讀賣新聞 （2005年6月11日追記）
元中国外交官の主張の一部に虚偽の疑い…豪紙報道
2005年6月11日12時40分
【シドニー＝樋口郁子】中国の元外交官がオーストラリアへの政治亡命を求めている問題で、１１日付「オーストラリアン」紙は、元外交官の「中国政府は豪州にいる中国の反体制派を拉致、強制送還している」とする主張の一部が虚偽である疑いが高いと報じた。
この元外交官は在シドニー中国総領事館の元１等書記官を名乗る陳用林氏（３７）。今月初め、同紙に中国政府の反体制派への弾圧について語った際、アモイ市の副市長が２０００年、滞在先の豪州からの帰国を拒否したため、息子が中国当局に拉致され、本人も強制送還されたと話した。
しかし、同紙のその後の取材で、実際には副市長が自発的に帰国したことや、息子が拉致された事実はなかったことが判明。副市長は帰国後、汚職の罪などで死刑判決を受け、現在も収監されているという。
朝日新聞 （2005年6月9日追加記入）
中国情報部員？豪州に亡命求める テレビ出演して表明
2005年06月08日23時39分
オーストラリアのＡＢＣテレビに７日夜、中国の元情報機関員と名乗る男性ハオ・フェンジュン氏（３２）が出演し、豪州に政治亡命を求めていると述べた。
中国国内の情報機関で勤務していたが、観光客として豪州滞在中の２月に政治亡命を求めたという。「中国に戻れば罰されるのは間違いない。私は最高機密を知っている」と訴えた。
ハオ氏の友人によると、同氏は亡命申請と引き換えに豪州政府に機密書類の一部を提出したという。
豪州では先週、在シドニー中国総領事館の領事を名乗る陳用林（チェン・ヨン・リン）氏が政治亡命を求めていることが明らかになったばかり。陳氏は４日、シドニーで天安門事件を記念する集会に参加し、「豪州では中国の工作員１０００人が活動している」などと発言した。この発言について、中国政府は７日の記者会見で「すべて、でっちあげ」との見解を示している。
産経新聞（共同配信）
中国領事、豪に亡命求める 反体制派への対応に反発
2005年6月4日 19:06
シドニーの中国総領事館の外交官が中国政府の反体制派への対応を支持できないとして、オーストラリア政府に政治亡命を求めていたことが４日、分かった。
この外交官はチェン・ヨンリン氏（３７）。シドニーで同日開かれた天安門事件１６周年の集会で演説し、オーストラリアで反体制派の中国人が誘拐されているなどと主張。自らに対する誘拐も懸念し、オーストラリア政府に保護を訴えた。
チェン氏は４年前から同総領事館に政務担当領事として勤務し、気功集団「法輪功」などの反体制派の監視を担当していた。約１週間前に総領事館を出て、妻と娘と一緒に政治亡命を求めたが、拒否されたという。
チェン氏は演説で「（天安門事件から）この１６年間、中国政府は政治改革のために何もしなかった。人々は政治的自由も人権もない」と批判。機密の領事情報として、オーストラリアで反体制派数人が中国の情報員に誘拐、送還され、少なくとも１人は死刑判決を受けたなどと述べた。（共同）
AFP
Chinese diplomat seeks political asylum in Australia
Sat Jun 4, 5:09 AM ET
SYDNEY (AFP) - A former senior Chinese diplomat who has asked Australia for political asylum for himself and his family said that he cannot support his government and fears for his safety if he is sent back to Beijing.
Chen Yonglin, 37, also said Saturday that Australian officials warned him that his actions "will cause serious consequences" and possibly affect Canberra's growing trade relationship with the Chinese leadership.
The Australian government confirmed Saturday that a Chinese diplomat had asked for a protection visa but refused to reveal whether the application for asylum had been rejected.
"We are aware that an official from the Chinese consulate-general in Sydney has applied for a protection visa," a spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) told AFP without elaborating.
Chen, who spoke at a rally to mark the 16th anniversary of Beijing's bloody crackdown on pro-democracy activists in Tiananmen Square, said that he, his wife and six-year-old daughter were living in hiding as they awaited a final determination on their case.
He said that there were about 1,000 Chinese spies operating in Australia and that they had previously carried out kidnappings of Chinese nationals and repatriated them.
"They have successfully been kidnapping people in Australia back to China," said Chen, who quit his job as consul for political affairs at China's consulate-general in Sydney last week.
Chen said he believed Chinese agents were tracking his movements and had possibly followed him to the coastal town of Gosford, north of Sydney, shortly after he resigned.
"I thought that Gosford was a safe place because there is not too many Chinese," he told reporters. "They are searching for me and chasing me."
Chen, who was involved in the 1989 pro-democracy protests in Beijing before being "re-educated" and joining the diplomatic corps two years later, said he wanted to defect because he could no longer support his country's persecution of dissidents.
The Chinese military killed hundreds, if not thousands, of unarmed students and other protesters in the Tiananmen massacre.
Chen said one of his jobs for the past four years had been to monitor political dissidents and that he had assisted them.
If returned to China, he would likely face lengthy imprisonment, he said.
"I certainly will be persecuted... because of my working for four years in the consulate I've been helping in some way the pro-democracy activists and Falun Gong people," he said.
The softly-spoken Chen appeared nervous during a press conference after the rally but said he was confident that the Australian government would treat him fairly.
"I believe in the Australian government. The government... is responsible and I, as a consular diplomat working in Australia, under the international conventions the Australian government has the obligation to protect me," he told AFP.
Chen, who still holds his consular identity card, said he expected that Chinese agents were at the rally and were watching his movements. But he said he wanted to make public his plight because June 4 "was an important occasion for me."
The Chinese embassy in Canberra and the consulate-general in Sydney could not be reached for comment Saturday.
The incident comes as the Australian and Chinese governments are working towards establishing a Free Trade Agreement which Trade Minister Mark Vaile said would bring an additional 24 billion dollars into the Australian economy over a 10-year period, according to a feasibility study. China is currently Australia's third largest trading partner, with two-way trade valued at nearly 30 billion dollars (22.5 billion US).
"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," Keith Suter, an analyst, 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."
