FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
10 March 2014
Foreign Interference from the Chinese Consulate Defaming Arts and Culture in
Australia
CALL TO PROTECT AUSTRALIANS FROM CHINESE CONSULATE ATTACKS
EVENT
Press Conference
DATE
Tuesday 11 March 11:00 AM
LOCATION
Chinese Consulate
39 Dunblane St, Camperdown NSW 2050
See Map: http://bit.ly/1lKRfX8
Falun Dafa Association Inc. – The Falun Dafa Association (Australia) is
concerned by the recent coordinated national attack by the Chinese
Government on Falun Gong and its lawful activities in Australia.
The Falun Dafa Association believes such interference violates the Chinese
Mission’s diplomatic rights in Australia.
“It is an outright act of foreign interference in this country, as stated in
the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act” says Dr Lucy Zhao,
President of the Falun Dafa Association.
(http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/asioa1979472/s4.html)
The Chinese Consulate General:
. 25 February sent a press release to the majority of the NSW State
Members of Parliament which contained defamatory information about the Falun
Gong spiritual practice and the Shen Yun Performing Arts production.
. 17 February the Regal Theatre in Perth received an email
correspondence from the Consulate, seeking a “discussion about the Shen Yun
production”, which is showing at the theatre in May.
Kim Knight, the theatre manager, was reported to have referred the inquiry
back to the Presenter, according to a report in the Chinese newspaper Epoch
Times. When the local presenters from the Association requested a meeting
with the Consulate General, it was denied that the theatre was contacted.
(http://au.epochtimes.com/gb/14/3/2/n4095769p.htm)
The New-York based Shen Yun Performing Arts is a showcase of classical
Chinese culture, presented by the Association in Australia. In the 2013
season Shen Yun performances sold out to an estimated audience of over
15,000 in Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra.
(http://www.sydneytheatre.org.au/what’s-on/productions/2012/shen-yun-2014.aspx)
The Association would like to emphasise that this timely release coincides
with the Chinese Regime’s planning legislature meeting in Beijing this week
and claims to crack down on corruption, yet the human rights violations
inside and outside of China have remained unchanged.
(http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-03/china-s-xi-broadens-graft-crackdown-to-boost-influence.html)
The Falun Dafa Association will hold a press conference to address this and
other recent forms of interference by the Chinese regime. The Association
will also submit a formal letter to DFAT urging immediate attention to the
interference faced by Falun Gong in Australia.
CONTACT: Dr Lucy Zhao 0424 388 509
BACKGROUND:
What is Falun Dafa?
Falun Dafa (Falun Gong) is a spiritual discipline which is practiced by over
100 million people in over 80 countries. Falun Gong’s popularity was seen as
a threat by the Communist leadership in China, which began a campaign of
violence and suppression on 20th July 1999.
https://falunau.org/index.jsp
. Today over 80,000 cases of torture have been recorded, with the
actual death toll estimated to be in tens of thousands.
. 450,000 – 1,000,000 Falun Gong practitioners are illegally held in
labour camps, prisons, and detention centres at any given time – the largest
group of prisoners of conscience in China, if not the world.
. UN Rapporteur on Torture Dr Manfred Nowak confirmed, after his
visit to China in November 2005, that Falun Gong practitioners comprised
two-thirds of all torture cases reported in China.
(http://www.humanrights.asia/issues/torture/reports/un-reports/G0611750.pdf/view Page 3, table 1)
LINKS TO AUSTRALIA
a. More than 100,000 Signatures on Petition collected in just four
months, calling for End to Organ Harvesting. The signatures were tabled in
NSW Parliament in April 2013.
b. NSW Parliament is currently in consultation over a law reform which
will criminalise transplant tourism, with the aim of deterring Australian
citizens from participating in unethical transplant practices. The law
reform is proposed by MLC David Shoebridge.
c. March 2013 Australian Senate unanimously passed a motion which urged
the Government to opposed the practice of organ harvesting in China.
d. University of Sydney Controversial award to China’s former Vice
Minister of Health Huang Jiefu.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-29/organ-harvesting-links-pressure-australian/4658818
Violation of Vienna Convention on Consular Relations 1963
Articles 5a) and 5m) of the Convention, the Chinese Consulate’s campaign of
vilification of Falun Gong should not be considered a legitimate function of
the Chinese mission and should receive due censure from the Australian
government.
Article 5 m) of the Convention allows for a consular post to perform a
function entrusted to it by the sending State. However, this section also
includes three provisions for denying the legitimacy of such consular
action, e.g.:
. Chinese mission’s campaign of incitement to hatred and
vilification of Falun Gong practitioners, many of whom are Australian
citizens, are prohibited under Australian laws and regulations,
. The Australian government, as the receiving State, should take
objection to this campaign of incitement to hatred and vilification of
adherents of a spiritual group, be they here or in China, given that the
Australian Senate passed a motion in 2008 expressing its support for an end
to the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China,
. The Chinese mission’s campaign of vilification of Falun Gong
practitioners in Australia, in support of the Chinese Communist Party’s
persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China, including mass torture as
documented by the UN Rapporteur, contravenes the UN Convention Against
Torture, which is adopted by both Australia and China.
