Worldwide Protest against China's Policy of Repatriating North Korean Refugees

A South Korea based International Human Rights Group has calls for a worldwide campaign on Wednesday 22nd December, protesting against China's policy of repatriating North Korean refugees.

The concern has been raised as many North Koreans have been caught by China’s military police and have been forcefully repatriated back to North Korea, where they face inevitable punishment, imprisonment and even death. It was defined that China’s policy of repatriating NK refugees violates the 1951 U.N. Convention on Refugees.

Since the Korean War ended in 1953, nearly 6,000 North Koreans have defected to South Korea, including 1,139 in 2002, 1,281 in 2003 and about 1,500 so far this year. Political instability, restricted human rights and the poor economic state have in fact forced more North Koreans to flee to neighbouring countries.

It is estimated that more than 200,000 North Koreans are living in hiding in China, waiting for a chance to defect to South Korea. They are generally welcomed by ethnic Korean Christians and Chinese nationals. However, the trouble mainly comes from the persecution of Chinese military police.

As an advocate of human rights, the U.S. have expressed their deep concerned about the human rights hazards among North Korean refugees. President George W. Bush signed into law the North Korean Human Rights Act (H.R. 4011) on October 18, which defends human rights of North Korean refugees, sets stricter guidelines providing humanitarian help for those suffering in North Korea, and provides for North Korean refugees to seek asylum in the U.S.

The current protest movement carries the endorsement of U.S. Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Congressmen Joseph Pitts (R-PA) and Christopher Cox (R-CA).

On Wednesday, campaigners will protest at Chinese embassies and consulates in major cities worldwide, including Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Toronto, Houston, London, Tokyo, Osaka, Sydney, Seoul and Pusan.

100 people from a number of U.S. human rights agencies such as the Wilberforce Forum and the Defense Forum Foundation are expected to join the protest at the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C. led by Mrs. Suzanne Scholte of the North Korea Freedom Coalition. Another human right observer, the Liberation in North Korea (LiNK) will lead a protest at China’s Mission to the U.N. in New York.

Sources say that at the protest in Washington D.C., the list of North Korean defectors seized by Chinese authorities will be read aloud. This is considered ground breaking because the Chinese authorities usually block the campaigners from delivering the list.

"China cannot avoid international scrutiny for her treatment of North Koreans and their human rights defenders," says a LiNK press release.