MEDIA RELEASE: Second China Defector shows urgent need for Australian Falun Gong asylum Project SafeCom Inc. Media Release Wednesday June 8 2005 6:30am WST For immediate Release No Embargoes "With the defection of a second Chinese Official as reported by The Epoch Times, Mr. Hao Fengjun, Australian Prime Minister John Howard should come out of his hiding place behind his "Free Trade Barrier" and show that human rights account for more than than free trade deals with China, and publicly declare that he intends to offer protection to all Falun Gong practitiioners currently seeking asylum in Australia," WA Refugee group Project SafeCom's spokesman Jack Smit said this morning. The fresh report of the second defector includes an interview with the Melbourne-based man, who was, just like Mr Chen Yonglin, assigned to the infamous "610 Unit" designed to uncover and crack down on people connected to adherents of the Falun Gong movement. The 610 office is a Chinese security agency which was established to oversee the persecution of Chinese people who practice Falun Gong or belong to other spiritual groups. As reported by Australian refugee advocate Sr Jane Keogh, a Canberra-based Brigidine Sister, "In September 2003, the Chinese Communist Party - led by Chinese President Jiang Zamin - called for a "fight until the end" against Falun Gong. There are also reliable reports from within China that the current death toll of Falun Gong practitioners is actually over 5,000." "Today," Project SafeCom's Jack Smit said, "Mr Howard needs to make a choice of who he has dinner with, and that is, he has dinner with the powerful merchants of the world who he collaborates with under the 'Free Trade Deal' with China, or he decides to dine with the humble people involved in meditations seeking peace for the world, who, when returned to China, face the same fate as 5,000 others before them. Mr Howard can no longer avoid telling the Australian people who he lends his support." 32-year-old Mr Hao Fengjun, a policeman currently in Melbourne, reported that "I became a policeman in 1994 and at that time I liked the job very much but in 2000 I was transferred to the 610 office of the National Security Bureau and I found that that job was not something that I wanted and it was different from what a policeman should do." Mr Fengjun continues: "Initially I thought it was ok, but in October 2000 the original work unit sent a special case, code name '103' and they arrested more than 70 Falun Gong practitioners. There is one practitioner, to the 610 office she is considered number one among Falun Gong practitioners, and her name is Sunti." Mr Hao said Sunti was being tortured. For more information: Jack H Smit, Project SafeCom Inc. Sr Jane Keogh, Canberra Refugee Action Committee Second CCP Insider Speaks Out in Australia Epoch Times Exclusive Reveals CCP's Massive Human Rights Abuses Internet Location http://english.epochtimes.com/news/5-6-7/29362.html James Burke, with reporting from Melbourne's The Epoch Times The Epoch Times Jun 07, 2005 Editor's note: This article is based upon an exclusive interview given to The Epoch Times by Mr. Hao Fengjun. The text of the interview follows the article. A fugitive Chinese security agent hiding in Melbourne has been inspired by the recent defection of Chinese diplomat Mr Chen Yonglin and The Epoch Times' Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, to reveal information about the massive human rights abuses inside China, especially those against Falun Gong practitioners, and Chinese spy activities in Australia. After leaving a tourist group in Australia in February, 32-year-old Mr Hao Fengjun sought political asylum, and in an interview with The Epoch Times on Monday June 6, said he belonged to the Tianjin province's "610 Office". The 610 office is a Chinese security agency which was established to oversee the persecution of Chinese people who practice Falun Gong or belong to other spiritual groups. "Originally the 610 office was specifically dealing with Falun Gong, but after April 2004 the government included other religious groups which the Chinese government calls an "evil cult" into the 610 office. Besides Falun Gong there are 14 other religious groups and also there are 14 other 'harmful' qigong organisations," Mr Hao said. When asked why he left China and has sought asylum in Australia he said, "First of all I think I cannot bear what they've done to Falun Gong and other religious organisations because that's not something I want to do." Falun Gong is an exercise and meditation practice that advocates the three principles of truthfulness, compassion and forbearance. It was widely practised throughout China until the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) banned it in 1999 and instigated a campaign of brutal persecution. Mr Hao witnessed Falun Gong practitioners being tortured by authorities for