China and North Korean Refugees

All the talk these days is about China’s cracking down on Tibetans, and it is a terrible thing to witness.

Recently, China is claiming that the Tibetan protestors are puppets whose strings are being pulled by foreign religious elements, as a way of downplaying the situation and as an excuse to investigate and shut down churches or other groups who have any foreign involvement.

Related to this, things are getting worse in regard to China’s deplorable treatment of North Korean refugees and those who try to assist them inside China.

China has been known to send refugees, who have escaped North Korea’s police state into China, back to NK, to be imprisoned or tortured or killed by the authorities there, or to simply starve to death due to the conditions there.

Now China is recruiting more informants to report North Korean defectors by offering a reward equivalent to the average annual income in China, for each North Korean defector reported.

Added to that bad news, the punishment has been made more severe for those in China extending help to North Korean defectors. Instead of being fined, they now face the threat of imprisonment.

Of course, if China were to follow justice (and the international refugees convention) they would protect the North Korean refugees, give them asylum or allow them to move on to other countries safely, and allow people to assist them.

Here is a letter I have written to the Chinese Embassy:
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Dear Sir or Madam:

I am writing in protest, upon learning that China is making punishments more severe for people who extend assistance to North Korean defectors.

I understand they face prison sentences now, rather than fines.

I believe that North Korean defectors are refugees who should be protected as such under the international refugees convention. Anyone helping such refugees should be permitted to do so, as North Korea does not respect the rights of its people.

Please end the threat of prison sentences for those who help North Korean defectors.

Additionally, North Korean refugees must not be repatriated as they face death or harsh penalties by the North Korean government for attempting to leave. North Korea does not respect human rights, these individuals need to be protected as refugees.

Most of the world is sympathetic to the plight of North Korean defectors, and sees them as refugees. Please show that you respect human rights, and protect them, and do not punish those who give them assistance.

Thank you.
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I sent this to chinaembassy_us@fmprc.gov.cn .

Feel free to write to them yourself. To send a letter (snail mail) to the Ambassador in Washington, write to:

Ambassador: Zhou Wenzhong
Address: 2300 CONNECTICUT AVENUE, N.W., WASHINGTON D.C. 20008, U.S.A.

Website: http://www.china-embassy.org/; http://us.china-embassy.org/; http://us.chineseembassy.org/

Or telephone him at 1-202-328-2500, or 328-2551 .

For more information, see http://www.northkoreanrefugees.com/2008-04-up1600percent.htm
and http://www.northkoreanrefugees.com/index.html