Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Jan. 29, 2003
http://www.abc.net.au/
Two Australian embassy officials in Beijing have been dispatched to south-west China to investigate the detention of an Australian woman.
It is believed Nancy Chen is a practitioner of Falun Gong, which is banned as a cult in China.
Last Friday, Falun Gong activists in Australia said 34-year-old Ms Chen had disappeared in the city of Chengdu in China’s Sichuan province.
Ms Chen was said to have been visiting relatives and rang her mother early Wednesday morning saying she had been kidnapped, before the phone dropped out.
The Australian embassy has confirmed with Chinese authorities that Ms Chen is being detained but no reason was given.
Two embassy officials from Beijing are attempting to fly to Chengdu today.