Lan Fu () is a former deputy mayor of

Xiamen Xiamen ( , ; ), also known as Amoy (, from Hokkien pronunciation ), is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Strait. It is divided into six districts: Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong'an, ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. He was convicted in 2000 on corruption charges related to a US$6 billion smuggling racket and is currently serving a life sentence in prison. On June 4, 2005, former Chinese diplomat

Chen Yonglin Chen Yonglin () is a former Chinese diplomat who sparked fears of a diplomatic incident through his defection to Australia in the summer of 2005. The episode highlighted the tensions faced by China's trade partners when concerns arise from that ...

alleged that, earlier in 2000, Lan's son, Lan Meng, had been kidnapped from his university in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

by Chinese agents. Chen contended that Meng was kidnapped to compel his dissident father to return to China. However, Lan was never accused of dissidence and his lawyer, Zhu Yongping, denied that kidnapping played a part in Lan's return. Zhu insisted his client had given himself up voluntarily. On June 10 Chen appeared to retract the accusation, commenting only that, "I said that in fear, and I don't want to talk about it again." On June 22, however, Chen provided further details, naming Zhang Jin, deputy director of the Third Department of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, as the official responsible for the abduction. He also alleged that a drug called "du zing" was used to render Lan Meng unconscious and that he was transferred via fishing boat to a Chinese cargo ship. An investigation by the ''Weekend Australian'' found that Lan Meng, then 18, was living in the

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

suburb of

Sandringham Sandringham can refer to: Places * Sandringham, New South Wales, Australia * Sandringham, Queensland, Australia * Sandringham, Victoria, Australia **Sandringham railway line **Sandringham railway station **Electoral district of Sandringham * Sand ...

from November 1999 until November 2000. They determined that he was in Australia for at least three months before Lan Fu returned to China. Lan Meng was located in Melbourne by the Australian Federal Police on July 7 and, when interviewed, requested that his statements be kept secret. On the basis of his testimony, the AFP "concluded there's no substance to the allegation." Other Australian media have also reported on the alleged kidnap claim efector's kidnap backtrack, June 11, 2005 /ref> Lan Fu's wife, Lai Chongxin, also reported to be on China's wanted list in connection with the Xiamen scandal, is believed to still reside in Australia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lan, Fu Living people Chinese politicians convicted of crimes Year of birth missing (living people)