It has been five years since Dong Luobin told New Zealand police “If you send me back to the consulate I will die.” A staff member at the Chinese consulate in Aukland, Dong successfully escaped and applied for asylum. His escape is believed to be the first defection of a foreign government employee in New Zealand since the Cold War, and possibly the only one to date.
At the time, Dong was 34 and working in the back office of the Chinese consulate. Although his position was not high, he was well-paid and well-dressed. However, despite appearances, he was a virtual prisoner. Inside the compound with its barbed-wire topped wall, Chinese staff were closely monitored and controlled. Knowing that freedom was just a few steps away from the consulate’s oppressive environment was painful….