(Clearwisdom.net)

Honourable Philip Ruddock:

I am writing to request your urgent attention to prevent the proposed deportation of Mr and
Mrs Wang.

As you are aware, Mr. and Mrs. Wang, citizens of the People's Republic of China and Falun Gong practitioners, are being held at a detention centre awaiting deportation to China because your Department has declined to proceed favorably with the Wangs' asylum application. In ordering the deportation, correspondence from the Department states that this decision was made in part due to the Department's belief that the Wangs are free to practice their beliefs in private and that the Chinese authorities are not interested in ordinary practitioners of Falun Gong.

Both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have provided ample evidence of the persecution against Falun Gong practitioners in China, and there is no distinction made between "ordinary practitioners" and any other type of practitioner. The fact that a person chooses to follow the principles of Falun Gong in China is reason enough for the Chinese authorities to persecute them.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Travel Advice for China makes it clear that even Australians who participate "in Falungong [sic] activities or Falungong related demonstrations are likely to be subject to legal action that may include detention, deportation, arrest and imprisonment."

Mr Alexander Downer, Minister for Foreign Affairs has written on numerous occasions that Australia believes that the Chinese Government's treatment of Falun Gong practitioners contravenes the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as the Convention Against Torture. It would appear that in continuing with the deportation of the Wangs (or any other genuine Falun Gong practitioners) Australia is also contravening the Convention against Torture, specifically Article 3 quoted below.

1. No State Party shall expel, return ("refouler") or extradite a person to another State where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture.

2. For the purpose of determining whether there are such grounds, the competent authorities shall take into account all relevant considerations including, where applicable, the existence in the State concerned of a consistent pattern of gross, flagrant or mass violations of human rights.

The Chinese Government has certainly demonstrated "a consistent pattern of gross, flagrant or mass violations of human rights." Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, have provided much evidence to support this.

I understand that the Wangs have had difficulties in abiding by the requirements of the DIMIA regulations and requirements for their application, due to language difficulties, money, family considerations etc. However, surely this doesn't justify deporting them back to China, where both they and their immediate family have already received brutal treatment from the Chinese authorities (as you are no doubt aware, Mrs Wang's brother was tortured to death for refusing to give up his beliefs in Falun Gong, while Mr Wang's brother was incarcerated in a labour camp in 2002). Your ministerial website states that "The Australian Government is strongly committed to helping people who face serious abuses of their human rights." However, it is difficult to see this commitment with the Australian Government's handling of the Wangs and many other genuine Falun Gong practitioners from China seeking asylum in Australia from China's relentless persecution of Falun Gong.

As an Australian citizen, and practitioner of Falun Gong, I am very concerned about the Australian Government's handling of this and similar cases. I sincerely hope that the elected leaders of our wonderful country can demonstrate compassion and humanitarian regard for Falun Gong practitioners seeking asylum. This will show the people of Australia, and the rest of the world, that we have a government who is genuinely committed to helping people who are facing serious human rights abuses.