Reuters, August 10, 2000

CANBERRA, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Australia is to raise concerns with China over its human rights record, particularly treatment of Falun Gong followers, during talks next week, a foreign ministry official said.

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it would address a list of concerns at the talks, including freedom of speech and assembly, administration of law, and ethnic minority rights.

``We will be seeking to raise some issues of concern relating to ... the treatment of practitioners of Falun Gong ... of religious groups, be they Catholics, Tibetans or evangelical groups, and the treatment of dissidents.''

China's crackdown on followers of the Falun Gong movement, which was banned in July last year, has drawn widespread criticism from Western governments for violating U.N. anti-torture and human rights treaties.

Practitioners and human rights groups say tens of thousands of group members have been arrested or detained since the ban and 5,000 sent to labour camps without trial. At least 24 members have died in police custody.

AUSTRALIA CONCERNED OVER FREEDOMS

``The way the Chinese authorities have treated practitioners of Falun Gong does raise issues, in our view, relating to freedom of expression, association and assembly,'' the foreign affairs official said.

``It also raises issues about the way the legal system is used in relation to these people.''

He said Australia has the world's highest level of dialogue with China on human rights, with this year's delegation to be led by vice-foreign minister Yang Jiechi.

Australia, which has carefully nurtured diplomatic and trade ties with China, worked on the view it was better to try to influence change through dialogue than disapproving silence.