their beliefs in China. Mr Hao admired how Chinese diplomat Mr Chen Yonglin publicly stood up to the Chinese government's persecution of democracy advocates and Falun Gong practitioners. At a public rally commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, Mr Chen publicly declared he could no longer partake in his official duties of harassing and monitoring Chinese dissidents and revealed an extensive Chinese spy network operating in Australia. "Chen Yonglin is a diplomat and he stepped forward to speak clearly for Falun Gong and democratic activists. I think as a policeman I have a responsibility to do the same," Mr Hao said. "I became a policeman in 1994 and at that time I liked the job very much but in 2000 I was transferred to the 610 office of the National Security Bureau and I found that that job was not something that I wanted and it was different from what a policeman should do." "Initially I thought it was ok, but in October 2000 the original work unit sent a special case, code name '103' and they arrested more than 70 Falun Gong practitioners. There is one practitioner, to the 610 office she is considered number one among Falun Gong practitioners, and her name is Sunti." Torture Mr Hao said Sunti was being tortured. "One day I received orders to go to Nankai police bureau with another female officer. When we arrived we saw that Sunti was in the interrogation room. The guy who interrogated Sunti is the head of the second division of the 610 office. At the time he had about a half-meter long iron bar in his hand. When we entered the interrogation room, the woman officer found that Sunti's back was all blue and black and there were two cuts more than 20cm long." "Sunti has a 14-year-old daughter. To me Sunti is not like a criminal. So I was not happy about the man who beat Sunti. From that incident, I changed my attitude towards being a policeman ... After that, one officer and I applied medicine to Sunti for almost a month. Every time the head of the 610 office asked us not to say anything outside about this case. This incident was a turning point." "Sunti spoke to me about Falun Gong. She said that 'We are not like what they told you. Falun Gong practitioners just want to be good people and are not criminals, like what the 610 office describes.' This touched me greatly and I think that Falun Gong practitioners should not be considered as criminals." Mr Hao's story of torture and human rights abuses refute the claims made by Chinese ambassador Fu Ying who on Monday June 6 said the Chinese government had moved on from the 1970s, and that there were many misconceptions about modern China in regards to human rights. Mr Hao's experience as a 610 officer also refutes all official Chinese Government statements that claim that they do not mistreat Falun Gong practitioners. Mr Hao also described the widespread use of torture in the extensive re-education through labour camp system throughout China. "It's pretty common in forced labour camps to use torture methods ... Almost every forced labour camp uses torture methods." "As for the number of forced labour camps, I don't really know country wide, but for Tianjin there are seven." "There are no human rights whatsoever in these forced labour camps. These people have to work from six in the morning to nine in the evening. They all work in processing jobs like making cardboard boxes, but the government or the forced labour camp will not pay the workers anything." Mr Hao went into detail of how the Chinese authorities send Falun Gong practitioners to brainwashing centres and labour camps. "The process for dealing with Falun Gong is that first you will be sent to a brainwashing centre and if they are not reformed there they are sent to forced labour camps. In labour camps they are only kept for three years. If after that they are still not "reformed" they will be sent back to the brainwashing centre and then if still not reformed will be sent for a second time to the forced labour camp," he said. Mr Hao himself had also been subject to persecution when his comments about the state run media's fabrication of stories against Falun Gong were heard. "When they arrested a practitioner from Hebei I saw the CCTV film crew was making false stories ... I said that it was a lie, it was fabrication and I didn't know that a reporter was next to me and I was in trouble. I was sent to solitary confinement in the Tianjin detention centre for more than 20 days." When Mr Hao was asked if many other Chinese people were like himself and Mr Chen in having concerns about human rights and the persecution of innocent people in China he said there were. "I think there must be many people like me. Some of my colleagues have the same thought as I did but not everyone will step forward to do this. They are doing what they really don't want to do." In regards to Mr Chen's statements about Chinese officials