AUSTRALIA—The Chinese Consulate in Victoria has attempted to prevent Victorian MP's from attending a performance based on traditional Chinese culture.
China's Melbourne Consul-General Liang Shugen sent letters last week to State MP's in Victoria warning them not to attend performances of the Chinese Spectacular at the Melbourne Arts Centre.
According to organisers, four of the MPs who had accepted invitations to attend the show, pulled out at the last minute.
Michael Pearson-Smith, secretary of the Falun Dafa Association of Victoria Inc, which is co-hosting the show, says it is one of a long list of incidences of Chinese interference in Australian domestic affairs and it is time the Chinese consulates are brought to call.
"It is really time that our government, whichever government is in power, starts to take a stronger line on this and basically calls these diplomats to account and reprimands them because they are simply overstepping the bounds of what is acceptable conduct," he said.
The Chinese Spectacular, which commenced the Australian leg of its global tour at the State Theatre in Melbourne Friday night, has played to packed houses in Europe, Asia and the US.
Many of the performers are exiled Chinese who practise Falun Gong, a peaceful spiritual practice of meditation and exercise that was banned in China in 1999.
In the letter, Mr Shugen accuses the Divine Performing Arts group, through its association with the Falun Gong, of trying to "sabotage friendly relationships" with other countries.
Mr Shugen concluded in the letter: "In view of the good relations between China and Victoria it's my sincere hope that you will not attend the performance and will also avoid any future contact with Falun Gong and its affiliates."
The letter follows a long history of attempts by Chinese consulates to control Australian public life.
The Chinese Consulate tried to prevent the New South Wales State Parliament holding a forum on human rights in China last year during APEC.
According to the Daily Telegraph, officials from the Chinese Consulate in Sydney visited President Peter Primrose of the NSW Upper House during APEC in an attempt to have the forum cancelled.
"I indicated it was part of the normal functions in Parliament and the only reason it would be cancelled was for security concerns, of which there were none," Mr Primrose said.
"We have been having to cope with this situation with the local Chinese consulates since the persecution started in July 1999," Dr Pearson-Smith told The Epoch Times.
"It's been the same in the other cities."
According to Article 41 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961, diplomats "have a duty not to interfere in the internal affairs of that State".
Chinese consulates around Australia have sent faxes to many state and Federal MPs over the years entreating them not to attend Falun Gong events, not to allow Falun Gong to use government venues and to support Falun Gong in any way.
Dr Pearson-Smith said: "I think it is fairly clear that this sort of interference in legitimate activities for any sort of legal entity within the country, where any sort of diplomats are a guest, is in violation of the terms of the Vienna Convention, which sets out guidelines and regulation for diplomats in foreign countries," he said.
Dr Pearson-Smith said he believed the Australian Government had been hesitant to raise too strong a position on human rights with Chinese authorities for fear of jeopardising trade.
He pointed, however, to Canada under the Harper Government, which has been openly critical of China's human rights record, noting the increases in trade between the two countries in spite of this.
"In actual fact, China needs our natural resources and China needs our market for the manufacture of goods coming from China, so we are actually in a very strong position to take a strong line on all these principles, which are supposed to be the foundations of our society and supposed to be what we believe in,"he said.
Dr Pearson-Smith said that human rights were the kind of principles that Australia was trying to engender in other countries lacking in these areas. He said that was "a very sound reason why our government should take a firmer line on these sorts of issues".
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