24th July 2007

SIS Meets With Chinese Defector:

Amnesty International facilitates meeting with Yonglin Chen

On Friday 20th July, the former Chinese diplomat Yonglin Chen met with officials from the New Zealand Security and Intelligence Service (SIS) to discuss Chen's allegations of a New Zealand kidnapping by the Chinese government.

On Thursday 19th July, at Yonglin Chen's request, Amnesty International contacted the SIS to facilitate a meeting between the SIS and Chen. The SIS initially turned down the requests for a meeting with Yonglin Chen, directing him to the Wellington Central Police. However on Friday morning the SIS changed its mind, and Chen met with SIS officials on Friday to discuss the details of his allegations. At the request of Mr Chen, Amnesty International Campaigns Manager, Gary Reese, also attended the meeting.

Chen alleges that in 2005 the Chinese government organised the forcible and clandestine removal of a New Zealand resident from New Zealand to China.

Between 2001 and 2005, Chen worked in Sydney as a Consul for Political Affairs. Yonglin Chen has described his job as including the collection of personal information, compilation of blacklists, and running of campaigns against what the Chinese government regards as "Poisonous" minority groups.

Chen came to New Zealand to speak at a rally that was held in Wellington on Thursday July 19th. The rally, organised by Amnesty International, Friends of Tibet, the Green Party and Falun Gong, was held to speak out against human rights abuses by the Chinese government.

ENDS

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