extending the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners outside of China he agreed. He was also not surprised about Mr Chen's claims of a thousand Chinese agents working undercover in Australia. "I think this figure is true. I know this. Also I know that the Chinese spies are not only in the Chinese consulate and embassy but also in businesses and overseas Chinese organisations." Mr Hao said there were different channels in which Chinese agents would come into Australia; some come as investors, some as technical personal. "Some were sent in by the national security bureau and others by the military," he said. He stated that this was not only occurring in Australia and said spies working for the CCP were everywhere. "They are countless. Where ever there are Chinese communities or not, there are Chinese special agents." Since being here in Australia Mr Hao has read the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party published by Dajiyuan, the Chinese language version of The Epoch Times which is one of the largest independent Chinese language papers in the world. "I have read through the Nine Commentaries since I came to Australia. It touched me deeply. It mentioned lots of articles and stories. I have seen some of them in China (due to my job), ... It described the dark side of China, yet all of them are true. After reading Nine Commentaries, I have a strong will to come and speak out the truth. Yet due to my worries about my family, my child, I hesitated, because they are still in China now." The Nine Commentaries have been steadily circulating throughout China and has inspired over 2 million people to withdraw from the Party. In December, The Epoch Times established a website dedicated to the withdrawals. The Chinese diplomat Mr Chen and his wife both withdrew their membership from the CCP on Saturday June 4, the 16th commemoration of the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Text of Interview with Mr. Hao Fengjun 610 Official Who Has Applied for Asylum in Australia Q: Can you tell me your full name, age and the position you held in China? A: My name is Hao Fengjun, I am 32 years old and originally I am from the 610 Office of Tianjin. Q: How long have you been in Australia? A: I left Hong Kong on February 14th and arrived in Australia on February 15th this year. Q: What made you choose this time now, three months down the track to bring your story out to the Australian public? A: After I came here I applied for political protection, but I still worry about my family because my family is still in China. That is why I did not make my story public. But on June the 4th, when the Diplomat in Sydney made his public statement, I decided to come forward. Q: Have you read The Epoch Times "Nine Commentaries on the Chinese Communist Party"? A.: I have read through the "Nine Commentaries" since I came to Australia. It touched me deeply. It mentioned lots of articles and stories. I have seen some of these things mentioned in China (due to my job). Yet I definitely know that in China, ordinary people will never get a chance to read them. It describes the dark side of China, yet all of them are true. After reading the "Nine Commentaries," I had a strong desire to come and speak out the truth. Yet due to my worries about my family, my child, I hesitated. Because they are still in China now. Q: How long were you a policeman in China? A: I became a policeman in 1994 and at that time I liked the job very much but in 2000 I was transferred to the 610 office of the National Security Bureau and I found that that job was not something that I wanted and it was different from what a policeman is doing. Q: Can you describe what the 610 office is and what role did you play within it? A: The 610 office was created from the very top headed by Luo Gan, one of the members of the politburo. In every province and municipality there is a 610 office in the Public Security Bureau and also in almost every level of the government organisations and its main task is to deal with the issue of Falun Gong or to persecute Falun Gong and also some other organisations that have been named as a cult by the CCP. Q: Why do you think the crackdown on Falun Gong has been so much more severe than other groups targeted by the CCP? A: I think it really is about the number of practitioners. In 1999 I was still in the unit of the police department and every time Jiang Zemin mentioned that if he wanted to mobilize an army it would take him 48 hours but for Falun Gong it needed less than 24 hours so he was very much shocked-and maybe from his own personal interests and personal reasons he began the crackdown. Q: So what made you leave China to come to Australia? A: First of all I think I cannot bear what they've done to Falun Gong and other religious organisations because that's not something I want to do. Secondly I came to Australia because