Catholic exile aims to help NZ understand democratic freedoms

A Catholic exile granted asylum in New Zealand in 2018 says he wants New Zealanders to understand the importance of democratic freedoms.

When Dong Luobin, now 39, fled from the People’s Republic of China consulate in Auckland about five years ago, he told New Zealand police he feared his Catholics were endangering his life. He said he was.

Six months later, New Zealand authorities granted him refugee status. They concluded that if he returned to China, he would have faced persecution over his religious and political views.

Rhys Ball, Senior Lecturer in Security Studies at Massey University, said: This is the first defection of a foreign government official or employee within New Zealand that Ball is aware of since 1947 to his 1991 Cold War.

Don has spoken publicly about his experiences to help New Zealanders understand the importance of democratic freedom.

He describes his early work in Auckland as a time when he and others were constantly being watched, watched and controlled.

He worked in a multi-building complex surrounded by high walls covered with barbed wire. Most non-English speaking staff live on site, passports had to be handed over to the consulate, and only groups of 3 or more were allowed to leave the property.

When Dong started working at the consulate in 2016, physical security was less stringent, allowing him to sneak out during lunch breaks and at night to visit nearby churches.

Don is a third generation Catholic. He says practicing the faith in China was subject to surveillance and repression.

Noticing his absence to attend church in secret, on May 7, 2018, he was questioned by consular staff as to his whereabouts the previous day and why he did not answer his calls.

He began to fear that the cross around his neck would also be noticed and that his religious beliefs would soon be discovered.

Coincidentally, that morning he had his passport in hand to take to the Automobile Association to get his New Zealand driver’s license.

The Catholic defector first tried to seek asylum at a church he had secretly visited, but the minister he was looking for was not there, so staff called the police. where he was debriefed with the help of Mandarin-speaking police officers.

“I told the interpreter, ‘If you send me back to the consulate, I will die. ‘ Maybe that’s why the police understood my situation. I will protect you,” he said. “

The next day, Don contacted his lawyer, who promptly applied for asylum.

National Party MP Simon O’Connor, as most New Zealanders know, [Chinese Communist Party’s] They may not know that Christians are also being actively targeted, such as the suppression of Uyghur Muslims and the suppression of freedom in Hong Kong.

O’Connor, a staunch Catholic, said Don’s story should be a warning to New Zealand.

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