January 28, 2003 Tuesday

BEIJING.- Australia's embassy in China is trying to contact one of its nationals who has apparently been kidnapped by Chinese agents because of her membership of the Falun Gong spiritual group. Nancy Chen, 34, was abducted last week while visiting her parents in Chengdu city in the south-western part of China, the Falun Gong said.

Her husband, Herbert Lu, later received confirmation she had been taken by members of China's National Security Bureau.