I want to say something for these organisations because the government doesn't treat them fairly. Q: Mr Chen spoke out recently on June 4, has that given you courage to speak up? Do you still hold fears for your family and your own safety? A: Chen Yonglin is a diplomat and he stepped forward to speak clearly for Falun Gong and democratic activists. I think I am a policeman so I have a responsibility to do the same. Most of my family are still in China and I do really worry about them. Q: How do you feel about your safety here in Australia? A: I'm not surprised by what Mr Chen said about 1000 spies in Australia. I think this figure is true. I know this. Also I know that the Chinese spies are not only in the Chinese consulate and embassy but also in businesses and overseas Chinese organisations. Q: So how do these people enter Australia and form part of this spy network to monitor for the CCP? A: There are several different channels; some come as investors, some as technical personal. Some were sent in by the national security bureau and others by the military. Q: What kind of techniques do these spies use to monitor Australians? A: The spies you mention, actually in China we put them into 3 different categories, described as "secret force." 1. Special agent. These people appear as a business man, but they are sent over by the national security bureau. 2. Secret cadres or friends just graduated from the police academy, they do not wear uniforms. The other type is friends. The other types are public security bureau members who make friends. 3. Working relations. These types are individual business men sent in by the Chinese government to work in the Chinese communities. Their main task is to follow and kidnap those dissidents outside of China. They also collect information from the business circles and also military information. Q: So obviously this isn't just happening in Australia. How long has this been happening for and how widespread are these spies? A: They are countless. Wherever there are Chinese communities or not there are Chinese special agents. Q: Where does the money come from to fund these spies and such an extensive persecution? How much is ... A: The funds are provided by the actual unit who sends this agent out so whoever sends the agent out will pay for the agent. As for the actual figures, I don't really know because different provinces and municipalities have different funds. As far as the three municipalities are concerned, Shanghai, [the amount] roughly spent on special agents is 7 million. Tianjin is a lot less [at] 250,000 but for Beijing it is about 6-7 million Chinese Yuan annually. Q: China is also said to have a wide network of labour camps. A: As for the number of forced labour camps, I don't really know country-wide, but for Tianjin there are 7 forced labour camps. Forced labour is illegal because forced labour doesn't require any legal proceedings. The police bureau decides and the terms are between 6 months and 3 years. There are no human rights whatsoever in these forced labour camps. These people have to work from 6 in the morning to 9 in the evening. They all work in processing jobs like making cardboard boxes, but the government or the forced labour camp will not pay the workers anything. Q: There are a lot of allegations of torture at these labour camps. Have you been witness to that? A: It's pretty common in forced labour camps to use torture methods, something like handcuffing behind the back is considered very normal inside forced labor camps. Almost every forced labour camp uses torture methods. Q: What was the turning point to make you decide to leave your work for the CCP? A: After my graduation I was assigned to go to the bureau to be a police officer. I think that the job of a policeman is to safeguard justice, peace and to help the weak so that's the job I like. But in 2000 I was transferred to the 610 Office of the national security bureau of Tianjin municipality. In the beginning I thought it was ok, but in October 2000 the original work unit sent a special case, code named "103" and they arrested more than 70 Falun Gong practitioners. There is one practitioner, the 610 office considered her number one among Falun Gong practitioners, and her name is Sunti. One day I received orders to go to Nankai police bureau with a female officer. When we arrived we saw that Sunti was in the interrogation room. The guy who interrogated Sunti is the head of the second division of the 610 office. At the time he had about a half meter long iron bar in his hand. When we entered the interrogation room, the woman officer found that Sunti's back was all blue and black and there were 2 cuts more than 20cm long. Sunti has a 14 year old daughter. To me Sunti is not like a criminal. So I was not happy about the man who beat Sunti. From that incident, I changed my attitude towards being a policeman. The image