Foreign Interference Suspect Quits Victorian Liberal Party

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Conservative incumbents Tony Beall and Carol Gamble are holding their ground in a hotly contested, nine-candidate race for two at-large seats on the Rancho Santa Margarita City Council, based on the latest election results. Beall is leading with more than 27 percent of the votes counted, followed by Gamble with almost 20 percent, according to unofficial results last updated Nov. 7 at 5 p.m. by the Orange County Registrar of Voters. Both candidates are longtime councilmembers who served multiple one-year terms as mayor and are endorsed by the Republican Party of Orange County. Fellow Republican Glenn Acosta trails in third place with just under 14 percent of votes, followed by endorsed Democrats Beth Schwartz at around 12 percent and John Christopoulos at about 9 percent. Candidates Julia Bendis, Chris McLaughlin,…

A Melbourne-based Asian community leader, and former Victorian political candidate, has quit the Liberal Party after being the first person officially charged under Australia’s foreign interference laws.

Di Sanh Duong, 65, also known as Sunny Duong, was charged last week with allegedly “preparing for a foreign interference offence” under the 2018 National Security Legislation Amendment (Espionage and Foreign Interference) Act.

The law carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Duong was the Liberal candidate for the seat of Richmond in the 1996 Victorian elections. He resigned from the Liberal Party over the weekend.

He has also been stood down from his board position with the Museum of Chinese Australian History which said it was “shocked and surprised” by the charges.

However, Duong still heads the Oceania Federation of Chinese Organisations from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos Inc. and was photographed with current Acting Minister of Immigration Alan Tudge in June this year.

When asked about Duong, Tudge told a multicultural press conference this week that the matter was under investigation by the Australian Federal Police and he could not comment.

The foreign interference laws were rushed through Parliament in 2018 by then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in response to reports of Beijing-linked interference activities in Australia’s political circles and university institutions.

A spokesperson from Beijing’s Foreign Ministry denied conducting interference in the domestic affairs of other countries.

Duong has previously been an active campaigner for pro-Beijing policies in Australia, including supporting the Chinese Communist Party’s claims to Taiwan and in the East China Sea.

Duong is currently out on bail and will appear in court in March.

Focus News: Foreign Interference Suspect Quits Victorian Liberal Party

As California’s Prop. 20 Rejected, Proponent Blames Measure’s Wording

SANTA CLARA, Calif.—A majority of California voters rejected Proposition 20, a measure that would restrict early parole, recategorize crimes, and require DNA collection for some misdemeanors. As of Nov. 9, preliminary results showed 62.2 percent were against it, and 37.8 percent for it. “While this is a disappointing outcome, it should in no way be interpreted as Californians rejecting Prop. 20’s sound public safety policies—after all, at least 4.25 million California voters cast their votes in favor of the initiative,” said Nina Salarno Besselman, president of Crime Victims United, in an email statement to The Epoch Times. “It’s our heartfelt belief that the results have much more to do with many voters being confused by the Attorney General’s poorly worded and misleading election materials—despite our best efforts to correct them…