China's Brave Rebels: CCP Defector One Year Later

China's Brave Rebels: CCP Defector One Year Later

CCP Defector One Year Later The Epoch Times Jun 01, 2006

Chen Yonglin speaks at a Chinese community meeting in Melbourne. (The Epoch Times)

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One year ago Chinese career diplomat Chen Yonglin, his wife and young daughter fled the Chinese consulate in Sydney with the goal of seeking political asylum in Australia.

Prior to his defection Mr. Chen, for four years, held the position of Consul for Political Affairs (First Secretary rank) at the consulate. His subsequent efforts in seeking political asylum and the information he divulged to the Australian media about Chinese spy activity had some commentators saying his action was the most important political defection since 1954, when Soviet diplomat Vladimir Petrov and his wife sought protection in Australia.

More Defectors

Last weekend Mr. Chen told The Epoch Times that many Chinese officials have defected to Australia since 1989. Since his own defection he said there have been another two high-level Chinese officials he knows of who have defected. One was in Australia and another in Canada in July and August last year. Neither was reported in the media.

"There are no reports because the Australian Government doesn't want to cause trouble in its relations with China," Mr. Chen said, "because the Chinese Government has been very effective you know in luring Western governments with trade."

Many criticised the Howard Government last year, saying it was doing its best to ignore the former diplomat's plight in order to not embarrbutt Beijing and sour any Free Trade negotiations.

"The Australian Government is very pragmatic, very realistic with its diplomatic dealings with the Communist Government," Mr. Chen commented.

The Australian Government ministers, including Prime Minister John Howard, clearly know the corrupt character of the Communist regime, says Mr. Chen, but were still willing to deal with Beijing and in that, willing to "sacrifice some part of their democratic values and human rights values" in the process.

However, the former first secretary said that the Australian Government was wrong in its thinking that it needed to sacrifice values in order to trade with Beijing. The Chinese economy he says is more reliant on Australian resources.

"Even if the Australian Government and people stick to supporting democracy and human rights in China, the Chinese Government would still need to do business with Australia because it needs the resources, otherwise its economy can't develop, can't grow fast."

After being granted a permanent protection visa last year Mr. Chen did not fade into the background like some may have expected. "I quit the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) to keep the integrity of my conscience and I should not lose that having been successful in staying in Australia," he said.

Now working for a lighting company, Mr. Chen's life may be considered normal, but he remains committed to raising public awareness of the human rights violations perpetuated by the Communist authorities in China.

It was his rejection of his role as a diplomat implementing the CCP's policy of persecuting Falun Gong pracbreastioners in Australia that played a large factor in his decision to defect.

"Falun Gong has been totally defamed and inhumanely persecuted, so as a man, as a human being, I should talk about this. I'm not a Falun Gong pracbreastioner, but I'm a Chinese man," he said. "They represent the people who have suffered the most in China."

Last year he traveled overseas with another Chinese defector, Hao Fengjun, a former 610 Office security officer (Chinese Gestapo) and addressed the European Parliament, the Flemish Parliament of Belgium, the Danish Parliament, held meetings with UN officials and spoke at the British Parliament about human rights issues and the activities of the 610 Office. He was also invited to testify to a U.S. Congressional Subcommittee discussing the persecution of Falun Gong and human rights in China.

In Australia he has continually spoken at rallies, seminars, joined the symbolic 24-hour relay hunger strike supporting human rights activists in China and helped launch the English edition of Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party.

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