changed. After that, one officer and I applied medicine to Sunti for almost a month. Every time the head of the 610 office asked us not to say anything outside about this case. This incident was a turning point. Sunti spoke to me about Falun Gong. She said that "We are not like what they told you. Falun Gong practitioners just want to be good people and are not criminals, like what the 610 office describes." This touched me greatly and I think that Falun Gong practitioners should not be considered as criminals. Q: You were actually a witness to the incident in Tianjin that sparked off the Zhongnanhai incident. Were you aware that this would lead to a full-blown genocide in such a short time? A: At that time I was still working at the Heping police security bureau. That appeal happened in the Heping district so all of the policemen were present. At that time I didn't think it would lead to the genocide happening today. I think a lot of things were actually orchestrated by the government. At that time when Falun Gong practitioners gathered in front of the education building and officers of the Tianjin municipality came out and told them that you cannot solve this matter here, so if you want to have this matter solved, you will have to go to Beijing. So I think this incident is made by the Tianjin municipality so that it is expanded to Beijing. On 22 April 1999, the government set a lot of cameras on top of the education institute and buildings around the area and around the building and later on used the footage to print out photos and send out to grassroots police stations to do investigations. Then they found out the number of Falun Gong practitioners and also the names and addresses, a whole lot about these practitioners. They established a database on Falun Gong practitioners based on that footage. Q: Is the information collected about Falun Gong practitioners outside of China as detailed as that collected about those inside of China? A: I think more or less the same because every day we have work reports and we collect all the information sent in from all over the world. For example, in a certain country someone went to buy something and it was reported back, even this kind of small detail. So China relies on these spies to collect information on Falun Gong practitioners and also these dissidents. I also have to mention that within Falun Gong and other democratic organizations there are all special agents from China. Q: Do you have name lists of those agents? A: I don't have the name list. These agents all use code numbers, like 74, 76 or 24, etc. But if I tell you the incident, people who know the incident can tell who the spies are. Q: What evidence do you have to back up these claims? A: I have evidence for that. I think this evidence should be true evidence because they are all collected by special agents around the world so I think that the evidence must be the truth. Q: It seems like your conscience was awakened. Do you think there are many more people like you inside China and like Mr Chen outside of China? A: I think there must be many people like me. Some of my colleagues have the same thought as I did but not everyone will step forward to do this. They are doing what they really don't want to do. Q: Are you aware of any persecution that is happening outside of China by Chinese agents? A: I think outside of China that persecution of Falun Gong practitioners exists. Things like they tell these Chinese community organisations not to hire or give jobs to Falun Gong practitioners. So this kind of thing really happens. Q: You mentioned other dissident groups that are persecuted by the CCP ... A: Originally the 610 office was specifically dealing with Falun Gong, but after April 2004 the government included other religious groups which the Chinese government calls an evil cult into the 610 office. Besides Falun Gong there are 14 other religious groups and also there are 14 other "harmful" qigong organisations. The Chinese government uses the same methods to deal with the 14 labeled as evil cults and the 14 other groups. Q: Are Christians, say, the Catholic Church, considered an evil cult by the CCP? A: China has no diplomatic relations with the Vatican. Although China has Christians and Catholics, these are patriotic organisations. Actually, for these organisations you have to be loyal to the Communist Party otherwise these organisations cannot be registered. Q: The CCP has categorised many groups under the term "evil cult." A: There is no clear definition for evil cult in China. Actually there is no document to give a definition as to what is an evil cult. As I understand it, any people the Communist Party doesn't like will be categorised as an evil cult. So only when you are loyal or you listen to what the party says, will you be a good organisation, or if you don't listen to the party you will be an evil cult. Q: Do