Australia's Federal Police Urge Vigilance on Foreign Interference After Second Conviction
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) on October 19 urged communities across Australia to remain vigilant against foreign interference and to report suspicious or unusual activity. The reminder follows the conviction and imprisonment last month of a second person for foreign interference offences in Australian courts.
Foreign interference, the AFP said, occurs when governments of other countries, or those acting on their behalf, try to harm Australia to advance their own interests — by covertly interfering with Australia's political or social landscape or by threatening members of diaspora communities. When targeted at specific communities, this is known internationally as transnational repression, and can involve threats, intimidation or pressure directed or funded by foreign governments to silence dissidents and undermine Australia's multicultural way of life.
The AFP said foreign state actors are actively undertaking foreign interference targeting Australians, in activities that are often deliberate, patient and designed to appear routine, with individuals targeted for their professional experience, access or networks. The release was issued with translations in Russian, Chinese, Farsi and Hindi, and audio-visual material in Mandarin and Cantonese, among other languages.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：澳大利亚联邦警察总部大楼。来源：Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 3.0 / Photo: Australian Federal Police headquarters. Source: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
