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| Down Under |
| Australia investigating spy ring claims |
| 2005-06-08 |
| Federal Attorney-General Philip Ruddock has indicated the nation's intelligence agencies are looking into allegations that Chinese spies are operating in Australia. The claim has been made by two Chinese defectors. Speaking on ABC TV's Lateline program, Mr Ruddock has indicated the nation's spy agencies are investigating allegations that up to 1,000 Chinese spies are in Australia. "It would be naive to think that an agency would not explore those issues that are relevant to their mandate," Mr Ruddock said. The claim was first raised by defecting Chinese diplomat Chen Yonglin. It was then backed up by Hao Fengjun, a former security officer who has defected from China. Federal Opposition Leader Kim Beazley now thinks Mr Chen should be permitted to stay in Australia. "We think the prima facie case is out there for Mr Chen to be entitled to the Government's protection," he said. "We have got international agreements to which we are party." But Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer has revealed the Federal Government has discouraged Mr Chen against seeking political asylum. Mr Downer says an application for a permanent protection visa is a better way to go. "It [political asylum] has only been granted twice that I know of in Australian history," he said. |
| Posted by:Spavirt Pheng6042 |