you find that Falun Gong is treated more severely than other groups? A: I think the government persecutes Falun Gong more severely than other groups. Because of Falun Gong the government worked out 300 articles of criminal law. As for other religious groups, when discovered by the police department they will not necessarily be detained and arrested, but for Falun Gong practitioners, whenever they find one, one will be arrested and will be reformed otherwise they will not be released. The process for dealing with Falun Gong is that first you will be sent to a brainwashing centre and if they are not reformed there they are sent to forced labour camps. In labour camps they are only kept for 3 years. If after that they are still not "reformed" they will be sent back to the brainwashing centre and then if still not reformed will be sent for a second time to the forced labour camp. Q: You have also been persecuted, can you tell us a bit about your experience? A: When they arrested a practitioner from Hebei, I saw the CCTV film crew was making false stories. I said something and it was heard by the reporter by CCTV. The point of this-I was asked to confess and I was held at the Tianjin detention centre. I was next to a reporter and my boss was telling the actor what to say. I said that it was a lie, it was fabrication and I didn't know that a reporter was next to me and I was in trouble. I was sent to solitary confinement in the Tianjin detention centre for more than 20 days. http://english.epochtimes.com/news/5-6-7/29362.html Falun Gong Practitioners Seeking Refugee Protection in Australia From July 1999 to 30 June 2003, DIMIA has a record of 4,385 applications for refugee protection from PRC nationals in Australia. Of these 125 have been granted temporary protection visas. Not all of them would be using Falun Gong as a pretext but it seems reasonable to expect perhaps half would be (over 2,000). Yet we know of only about 63 genuine practitioners who have sought refugee protection. - 40 have been approved so far (3 at first stage, 2 at Ministers discretion and the rest via RRT). - est. 3 are in Villawood detention centre - about 10 before the Federal and High Courts - about 10 before the RRT Practitioners who have failed at the first stage with DIMIA and at the RRT have encountered difficulties in the process and fulfilling the application requirements because: - most applicants do not speak English - many have difficulties with Mandarin speaking interpreters as they speak a provincial dialect - the cultural aspect of seeking refugee status is akin to denouncing their motherland - difficulty in fulfilling procedures through a reliance on well-meaning Chinese friends - lack of access to competent legal advice - use of migration agents who lodged statements without the applicant's knowledge Where practitioners have been refused protection, DIMIA or the RRT usually state the same assumptions for not accepting a practitioner has a well-founded fear of persecution : - You can practice in private after returning to China - Only "leaders" are liable to be persecuted - Possession of a legal passport means you are not noticed by the authorities - Why expose yourself to danger in China by public appeals or protests? The above assessment relies on information that may have been relevant at the beginning of the persecution in 1999. But over the last 5 years Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the US Department of State have all issued compelling confirmations of the danger to ALL Falun Gong practitioners returned to China, who face a systematic campaign of eradication under the Gestapo-like "6-10 office" (see US Congress H. Con Resolution 188). While Falun Dafa includes 5 Gigong exercises and meditation, which improve one's health, in essence it is a spiritual practice - "Xulian" in Chinese, which means 'cultivation' - the cultivation of one's heart and morality in accordance with the universal principles - Zhen Shan Ren - or, Truthfulness, Benevolence, Forbearance. Jiang Zamin's campaign has been to eradicate Falun Gong - not restrict it to some form of "home practise". In September 2003, the Chinese Communist Party called for a "fight until the end" against Falun Gong. To that end, labor camps and brain washing centers incarcerate and torture Falun Gong practitioners who hold fast to their beliefs with over 2,027 confirmed death cases documented to date. There are also reliable reports from within China that the current death toll of Falun Gong practitioners is actually over 5,000. Falun Dafa Association of NSW Inc 3 May 2005 1. http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/reps/dailys/dr020304.pdf 2. