Sunday Tames smear refuted

An article by Jenny Phillips in the June 8 issue of the "Sunday Times" alleges that the New Zealand University Student' Association is "promoting anti-Malaysian feeling" in its campaign in defence of the civil liberties of Malaysian students in New Zealand, and that "some links with the Chinese have been evident throughout the students' campaign". The article also alleges that the New Zealand correspondent of the Hsinhua News Agency, Mr Li Yi-Chen is a Chinese intelligence officer.

If Jenny Phillips had bothered to contact me or any other office of the New Zealand University Students' Association before writing the article she would have found out that the New Zealand University Students' Association's campaign in defence of the civil liberties of Malaysian students in New Zealand is in response to attempts by the Malaysian High Commission to interfere in New Zealand student affairs, which date back to 1969. The absurdity of the allegation that the New Zealand University Students' Association is "promoting anti-Malaysian feeling" is shown by the wide support we have received from Malaysian students in this country for our defence of their democratic rights.

The allegation that "some links with the Chinese have been evident throughout the students' campaign" contains the inference that the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in New Zealand is interfering in New Zealand student affairs. The only "evidence" for this allegation is that the Victoria University student newspaper "Salient" has published the text of a broadcast reported by the Hsinhua News Agency. As you will be aware the services of Hsinhua Agency are available to and used by the New Zealand Press Association as well as the "People's Voice". Is the Press Association or any daily newspaper charged with having some sort of dastardly "links with the Chinese" every time they use material from the Hsinhua News Agency.

As I pointed out to the editor of "Truth" in a letter in reply to similar allegations against the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in New Zealand, the New Zealand University Students' Association received material from this Embassy and a number of others, including the Malaysian High Commission. All the material the New Zealand University Students' Association received from the Chinese Embassy is freely available in a number of bookshops throughout New Zealand, and has been for a number of years — in fact long before the Embassy was established in Wellington.

I note that the Prime Minister has refuted the claims that Mr Li Yi-chen is a Chinese intelligence officer, and as Miss Phillips' allegation that the Chinese Embassy has some sort of sinister "links" with the New Zealand University Students' Association in its campaign in defence of the civil liberties of Malaysian students is similarly groundless, I suggest that the "Sunday Times" should withdraw these allegations and apologise to the Embassy of the People's Republic of China and to Mr Li Yi-chen.

It is clear from Miss Phillips' article that the source of her allegations was the Malaysian High Commission in Wellington. The New Zealand University Students' Association is deeply disturbed at the fact that the "Sunday Times" is spreading rumours which have been concocted by the Malaysian High Commission and which are clearly aimed at damaging the state relations between New Zealand and the People's Republic of China, and the friendship between the New Zealand and Chinese peoples.

The New Zealand University Students' Association fully supports the Labour Government's actions in establishing friendly relations with China and we regard attempts by third countries to damage these relations as intolerable interference in New Zealand's affairs. I suggest that the "Sunday Times" should publish the mysterious files which contain "proof of Chinese communist activities here" which "senior South-East Asian diplomats" showed Jenny Phillips. If you can do so you may reassure those people who feel that the aim of Miss Phillips' article was simply to stir up anti-Chinese feelings. I have no doubt that many people who read this article would have recalled past anti-communist campaigns by your sister paper "The Dominion", such as "The Subverters of Liberty" series in September-October 1972, which, you will recall, accused the Chinese Government's "Special Division for Subversion: of originating "air terrorism" and setting up "training courses for terrorists whose task was to attack and hijack airliners", among other things. That series was noteworthy for its hysteria and its lack of factual substance.

Because of the seriousness of the allegations made in Miss Phillips' article I intend to release this letter to the press and to all student newspapers.