AFP: Australia rapped for appeasing China over Falungong
CANBERRA, March 19 (AFP) - Australia's government was accused Tuesday of caving in to Beijing in
imposing a ban on a protest by Falungong followers against the visit of China's
Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan.
Tang held talks with his counterpart Alexander Downer who earlier invoked a
diplomatic privileges law to ban demonstrations outside the Chinese Embassy by
supporters of the Falungong religious group.
Australian Greens Senator Bob Brown accused the government of appeasing
Beijing.
"On the very day the prime minister is flying to London to comment on
the Zimbabwean election, we've got the foreign minister here shelving the right
to protest as a minister from the communist regime flies in," Brown said.
Downer said he had had a productive meeting with Tang, marking 30 years of
diplomatic ties between Australia and the People's Republic of China.
"We've, during our discussions, reinforced the strategic relationship
that exists between Australia and China in the Asia-Pacific region," he
said.
"We've had productive dialogues -- everything from consular matters to
our human rights dialogue."
Trade was believed to be the main talking point. Two-way trade has grown from
113 million dollars in 1973 to more than 18 billion (9.36 billion US) in
Tang appealed to Australia to be vigilant against the [group] so it does not
harm ties with China and said the issue of removing Falungong followers from the
Chinese embassy was not about human rights or freedoms.
[...]
Falungong members in Australia delivered a letter to Tang urging an end to
attacks on the group which was outlawed in 1999 after a large demonstration in
Beijing.
China last week launched a fresh crackdown against the movement, raising
concern among human rights activists.
"We're not trying to overturn the Chinese government, far from it,"
Falungong spokeswoman Esther Wang told AFP.
"We have always made peaceful appeals and if the Chinese government had
not started its crackdown, torturing people to death in labour camps because of
their beliefs, we would not have demonstrated."
Wang said demonstrations have been held outside the Chinese embassy for nine
months without incident and with the official approval.
"Then suddenly they issued this certificate to make us take our banners
down," she said.
[...]
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