June 24, 2006 Saturday

A Manly businesswoman whose mother who has been detained by Chinese authorities for allegedly publishing and distributing Falun Gong material has appealed to Prime Minister John Howard for support.

Doris Chen, 31, is a permanent Australian resident who runs a natural healing practice. She said her mother, Aihua Zeng, 57, was arrested in Shanghai in May and taken to a detention centre.

Falun Gong, "a traditional self-cultivation practice based on truthfulness, compassion and forbearance", is outlawed in China and practitioners can be detained for 37 days without legal recourse.

Ms Chen, who has had no contact with her mother, has just learned the police are going to charge and imprison Ms Zeng.

This month Ms Chen met Warringah federal Liberal MP Tony Abbott who told her the Australian Embassy in Shanghai had expressed concern about the case to the Chinese Government.

Ms Chen has written twice to Mr Howard and has collected 200 signatures in a petition calling on him to "do everything within your power to ensure (Ms Zeng's) release" when he visits China on Wednesday.

Ms Chen hopes her mother will be released to Hong Kong, where she is a resident, on the condition she never returns to China.

"I'll keep writing and petitioning to authorities until my mother is released," Ms Chen said.

Today Ms Chen and her supporters will collect signatures for the petition from 10am to 4pm at Manly Wharf.