HONG KONG, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Ten members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement in Hong Kong fasted for a fourth day on Tuesday to protest against the imprisonment of followers in China.
The 10, who have not been eating but are drinking water, said they would break their fast outside Beijing's Liaison Office at 9 a.m. (0100 GMT) on Wednesday, when a new batch of members would take over the hunger strike.
"For the sake of our health and in order to let others have a chance, the current 10 who are fasting would end their hunger strike from tomorrow," the Falun Gong group said in a statement.
Wong Yiu-hing, one of the hunger strikers, told Reuters some of them were tired but most felt fine.
The 10 were briefly detained on Saturday, the first time members of the group have been held by Hong Kong police.
Police said they detained them after receiving several complaints, including one from the building management of the Liaison Office, that they were obstructing traffic.
The detentions stirred media debate about whether the government was taking a tougher line against the group.
The Falun Gong is vilified by Beijing as an "evil cult" intent on overthrowing the Communist Party, but it is still legal in Hong Kong, a former British colony which reverted to Chinese rule in 1997 with the promise of a high degree of autonomy.
"I think this is a bad sign as it indicated that there may be growing intolerance for the group, especially among the police, though we cannot be sure," said Law Yuk-kai, a spokesman for the Human Rights Monitor.
Followers in Hong Kong have repeatedly irked China with high-profile protests this year against the mainland crackdown.
The Hong Kong government recently began echoing Beijing in calling the movement an "evil cult" and pro-Beijing politicians in the territory are pushing for an anti-sedition law to curb the group.
PUBLIC VIEWS MIXED
The latest protest drew mixed views from the Hong Kong public.
"They are a nuisance, they are obstructing traffic. It's all a load of rubbish and they are making themselves suffer for nothing," said an old man who identified himself only as Lo.
Others were more sympathetic.
"They are very daring to do this in front of the Liaison Office, especially after (Hong Kong leader) Tung Chee-wah called them an evil cult, but they are not creating any problems and they have the right to do this," said accountant Terry Chiu, who was passing by the building.
"But they have their point, after all China has been persecuting their members," she said.
The group says more than 50,000 practitioners have been thrown into prisons, labour camps and mental hospitals around China and detainees are mentally and physically abused.
Human rights groups estimate more than 200 have died from torture while in detention.
The Hong Kong Buddhist Association would not comment on the protest.
"Our relationship with the group is a bit uneasy and we have made a statement about two or three years ago that the Buddhist religion is different from Falun Gong. Whatever the group does has no bearing on us," said an official of the association.
Unlike Buddhism, Falun Gong mixes Taoist, Buddhist and folk religions and preaches that meditation and special exercises will bring good health and morality.
04:38 08-28-01
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