There were no reports of religious detainees or prisoners. After questioning the practitioners, the authorities expelled them to Hong Kong. The practitioners did not have permission to demonstrate, and as foreigners did not have the legal right to demonstrate. There were no reports of the forced religious conversion of minor U.S. citizens who had been abducted or illegally removed from the United States, or of the Government's refusal to allow such citizens to be returned to the United States. Societal Attitudes Relations between the various religious communities are amicable.
Citizens are generally very tolerant of other religious views and practices.
Public ceremonies and dedications often include prayers by both Christian and Buddhist groups. The U.S. Government discusses religious freedom issues with the Government in the context of its overall dialog and policy of promoting human rights. Officers from the Consulate General in Hong Kong protested the detention and expulsion of foreign Falun Gong practitioners by the Portuguese colonial government in December 1999. Officers from the Consulate General in Hong Kong meet regularly with religious leaders.