China defector says would rather die than go home

CANBERRA (Reuters) - A Chinese diplomat pleading for political asylum in Australia has said he would rather die than go home, as Prime Minister John Howard tried on Thursday to calm concerns the asylum bid may harm Sino-Australian relations.

Howard said an application for political asylum by Chen Yonglin, a 37-year-old political affairs consul at China's Sydney consulate, would not be influenced by Australia's booming trade and economic ties with China.

"Let me simply say that, just as in relation to the U.S., we have steadfastly refused to mix trade with politics and strategy and national security. So it is in relation to China, and I'm sure that our Chinese friends will know that," he told a business lunch in Sydney.

China, which is Australia's third-largest trading partner with annual trade worth A$28.9 billion ($22.7 billion), is in talks with Canberra on a free trade deal and a separate pact to import Australian uranium.

In a letter to Australia's Immigration Department last month and released by the minority Australian Greens party on Thursday, Chen said his role at China's Sydney consulate persecuting Falun Gong practitioners had given him nightmares.

Falun Gong is an amalgam of religions, meditation and exercises that the Chinese government considers a dangerous cult.

"My spirit is severely distressed for my sin at working for the unjustified authority in a somewhat evil way and my hair turns white quickly in the last four years for frequent nightmares," Chen wrote.

Chen described Falun Gong as a cult with vulnerable and innocent members and said he feared being forced to return home to continue monitoring Falun Gong affairs.

"I would rather die than be forced to do so ... I have no choice but to seek asylum in Australia," he wrote.

China has dismissed Chen's claims about a Chinese spy network and his fears that he could be kidnapped by spies and sent home for helping pro-democracy activists.

But Australia's opposition Labor called on the government to give protection to Chen, and a second Chinese man, Hao Fengjun, who is also seeking political asylum.

Hao, who said he worked for China's security service, known as 610, has backed claims by Chen that Beijing has up to 1,000 spies operating across Australia.

The Immigration Department has said it is examining Chen's application for a protection visa, which is granted to asylum seekers under the U.N. Refugees Convention.

Howard said about 1,000 Chinese apply for protection visas from the Immigration Department in Australia each year.

Chen has also applied for a rare "territorial asylum visa" from Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, but Downer has discouraged the application for political asylum, urging Chen to seek a protection via an immigration visa.

But Greens party leader Bob Brown said the Australian government was just trying not to offend China.

"I have no doubt ... (the government) feels it will be less of an affront to China if some other form of visa is offered," Brown told Australian radio.

Brown said the handling of the Chinese diplomat was also a security bungle as he had not been interviewed by Australian security agencies.

"If Mr Howard couldn't act on behalf of this Chinese diplomat, why hasn't he acted on behalf of this nation?" Brown said. "It is extraordinary that (intelligence agencies) ... haven't been in contact with this man."

Chen, who is in hiding with his wife and 6-year-old daughter, made his political asylum bid public on Saturday when he spoke at a Sydney rally to mark the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests.

The second Chinese man, Hao, told Australian television that he had worked for China's security service in the northern port city of Tianjin. He said he traveled to Australia as a tourist in February and then applied for asylum.

An immigration department spokeswoman would not confirm or deny Hao's application.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1417299/posts

Australia rejects Chinese defector

Posted on 06/06/2005 7:25:58 AM EDT by CarrotAndStick

A Chinese diplomat's attempt to defect to Australia and explosive claims about Beijing's espionage activities has cast a shadow over Canberra's attempts to negotiate a free trade deal with China. Chen Yonglin, 37, worked as a diplomat at the Chinese Consulate-General in Sydney until he walked away from the mission last month to seek political asylum in Australia.

In an interview published Monday, Chen claimed his application for political asylum was rejected by Canberra within just 24 hours and without his meeting any senior government officials.

Chen's is the highest profile attempted defection to Australia since Soviet spy Vladimir Petrov in 1954.

Among claims Chen has made about China are that Beijing has up to 1,000 spies operating in Australia and has sent agents to abduct Chinese nationals and repatriate them. He has produced no evidence to back up the allegations.

On Monday, China's ambassador in Canberra Fu Ying dismissed the claims.

"I stand to be enlightened by anyone who has knowledge" of the alleged espionage, she said.

The Australian government has declined comment on the claims and said immigration officials will give the diplomat no special treatment.

"I didn't think it would happen like this," Chen said in an interview published in Monday's edition of The Sydney Morning Herald.

"Australia is a democratic country. I thought they would help me. My family is desperate. We are helpless. We need to be in a safe place."

Chen could not be reached Monday for comment.

But Fu attempted to downplay fears Chen's asylum bid could damage relations.

"I think our relations are strong enough to continue our understanding of each other as long as both countries handle the cases, especially difficult cases, in accordance with our respective laws and ... taking into consideration the friendly relations between our two countries," she said.

China's consulate in Sydney has claimed Chen fabricated his claims because he does not want to return to China following his four-year diplomatic posting to the city.

Fu also rejected Chen's claims he was in danger.

"I don't think there is any reason China would punish him," she said. "There are laws which would guarantee his freedom."

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has said Chen is now seeking a temporary protection visa -- usually given to refugees fleeing persecution.

Attorney General Philip Ruddock declined comment Monday on Chen's asylum application or his espionage claims.

"I'm not in a position to comment on matters that might relate to any assessments that are made in relation to broader security issues," Ruddock told reporters.

Chinese ogre has giant appetite!

Canberra and Beijing's trade relationship has blossomed in recent years as Australian miners pour billions of dollars worth of raw materials and fuel into the rapidly expanding Chinese economy.

Now the two nations are seeking to hammer out a free trade deal they say would be worth billions more.

Prof. Hugh White, head of the Australian National University's Strategic and Defense Studies Center, said China has made it clear that the development of the economic and trade relationship was dependent on Australia being sympathetic to China's concerns on political and security issues.

"I think it does potentially put the government in a tough diplomatic position," he told the ABC.

"The concerns in the Australian community about the human rights of this individual are significant and valid; on the other hand, China I think will want this guy back and would tend to view a decision by the government to grant him political asylum or even refugee status ... as a fairly adversarial thing to do."

Australia looks bad in this scandal: it does appear that it is the threat of damaging economic relations with China is the reason that Australia is leaving Mr. Chen hanging in a very cold wind.

If trade relations aren't the reason, then Australia needs to get another reason out there pronto -- we already have major human intelligence problems now with China (they have lots of spies, we have practically none), and if defectors know that they are going to get the cold shoulder when they try to escape, then we sure aren't helping ourselves.

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