Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Vanished user 5zariu3jisj0j4irj (talk | contribs) at 09:47, 5 July 2005 (changing reference into a direct cite to make it clear that this claim is sourced). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. Feel free to improve this article or discuss changes on the talk page, but please note that updates without valid and reliable references will be removed. (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Chen Yonglin is a senior Chinese diplomat who has sparked fears of a diplomatic incident through his attempted defection to Australia in late May 2005. He is still in hiding while his request for a protection visa is decided.

Chen had been a university student in Beijing during the pro-democracy movement that ultimately led to the Tiananmen Square protests, in which several of his friends were wounded. He underwent "re-education" after the subsequent crackdown on dissidents, and joined the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1991. This culminated in his posting as the consul for political affairs in the Chinese consulate in Sydney, Australia. In this position, Chen has stated that he was responsible for monitoring Chinese political dissidents living in Australia. He also reportedly had access to highly classified information on Chinese intelligence activities in Australia. Chen has claimed that he had "gone easy" on dissidents and members of Falun Gong and had not reported some actions in protest at China's policies towards political dissent. He has also suggested that the Chinese government was becoming suspicious of his activities, and that as a result, he fears for his safety if returned to China.

In late May 2005 (there have been conflicting reports as to the exact day), Chen walked out of the consulate and went into hiding with his wife and six-year old daughter. He reportedly met an officer from the Department of Immigration on May 26, and then a representative from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on May 31. Chen has stated that he was told at the latter meeting that his request for political asylum had been rejected, but that he could apply for a protection visa. The story broke to the international media on June 3, when Chen contacted The Weekend Australian newspaper, sparking fears of a serious diplomatic incident between the two nations.

On June 4, though he allegedly feared being kidnapped, Chen come out of hiding in order to address a rally commemorating the 16th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. During his speech, he claimed that he would "reveal everything he knows" if he was allowed to remain in Australia. He also claimed that the Chinese government had more than a thousand agents in Australia, and that they were responsible for kidnapping Chinese dissidents and returning them to China. Furthermore, Chen claimed that in one particular case in early 2000, Chinese agents in Sydney had kidnapped a student, Lan Meng, to force his dissident father to return to China. The father, Lan Fu, did return in 2000 to face prosecution and a death sentence, but the charges stemmed from a US$6 billion smuggling racket in Xiamen, where Lan Fu had been deputy mayor, rather than from any dissident activity. Lan's lawyer, Zhu Yongping denied that kidnapping played a part in his client's voluntary return, insisting his client had given himself up voluntarily. On June 10 Chen appeared to retract that accusation, commenting only that "I said that in fear, and I don't want to talk about it again." On June 22, however, Chen provided further details about the alleged kidnapping, naming Zhang Jin, Deputy Director of the Third Department of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, as the official responsible for the abduction. The Weekend Australian has found that Lan Meng, then 18, was living in the Melbourne suburb of Sandringham from November 1999 until November 2000, for at least three months before Lan Fu returned to China, casting further doubt on the story that Lan Meng was kidnapped and taken to China, leading up to Lan Fu's return. It is believed that Lan Meng and Lan Fu's wife, Lai Chongxin are still in Australia, and Lan's wife was also reported to be on China's wanted list in connection with the Xiamen scandal.

After the June 4th rally, Chen once again went into hiding, having claimed that he was under constant surveillance and in fear of his life. The future of his claim for a protection visa remains unclear, as it places Australia in a difficult situation regarding its trade relationship with China - which in turn has its own concerns about its human rights reputation in the leadup to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. While the government has so far been reluctant to comment on the issue, saying only that he will receive no special treatment Shadow Minister for Immigration Laurie Ferguson and prominent trade unionist Bill Shorten have both been particularly vocal in their defence of Chen, demanding that the government put trade concerns aside and review his case, comparing it to the Petrov Affair during the Cold War. On June 5, the Chinese embassy released a statement concerning its version of events, claiming that Chen was due to return home and had made up the claims in the hope that he would be allowed to stay, and attempting to alleviate fears that Chen would be harmed if he returned to China. On June 7 Chen's claims were supported by Hao Fengjun, a former police officer with the 610 Office, a special security force established to eradicate Falun Gong by whatever means they deem necessary. The Chinese government responded by claiming that documents seized from Hao's home in China had shown that he was a low-level policeman suspected of corruption. Hao's lawyer, Bernard Collaery, attacked the claims, however, claiming that they were "standard (Chinese) tactics."

On June 20, Chen participated in World Refugee Day rallies, calling for the Australian government to release detainees and drop its policy of mandatory detention. On June 21, Chen was granted a temporary "bridging" visa, while his case is under review.

External Link

• 'Secret documents exchanged' for asylum, Sydney Morning Herald, June 8, 2005
• Chen participating at refugee rally
• Hao Fengjun's claims
• Chinese claims of Hao's corruption

• Current events
• Defectors
• Chinese people