CHINESE defector Chen Yonglin has appeared on national television with his wife, Jin Ping, and six-year-old daughter, Fang Rong, to argue his case.

Mr Chen, who is in hiding and says he fears for his safety if he is forced to return to China, sat in a Sydney park with Fang Rong as she sang Advance Australia Fair for the camera.

However, he refused to repeat on television his claims that the Chinese Government had been involved in kidnapping Chinese student Lan Meng.

Serious doubts were raised in The Weekend Australian about his claims that Lan Meng was “taken by fishing boat to a Chinese cargo ship on the high seas”, then held hostage in China to force his father to give himself up.

The television appearance followed federal Opposition calls for an investigation into whether the Immigration Department broke thelaw by tipping off the Chinese embassy about Mr Chen’s defection attempt.

“It is time for me to stand up and speak out on my fear about the persecution by the Government and declare that I am only one of a large number of people under the control of the ruling party,” Mr Chen told the Nine Network’s 60 Minutes last night.

Mr Chen said he faced five to 10 years’ jail, possibly even the death penalty, if he returned to China.

Chinese ambassador Fu Ying said last week she could see no reason why China would punish him, but Mr Chen said the Chinese Government was simply trying to woo him back and would then punish him.

“I hope that the Australian Government and the Australian people will support my action and, through supporting me, support theChinese people,” he said.

When asked what kind of life he was hoping for in Australia he replied with one word: “freedom”.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd said migration laws made it illegal to disclose information, without authorisation, to the home country of an asylum-seeker.

He said Foreign Minister Alexander Downer needed to provide the public with assurance there had been no breach of the law and that the matter had been properly investigated within the departments of Foreign Affairs and Immigration.