China has 1,000 spies in Canada
Phil Han, Jeff Sallot
June 15, 2005
A Chinese defector says Beijing maintains a vast network of more than 1,000 spies in Canada to inform on members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement.
Hao Fengjun, a former police officer with the Chinese Public Security Bureau, said that Beijing's operatives in Canada conduct a campaign of harassment and intimidation and tap the telephone lines of Falun Gong members in Toronto, Vancouver and several other major Canadian cities.
Mr. Hao, 32, who is seeking political asylum in Australia, said China launched an espionage campaign against Falun Gong members in Canada, Australia, the United States, New Zealand and other countries in 1999, the year the group was banned in China.
He said he worked in a special section of the Public Security Bureau, known as the ``610 office,'' which is in charge of operations against Falun Gong.``All the information from Canada was sent from the secret force that is in Canada and sent to the 610 office, which is in Tianjin City, China,'' Mr. Hao said in a telephone interview from Melbourne.
``From the information I saw, through the documents, most of the spies are in Toronto and Vancouver,'' Mr. Hao said.
On the basis of the documents he dealt with in his work, Mr. Hao said he estimated that China has more informants working in Canada than any other country, including the United States.
Mr. Hao said he was with the Public Security Bureau for about 10 years. In February, he travelled to Australia as a tourist and made a refugee application. His case was first reported in Australia this month as corroboration of statements by Chen Yonglin, a mid-level Chinese diplomat who defected from the consulate in Sydney, saying he knew of extensive Chinese intelligence operations in Australia. Australian Justice Minister Chris Ellison said yesterday that the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation is interviewing both defectors.
Mr. Hao said he is willing to tell Canadian officials everything he knows about Chinese espionage operations in Canada, but that he has not yet been contacted by authorities.
Barbara Campion, a spokeswoman for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, said she was aware of Mr. Hao's . But CSIS will not say whether it wants to follow up with Mr. Hao. As a matter of policy, the service does not discuss its sources of information or which countries may be targets of operations against espionage.
The Foreign Affairs Department offered no comment. ``It's not our policy to comment on intelligence matters,'' spokeswoman Pamela Greenwell said.
The Chinese embassy in Ottawa denied the espionage charges. ``We think it's nothing but pure fabrication, made up by that person for the purpose of getting political asylum,'' spokeswoman Zuo Wenxng said yesterday. Canadian practitioners of Falun Gong frequently demonstrate near Chinese diplomatic missions throughout Canada, protesting against the ban on the group in China. Amnesty International and other human-rights groups say the Falun Gong movement in China is a key target of repression, with many members detained arbitrarily.
Mr. Hao brought to Australia documents from the 610 office, including what appears to be an intelligence report about a prominent Falun Gong practitioner in Canada. He also produced a Chinese police identification card.
Counterespionage officers at CSIS and the RCMP produced a report, codenamed Sidewinder, about extensive Chinese spy operations in Canada in the 1990s. The officers said later that they were frustrated by Canadian politicians' reluctance to crack down on Chinese espionage because of diplomatic and trade considerations.
© Globe & Mail 2005