(Clearwisdom.net) On August 25, 2008, the Honorable
Stephen Smith, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australia, wrote the following
letter to Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Erping Zhang, expressing the Australian
government's concern about the persecution of Falun Gong in China. Minister
Smith said: "We will continue to bring our concerns to the attention of the
Chinese Government through our diplomatic channels in Canberra and
Beijing." The Hon Stephen Smith MP 25 August 2008 Dear Mr. Zhang I would like to thank you for providing me a copy of the
Falun Dafa Information Center Annual Journal "Compassion" at the
Australian Institute of International Affairs on 7 August 2008. The Australian Government has long held concerns about the
treatment of Falun Gong practitioners in China. While the Government takes no
position on the beliefs or practices of Falun Gong, it does consider that
China's ban on Falun Gong, and the treatment of practitioners, breaches
fundamental international human rights standards. We have raised these concerns at the highest levels of the
Chinese Government and in the context of our annual Human Rights Dialogue. We
expect to engage China on these issues again at the next Dialogue in Australia
later this year. Additionally, we will continue to bring our concerns to the
attention of the Chinese Government through our diplomatic channels in Canberra
and Beijing. Yours sincerely, Stephen Smith
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Parliament House
Canberra
Chinese version available at
http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2008/9/21/186284.html