150 East 42nd Street, 33rd Floor

New York, N.Y. 10017-5612

11 April 2000

Dear Ms Chen,

Thank you for your letter, received on 10 February 2000, requesting Australian Government support for efforts to stop persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. Ambassador Wensley has asked me to reply on her behalf.

The Australian Government has raised its concerns about the treatment of Falun Gong with the Chinese Government on a number of occasions in the past years. In July 1999 the Australia Government made strong representations to officials of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Canberra and Beijing regarding reports of arrest and detention of Falun Gong practitioners in China. The Australian Government also addressed the issue of the Falun Gong in a number of senior level meetings during the third round of the Australia-China Human Rights Dialogue, help in China from 16-20 August 1999. On each occasion, the Australian Government emphasized that while Australia does not take a position on the beliefs of the Falun Gong, it considers that actions taken against its adherents are in breach of the international human rights covenants which China has signed.

The Australian Mission has forwarded your letter to the Human Rights Section of Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra, Australia and to the New York Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for their information.

We thank you again for writing to us on this important matter.

Yours sincerely,

(Signature)

Roderick Smith

Counselor