A former Chinese diplomat yesterday said that Australian officials put him in fear of his life when they contacted his bosses and tried to persuade him to give up an attempt to defect.
Chen Yonglin (陳用林), 37, who was finally granted a protection visa six weeks after abandoning his post as first secretary at the Chinese consulate-general in Sydney, was testifying before an Australian Senate committee of inquiry.
The committee is looking into the handling of the case and whether Chen's life was imperilled when Australian officials contacted the consulate to check his identity after he walked in to seek political asylum. Chen, who was stunned when his request was rejected out of hand, contradicted testimony on Monday by immigration department officials, who said he raised no objections to them contacting the consulate.
"I said it is not necessary," Chen told the committee. "I have showed my ID to the security guard and said I would be in danger, my life would be in danger if he contacted the Chinese consulate."
Chen said a Department of Foreign Affairs protocol officer later attempted to persuade him to return to his former job.
"The protocol officer actually ... repeatedly asked me to return to the Chinese consulate and she told me that the [Chinese] consul-general ... was worried very much about my family and wanted to contact me and ask me to contact them.
"She said that `You have a successful career and you are promoted to the first secretary and at the end of your term you should return to your home country,'" Chen said.
Chen said he was told that his application for political asylum had been rejected for "foreign affairs reasons" and that he was better off applying for a protection visa, a tourist visa or a business migration visa. Chen's lawyer, Mark Green, said he was surprised at the speed with which Chen's application for political asylum was rejected.
Critics have accused the government of being fearful of damaging relations with Beijing and imperilling free-trade negotiations that could be worth more than US$20 billion to the local economy -- a charge the government denies.
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