By Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, May 15: A former Chinese secret agent named Eric, once a dissident himself, has come forward with crucial information exposing the Chinese Communist Party’s covert operations targeting dissidents overseas. He was assigned to infiltrate pro-democracy organisations and target dissidents critical of the Communist regime for 15 years since 2008, reported ABC News.
In a revelation, Eric disclosed that in 2016, he received an invitation to attend a gathering of activists in Dharamshala, the headquarters of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile. During this event, he also had a meeting with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Speaking to ABC News, Eric admitted to submitting a detailed report to his handler, outlining the exiled government’s policy on China. He further stated that this report was “well received.”
The former Chinese spy disclosed that he undertook missions in multiple countries as an agent for Chinese Communist Party’s covert operations aimed at dissidents abroad. In 2018, Eric received orders to locate Edwin Yin, a YouTuber known for his staunch criticism of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
He further revealed that before working as a Chinese spy, he was a university student who joined the US-founded China Social Democratic Party in 2007 out of admiration for Western democracy. Unaware of surveillance, he shared about the party’s annual meeting on social media, leading to a visit from the police who coerced him into collaboration. “They forced me to work with them. I didn’t have a choice,” he said.
Eric’s story exposes the Chinese government’s extensive history of Beijing’s transnational repression that includes monitoring, harassing, and silencing dissidents abroad. The CCP employs various tactics, including surveillance, intimidation, and even abduction, to suppress dissenting voices that challenge its authority or advocate for human rights and democracy, according to multiple independent observers.
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Think about whose lives are put in jeopardy. How many of the people in Afghanistan made it out safely?
In 2017, China passed its sweeping National Intelligence Law, obligating Chinese nationals to aid their government’s spy agencies: “All organizations and citizens shall support, assist, and cooperate with national intelligence efforts,” it read.