In a letter, Joshua and Esther Ng, son and daughter of Daniel and Eliza Ng, urged the prime minister to help because their parents, who have Australian citizenship, were detained under house arrest in October of 2007 on charges of "illegal religious activities", said advocacy group China Aid Association (CAA).
Their company, Enoch Biological Science and Technology, was closed by Chinese officials soon after their detention. "The government refuses to allow the Ngs from leaving China, or even to recognize their Australian citizenship," CAA told BosNewsLife.
CONTACTING CONSULATE
Daniel Ng was able to contact the Australian Consulate in Guangzhou Province, "in hopes of intervention by the Australian Government with the case," however Australian officials so far did not intervene. Diplomats reportedly described the matter as an internal business dispute.
CAA, which has close ties with Christians in China, disagrees. "This is a clear case of religious persecution and not illegal business practices," CAA told BosNewsLife. "The Australian government has refused to investigate the allegations and disregarded the fact that Daniel and Eliza Ng are Australian citizens,” the group claimed.
“Whether out of fear over losing future business ventures in China, or outright apathetic attitude towards religious persecution, the Australian government has essentially turned its back on two of its own citizens."
