Australian police yesterday said they have charged two Chinese nationals with foreign interference, accusing them of spying on a Buddhist group at the behest of police in China.
The pair — a 25-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman — have each been charged with one count of “reckless foreign interference,” which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years’ imprisonment.
Police said they they worked with a Chinese national charged in August last year for covertly gathering information on the Guan Yin Citta Buddhist group in Australia’s capital, Canberra.
Photo: AFP
They are alleged to have worked under the command of the Chinese Public Security Bureau, the country’s main domestic law enforcement body.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the Australian government to take care in its handling of the case.
“China urges Australia to handle the case prudently and properly, and to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Lin Jian (林劍) told a news conference, denying knowledge of the specific details of the case.
The Australian Federal Police said they began investigating the case last year on a tip from the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.
Agency chief Mike Burgess said a “complex, challenging and changing security environment is becoming more dynamic, diverse and degraded.”
“Multiple foreign regimes are monitoring, harassing and intimidating members of our diaspora communities,” he said. “This sort of behavior is utterly unacceptable and cannot be tolerated.”
China’s sprawling security apparatus has long been accused of infiltrating community organizations as a way to keep tabs on expats and dissidents.
“Australia is not immune to foreign interference, and we should not expect this arrest will prevent further attempts to target our diaspora communities,” Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Stephen Nutt said.
“Members of our culturally and linguistically diverse communities are more likely to be victims of foreign interference or transnational repression than to be offenders,” he added.
Led by the late Lu Jun Hong (盧軍宏), Guan Yin Citta claims to have millions of devotees worldwide.
Guan Yin Citta describes its goals as encouraging “people to recite Buddhist scriptures, practise life liberation and make great vows to help more people.”
Beijing considers it to be a “cult.”
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