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Diplomat charged

with child

sex offence

SYDNEY: A senior Australian diplomat has been charged with sex offences against children after a long police investigation in a number of countries, officials said Sunday. The diplomat, who was not identified, is expected to face court in Canberra this month following allegations reportedly made against him by two 14-year-old boys.

The Sunday Age of Melbourne said the man, who had worked in Southeast Asia for many years, had denied the allegations against him, saying that he had been victimised because of his admitted homosexuality.

A foreign affairs department official said the man was facing a charge resulting from a long-running investigation into allegations of paedophile activity by the Australian Federal Police "in a range of countries."

"It is now a matter for the director of public prosecutions and for the courts to carry through," he added.

Former justice minister Duncan Kerr said last June that police were investigating allegations by international aid agencies that "prominent Australians" and foreign diplomats had been involved in organised child-sex activities in Cambodia.

One of the agencies, End Child Prostitution in Asian Tourism (ECPAT), claimed international paedophile networks had been moving into Cambodia after being driven out of neighbouring countries such as Thailand and the Philippines by concerted police action.

Another agency, World Vision, said that the aid groups had asked Canberra to send police to investigate allegations "that Australian expatriates, diplomats and tourists are involved in paedophile activities."