Shortly after our first meeting, the person said that if Australia were looking for Chinese spies, he could be the one they might be , however the authorities would never “dare to say I’m Chinese intelligence.”
Given the anti-China fervor in Australia, he admitted he might sound suspicious. So why would not he get in trouble with the authorities? He believed it will be a shame for Australia to accuse him of espionage because he was an lively member of a serious political party.
His confidence was absolute and completely improper. Less than two years later, in 2020, he became the primary person to be charged under Australia’s sweeping foreign interference laws. He was accused of acting on behalf of Beijing.
Who was the suspect?
Di Sanh “Sunny” Duong, 68, was born and raised in Vietnam. He was one among a whole bunch of 1000’s of Chinese who fled the country within the Seventies. He settled in Australia and commenced a tombstone company, secured a middle-class life and have become involved with local Chinese community groups.
I first interviewed him in 2019 and quickly realized that Mr. Duong had a bent to brag – about his travels, his family and his position in society – to the purpose that it was difficult to take him seriously.
What he did?
The case against Mr. Duong was not about what he did, but what he planned to do. Prosecutors say Mr. Duong was affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party. They added that he had invited an Australian government minister to a charity event with the intention of sooner or later influencing him on Beijing’s behalf.
During the trial, the jury was presented with two versions of Mr Duong: was he a shrewd operator pushing China’s agenda in Australia, because the prosecution wanted him to be, or was he, because the defense argued, a pompous braggart?
What was the decision?
Mr. Duong didn’t testify in court. However, in the course of the trial, he met me in a pub a stone’s throw from the courthouse to share his story.
He provided bizarre and convoluted reasons for his actions on which prosecutors built their case. One shocking episode involved Mr. Duong considering he was interacting with a Chinese intelligence officer, but later, because of a television program, concluded that the official was not a spy. One thing was clear: Mr Duong was adamant that he had never done anything against Australia’s interests.
The jury disagreed. In December he was found guilty of preparing or planning an act of foreign interference. Late last month, a judge sentenced him to 2 years and nine months in prison. Mr. Duong is anticipated to spend a 12 months behind bars.
