Defector accuses China of frequent kidnappings in Australia

SYDNEY - A Chinese diplomat seeking asylum in Australia says he fears being kidnapped and taken back to China, something he says has happened to many others.

Chen Yonglin, 37, has applied for a protection visa, saying he fears for his life after he walked out of the Chinese consulate-general in Sydney 11 days ago. Since then he has been in hiding with his wife, Jin Ping, 38, and 6-year-old daughter.

He emerged to front a Sydney rally on Saturday, telling protesters that Chinese people have no political or religious freedom.

"Chinese agents are looking for me and they could kidnap me," he told the rally. "If I am sent back to China I will be persecuted. I am very frightened. I am afraid it will be easy for them to find me."

Mr Chen, who had two minders, said Chinese spies had previously kidnapped critics of Beijing in Australia and returned them to China.

"They have successfully been kidnapping people in Australia back to China," he said. "Each year they have kidnapped a good number."

Mr Chen claimed 1000 Chinese spies were operating in Australia.

The reaction of China was to accuse the envoy of telling lies to avoid returning home.

"To achieve the aim of staying in Australia, Chen Yonglin fabricated stories, which are unfounded and purely fictitious," said a spokesman for the Chinese consul-general, Qiu Shaofang.

Mr Chen had decided to leave the consulate on May 26, knowing his stint in Australia was up, the spokesman said.

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, asked whether Mr Chen's fears of persecution if sent back to China would be considered, said: "He's spoken out [against Beijing] very recently. That's something the Immigration Department will obviously have to weigh up.

"They'll have to take into account the implications of refusing his protection visa application, and in those circumstances he'd be sent back to China," Downer said.

Mr Chen's attempted defection could muddy Australia's ties with Beijing, its third-largest trading partner with annual exchanges now worth A$28.9 billion ($22.7 billion).

Mr Downer refused to comment on the spy claims. "It's a time-worn tradition of Australian Governments over many years not to get into any discussion about that aspect of intelligence matters."

He also said he was unaware of Mr Chen's claims that the Chinese Government was kidnapping Chinese people in Australia and taking them back to China.

The Australian newspaper recently reported that the number of Chinese agents in Australia had increased sharply during the past decade and now outnumbered Soviet spies during the Cold War.

It said that the nation's main spy agency, the Australian Secret Intelligence Organisation, had set up a new counter-espionage unit to boost surveillance of foreign spies.

Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone said Mr Chen would not receive any special treatment, and his application for political asylum would be considered on its merits.

"Any of these applications are handled individually and they're handled on their merit," she said, "and this one will be handled in the normal way."

- REUTERS, AAP