting with the feisty bishop of Hong Kong, Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, who has been very critical of the Chinese central government's policies on religion.
Liu Yandong, director of the Chinese Department of Labor, united to the Communist Party's political platform, and Ye Xiaowen, president of the State Religious Affairs Bureau, will also attend the service to honor a famous relic of Buddha himself, which tradition says is a bone of one of his fingers.
The group of Beijing officials will stay in Hong Kong until June 4, the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, while meeting with representatives of various city organizations.
It is likely that they will also meet with Bishop Zen, even if the prelate has said that he has not received any official notice so far.
"I don't think its worth it for me to make any efforts (to meet with them). I don't know how much time they have on their hands and I am uncertain whether they think it's in their best interest to meet with me," the bishop said.
China's inviting the bishop to Shanghai last month, after 6 years of being prohibited from entering China, seemed to signal a de-thawing in Hong Kong's icy relations with Beijing. As during his Shanghai visit, Bishop Zen has shown himself to be open this time. "I hope this is a sincere attempt to form a united front. (This) means making friends and turning enemies into friends, not raising up opposition or separatist forces and barriers," the Hong Kong prelate said.
Relations between China and Hong Kong are at a critical juncture after Beijing has taken upon itself to decide the future of any democratic reform and development in Hong Kong. For some time now 80% of the population in Hong Kong have asked to be able to directly elect the island's chief executive (governor) and enjoy rights to universal suffrage.
Bishop Zen is among the few religious leaders in Hong Kong who makes his opinions known for greater freedom and democracy, even welcoming citizens to protest for the rights written into Hong Kong's mini-constitution, the Basic Law.
Recently, Buddhist monk Sik Kok Kwong chairman of the Hong Kong Buddhist Association has urged Hong Kong's citizenry to heed Beijing's demands, to not get involved in politics and not participate in the July 1 democratic movement rally.
This year festivities to commemorate Hong Kong's reversion to China will be interwoven with themes related to democracy. Last year's anniversary events attracted over 500,000 citizens strongly critical of Beijing's policies and chief executive Tung Chee-hwa. (MR)
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19/04/2007
19/06/2020 15:09
