【明慧网2000年5月2日】译文：

澳大利亚驻联合国使团
150 EAST 42ND STREET 33RD FLOOR
NEW YORK, N.Y. 10017-5612

２０００年４月１１日

感谢您２０００年２月１０日来信，要求澳大利亚政府支持阻止中国大陆继续对法轮功修炼者的迫害。外交官Wenshey谨让我代表她回复如下。

澳大利亚政府曾於去年的好几次的场合中向中国政府提出了对法轮功处理问题上的关注。１９９９年７月，澳大利亚政府对坎培拉的中国外交部和北京方面就中国对法轮功学员的逮捕和拘留提出强烈抗议。

澳大利亚政府也在１９９９年８月１６日至２０日在北京召开的第三次澳中人权对话的几次高级会晤上提出了法轮功问题。在每个场合，澳大利亚政府都强调，虽然澳洲对法轮功的信仰表示中立，但是认为中国对法轮功学员采取的行动违反了中国签署的国际人权契约。

澳大利亚使团已将您的来信呈交于坎培拉的澳洲国际事务与贸易部的人权分会，以及人权高级委员会纽约分会。

感谢您写信告诉我们这一重大事件。

真诚的，
(签名)
Roderick Smith
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原文：
AUSTRILIA MISSION TO THE UNITED NATIONS

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