Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Sep. 13, 2002
http://abc.net.au/
The diplomatic privileges law will be used to restrict demonstrations outside the Chinese embassy in Canberra during the visit by the number two man in the Chinese Communist Party.
Li Peng, the chairman of the National People’s Congress, will arrive in Canberra tomorrow evening.
Li Peng is visiting Australia to mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
The former premier, who ordered the crackdown in Tiananmen Square, will visit Canberra, Sydney and Cairns.
The Federal Government has in place an order under the diplomatic privileges law, restricting demonstrations outside the Chinese Embassy by the Falun Gong religious movement.
Falun Gong is banned from using amplifiers to make noise and some banners are proscribed.
The ban is still in force from March, when it was imposed to cover a visit by China’s Foreign Minister.
The government says the order does not prevent peaceful protests.