AUCKLAND—The Dalai Lama will being welcomed by New Zealand’s Prime Minister despite pressure from Chinese groups to ban him.
Chairman of the United Chinese Association of New Zealand, Steven Wong, said the group would be writing to the Prime Minister and Immigration Minister requesting that the government deny the Dalai Lama entry into New Zealand, according to a New Zealand Herald report.
When contacted, Prime Minister John Key’s press secretary said, “They may be writing to the Prime Minister, but we won’t deny the Dalai Lama entry, he’s just like any other significant visitor, he will be let in.”
The Dalai Lama is scheduled to visit Auckland on December 5 and 6 and plans to meet the Prime Minister as well as speak at a public function.
Thuten Kesang, from the Dalai Lama Visit Trust New Zealand, said some Chinese people are confused. “They don’t know what they are saying about the Dalai Lama. Unfortunately they are tied up in communist propaganda, that’s what they grew up with, and that’s all they know. If they want to support the communists they should go back to Beijing—New Zealand is a free country.”
Journalist Nick Wang was barred from a photo opportunity involving Chinese Vice-Premier Zeng Peiyan in March 2007. The Wellington journalist, an accredited member of the Parliamentary Press Gallery, was escorted out of the Beehive by a uniformed police officer.
Mr. Wang, who has written reports on human rights abuses in China, said he was accused of being a “trouble maker”. He also said the officials thought he was a Falun Gong practitioner, which is persecuted in China, but free to practice everywhere else in the world.
In April 2007, the Mayors of Auckland and North Shore City were pressured by the Chinese Consulate not to attend the Shen Yun (also known as Divine Performing Arts) cultural performance because it contained Falun Gong members. The following year, when the performing arts group returned, The Epoch Times obtained a letter sent to the new North Shore City mayor by the Chinese Consulate—warning of damaged relations should the mayor attend the performance.
“The Chinese people are brainwashed to serve the Chinese Communist Party.”
He said the groups are part of a complex propaganda and influence strategy set up in 2002 to influence Oceania countries.
Their purpose, he said, was to use the Chinese community to monitor and gather information, and infiltrate the “five dissident groups”, including Falun Gong and pro-independence of Tibet activists.
Chen said Falun Gong was seen by the regime as the biggest threat as “it makes people aware of freedom of speech, freedom of religion and belief. It shakes the communist power.”
He has spoken of a network of 1000 spies operating in Australia for the communist regime and said they are also active in New Zealand.
With additional reporting by NTDTV
Chairman of the United Chinese Association of New Zealand, Steven Wong, said the group would be writing to the Prime Minister and Immigration Minister requesting that the government deny the Dalai Lama entry into New Zealand, according to a New Zealand Herald report.
When contacted, Prime Minister John Key’s press secretary said, “They may be writing to the Prime Minister, but we won’t deny the Dalai Lama entry, he’s just like any other significant visitor, he will be let in.”
The Dalai Lama is scheduled to visit Auckland on December 5 and 6 and plans to meet the Prime Minister as well as speak at a public function.
Thuten Kesang, from the Dalai Lama Visit Trust New Zealand, said some Chinese people are confused. “They don’t know what they are saying about the Dalai Lama. Unfortunately they are tied up in communist propaganda, that’s what they grew up with, and that’s all they know. If they want to support the communists they should go back to Beijing—New Zealand is a free country.”
Chinese Influence Common in NZ
Chinese influence in New Zealand has hit the headlines several times over the last few years. Amnesty International has documented eight incidents where there appears to have been an attempt by Chinese officials to limit freedom of expression in New Zealand.Journalist Nick Wang was barred from a photo opportunity involving Chinese Vice-Premier Zeng Peiyan in March 2007. The Wellington journalist, an accredited member of the Parliamentary Press Gallery, was escorted out of the Beehive by a uniformed police officer.
Mr. Wang, who has written reports on human rights abuses in China, said he was accused of being a “trouble maker”. He also said the officials thought he was a Falun Gong practitioner, which is persecuted in China, but free to practice everywhere else in the world.
In April 2007, the Mayors of Auckland and North Shore City were pressured by the Chinese Consulate not to attend the Shen Yun (also known as Divine Performing Arts) cultural performance because it contained Falun Gong members. The following year, when the performing arts group returned, The Epoch Times obtained a letter sent to the new North Shore City mayor by the Chinese Consulate—warning of damaged relations should the mayor attend the performance.
Chinese Embassy Front Organizations
Chen Yonglin, a former diplomat at the Chinese Consulate-General in Sydney, defected in 2005 and has said that Chinese University groups were backed by the communist regime and often held meetings at the Chinese Embassy. He said there were many organizations in New Zealand working as fronts for the Embassy—who were “sponsored and set up by the Chinese Embassy here in New Zealand to control the Chinese people here.”“The Chinese people are brainwashed to serve the Chinese Communist Party.”
He said the groups are part of a complex propaganda and influence strategy set up in 2002 to influence Oceania countries.
Their purpose, he said, was to use the Chinese community to monitor and gather information, and infiltrate the “five dissident groups”, including Falun Gong and pro-independence of Tibet activists.
Chen said Falun Gong was seen by the regime as the biggest threat as “it makes people aware of freedom of speech, freedom of religion and belief. It shakes the communist power.”
He has spoken of a network of 1000 spies operating in Australia for the communist regime and said they are also active in New Zealand.
With additional reporting by NTDTV
