There are fears Yang Hengjun may have been detained in China's massive crackdown on political expression. Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs today confirmed that it is investigating the disappearance of the Sydney-based spy novelist and former Chinese Foreign Ministry official.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Yang phoned a friend on Sunday from Guangzhou airport in southeastern China to say three men were following him. He has not been heard from since. Beijing has had no comment. China has recently detained dozens of activists to prevent any copying of the democracy uprisings across the Middle East.
Published 29 March 2011, 08:02 IST