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2002/13870.htm 3. http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2002&m=July&x=20020725140947larocque@pd.state.gov0.8919794&t=xarchives/xarchitem.html 4. http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/breaking_news/6719805.htm and http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2003-09/07/content_1067641.htm Chinese Diplomat stepped out to expose Communist Regime Chinese Diplomat Steps out to Expose Communist Regime at Sydney 6.4 Rally --- Chinese Communist Party is collapsing from Inside - 2 million people quit CCP The senior Chinese diplomat Mr. Chen Yonglin, who defected from the Chinese Consulate a week ago for fear of persecution, and his wife Jin Ping on June 6, 2005 published an open statement to withdrawing from the Chinese Communist Party membership on the relevant web site provided by Epoch Times: http://tuidang.epochtimes.com/ Currently, an average of 20,000 people per day are publicly declaring their resignation from the Party or its affiliate organisations. By June 4, 2005, more than 2 Million people have quit the Chinese Communist Party. Ms. Zhao from "June 4 rally organizing committee" of "Free China" praised Mr. Chen for his courage to speak out the truth and refuse to continue carrying out the persecution and terrorism policy of CCP. "Mr. Chen's defection is just a small corner of the iceberg, showing that Chinese Communist regime is collapsing from the inside. Mr. Chen is just one out of millions of Chinese people, including high-ranking officials and diplomats who disagree with the persecution and mistreatments of its own people by CCP and choose to leave it." Ms. Zhao said, "We hope Australian government could provide protection to Mr. Chen and his family as we have promised to support human rights." Ms. Zhao commented, "More importantly, we ask for Australian government and people to support Chinese people's efforts for real freedom and better future without CCP. There won't be real safety and freedom for Mr. Chen and all the Chinese people without the collapse of CCP." The recent flood of departures has been attributed to an exclusive report by The Epoch Times called the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. Published in over 30 countries, the extraordinary report reveals the CCP's mass public deception, the untold killings of 80 million people and the CCP's pursuit to destroy traditional culture. Marking the significant difference of this 16th anniversary from previous ones, the large-scale withdrawal from CCP and the anticipation of the collapse of the Communist in China have been the greatest freedom movement since 1989, a phenomenon that would be even more significant than the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall. Background: Free China is an organisation set up to assist the current global mass exodus of Chinese people from the Chinese Communist Party. Free China is a coalition of over 30 community groups: some of the groups include Federation for a Democratic China (FDC), Chinese Alliance for Democracy (CAD), Australian Peace Pen Association, Human Rights for China, The Epoch Times, World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (Australian Branch), The Global Coalition To Bring Jiang To Justice and the Democratic Constitution Council. See www.freechina.org.au for more information. On June 4, 2005, the 16th anniversary of Tiananmen Student Massacre, Mr. Chen Yonglin, a former 1st Secretary and Consul for Political Affairs, after defecting from Chinese Consulate a week ago for fear of persecution due to his sympathy with Falun Gong group and democratic group, made his public appearance at a rally marking the Tiananmen student massacre and support freedom of Chinese people, that was organized by "Free China" along with other human rights groups. Mr. Chen told the media that he would be persecuted if returned to Beijing and hoped that the Australian Government would help to protect him. Mr. Chen said that he had met with officials of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) on four days ago but that they had refused him political asylum, and told him to apply for a refugee protection visa instead. Mr. Chen told the media that the CCP has "thousands" of secret agents in Australia who monitor and report on political dissidents and Falun Gong practitioners, and try to interfere with their activities in Australia. He said this is normal policy for the Chinese Government. Mr. Chen promised to reveal to Australians "everything I know" about threats by Chinese agents to the Australian society and its people". According to Mr. Chen, he had details of several kidnappings of Chinese defectors or dissidents from Australia, and said that two of them had been sentenced to death in China. Mr. Chen said that he feared that the same thing would happen to him if he and his family were not given asylum. ATTN CHIEF OF STAFF For more information, please contact Lucy Zhao 0424 388 509 | Emmy Yung 0404 894 714 Free China (Farewell to the CCP) Website: www.freechina.org.au Email: freechina@iinet.net.au