Australia:Diplomat 'fears for life'(Would-be defector claims Chinese kidnapping operation)

News.com.au ^ | 06/04/05 | Jonathan Granger

[TigerLikesRooster]

Diplomat 'fears for life'

By Jonathan Granger

June 04, 2005

From: AAP

A CHINESE diplomat seeking political asylum in Australia has come out of hiding to address a public rally in Sydney, despite saying he fears for his life.

And Chen Youg Lin, 37, has promised to reveal to Australians "everything I know" about threats by Chinese foreign agents "to the Australian society and its people".

Mr Chen said he walked out of the Chinese consulate-general in Sydney four days ago, saying he could no longer support his country's refusal to embrace democratic reform and its persecution of religious group Falun Gong.

Mr Chen, the former consul for political affairs with the Chinese consulate in Sydney, says he is in hiding with his wife Jin Ping, 38, and six-year-old daughter.

Today, he emerged to address a rally commemorating the 16th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre.

He revealed to protesters what he said was confidential consular information about the kidnapping of several opponents to the Chinese government.

He said at least one was sentenced to death, and he now fears the same fate himself unless the Australian government grants him asylum.

Although Mr Chen said he feared Chinese agents would kidnap him, he fled from his consular posting on public transport – and he left today's rally in a taxi.

Following today's gathering, in Sydney's Martin Place, Mr Chen then told reporters the Chinese government believed he was a threat before he left the consulate.

"Because I had offered some help to some democracy activists and Falun Gong practitioners in some way," he said.

"They (Chinese secret agents) have been searching for me and chased me and when I went out in Gosford I spotted them and I have to leave immediately."

Mr Chen said he ran, escaping on public transport.

He said it was unlikely he could continue to escape the agents because they had been to his house and were following him.

"It will be very hard to get rid of (them) because they have thousands of agents in Australia," he said.

Mr Chen said he was being protected by "supporters of democracy".

Mr Chen revealed to protesters at the rally what he described as confidential consular information, including the case of an official, Lan Fu, who came to Australia on November 27, 1999, on a tourist visa. Mr Chen said Mr Fu, an opponent of the Chinese government, tried to extend his visa, fearing persecution should he return to China.

Media reports later said Mr Fu voluntarily went back to China in January 2000.

Mr Chen said Mr Fu was tried and sentenced to death three months later.

"The reason behind this events (sic) were Chinese security agents kidnapped Mr Lan Fu's son who was studying in Australia," Mr Chen said.

Mr Fu's son was drugged and sent on a boat to the "high seas" where a Chinese cargo ship took him to China, Mr Chen said.

"I told this to the Australian government when the immigration and foreign affairs officials interviewed me on the 31st of May but they don't care," he told the rally.

"It's important for the Australian public to know Australia is not a safe place."

International affairs analyst Dr Keith Suter said Mr Chen's attempts for asylum had caused a problem for the Australian government.

"The problem for the government is that if this were back in the old cold war days, and a person had fled from the communist embassy, we would have welcomed the person with open arms as we did with the Petrov scandal 40 years ago," Dr Suter told Sky News.

"But now, of course, China is a major trading ally for Australia and we don't want to do anything that's going to be offending China in terms of its trade policies.

"It also comes at a time when China itself is very sensitive about its human rights record. It's hoping to get minimum amount of publicity for its human rights record in the lead up to its nice friendly Olympics (in 2008)."

Federal opposition immigration spokesman Laurie Ferguson said Mr Chen's case should be looked at by the immigration department.

"China is a not a western democracy," Mr said.

"Obviously, whether it's ethnic minorities in western China or Falun Gong or people who seek a more open society, there are issues there and obviously his case should be looked at."

[TigerLikesRooster]

Ping!

[Red Sea Swimmer]

A Chinese submarine kidnapped Harold Holt in the 1960's, or was it a Dingo with flippers ?

[Khurkris]

...dead man walkin'...

[snowsislander]

"The problem for the government is that if this were back in the old cold war days, and a person had fled from the communist embassy, we would have welcomed the person with open arms as we did with the Petrov scandal 40 years ago," Dr Suter told Sky News.

"But now, of course, China is a major trading ally for Australia and we don't want to do anything that's going to be offending China in terms of its trade policies.

Compromise in the form of trading with totalitarian governments leads to this type of compromise with one's principles.

For what it is worth, "Vladimir Petrov" (an alias for Mr. Shorokhov who later became "Mr. Allyson" while living incognito in Australia) fled the Russian embassy in April of 1954, 51 years ago, not 40.

And of course here is the obligatory picture of Mrs. Evdokia Petrov being forced onto the airplane by the Russian goon squad:

The Wikipedia has a short summary of the Petrov Affair here. The Australia government has a more fullsome description here. As far as I can tell, neither mentions that the main reason that "Petrov" fled was due to fear in the bloody purge of "Beria's Boys".

[Brian Allen]

BUMPping

[SkyPilot]

Excellent and well documented post.