Published by: World Tibet Network News Monday, October 27th 1997

HONG KONG, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Hong Kong residents may be unable to see three controversial new movies about Tibet and China even in their own homes as video distribution is falling victim to a self-imposed ban on the films, a Hong Kong newspaper said on Sunday.

Some film distributors in the former British colony had earlier refused to carry the Hollywood movies, which have upset Beijing.

Hong Kong returned to Chinese control in July after 156 years of British rule. The fate of the films is the latest in a string of incidents that have aroused concern about self-censorship aimed at appeasing the territory's new masters.

The South China Morning Post said MGM's ``Red Corner,'' starring Richard Gere, would not be released on video or shown on theatres.

The movie is about an American businessman in China who is framed by corrupt Chinese officials.

The newspaper quoted Robert Ko, marketing and sales manager of local video distributor Era, which handles MGM films in Hong Kong, as saying the video release would be delayed until after cinema screenings were complete.

But he also said there were no plans to release the movie to cinemas.

``It's not in the schedule,'' Ko said.

``Kundun,'' produced by the Walt Disney Company and directed by Martin Scorsese, and ``Seven Years in Tibet,'' starring Brad Pitt, has no video distributors in Hong Kong because the video rights were offered as a package with cinema rights, which have yet to be bought, the Post said.

One distributor told Reuters he was afraid of angering Beijing.

China has made clear it strongly opposes the two movies on Tibet, which portray the life of the Dalai Lama.

The Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, fled in 1959 when Chinese troops overran Tibet and suppressed an anti-Beijing revolt.

The two movies deal with the life of the Dalai Lama and China's occupation of the remote, devoutly Buddhist region which Beijing regards as Chinese sovereign territory.

The Chinese government has denounced ``Kundun'' and threatened Disney with commercial retaliation if it releases the movie. Disney has refused to back down.