World Tibet Network News Thursday, February 12, 1998

CANBERRA, Feb 12 AAP -The Australia-Tibet Council today accused the federal government of double standards in threatening war with Saddam Hussein while quietly welcoming the man who played a key role in the Tiananmen Square Massacre and human rights abuse in Tibet.

The government was deliberately not publicising the visit of Chinese Defence Minister Chi Haotian because Australians would be appalled if they knew anything about his background, council president Alex Butler said.

Yet it was generating enormous publicity about the need for the Australian armed forces to be involved in containing Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, Ms Butler said.

"At precisely the same time they are quietly but officially welcoming into our country another military expansionist who has been involved in the slaughter of his own people," she said in a statement.

The visit of General Chi, the first Chinese Defence Minister to visit Australia, was announced in January but no itinerary has been released.

His visit follows visits to China by Prime Minister John Howard and Australian Defence Force chief General John Baker.

He arrives this weekend for five days of meetings with Mr Howard, Defence Minister Ian McLachlan, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and defence comanders and officials.

He is also visiting Japan, New Zealand and Fiji.

The council said General Chi headed the Chinese army at the time of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre and was responsible for planning and operational control of the assault on unarmed protesters which resulted in as many as 5,000 deaths.

He was also responsible for implementation of martial law in the Tibetan capital Lhasa between 1989 and 1990.

General Chi was promoted to Defence Minister in 1993.