WORLD : Britain Grants 3 Chinese Diplomats Asylum, Weighs Another’s Request
Britain has granted political asylum to three Chinese diplomats and is considering an application from a fourth, the Home Office said today.
The four sought asylum after the Chinese government’s military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing in early June.
Two of those granted asylum were first secretaries in the science and technology section of the Chinese Embassy in London. They were not named.
The third was Ning Hongshan, a second secretary in the education section who walked into a police station in London’s West End in June and asked to stay in Britain.
The fourth diplomat, whose name was not disclosed, was a middle-ranking official, a Home Office spokesman said.
At least 20 Chinese diplomats in Western countries have defected since tanks and troops ended the demonstrations in Beijing’s Tian An Men Square on June 4.
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