An international human rights organization turned to the U.S. Congress in a desperate move to prevent the repatriation of 11 North Korean refugees currently held by the Chinese police in a town near the China-North Korea border.
AIM Korea, a Seoul-based support group for North Korean refugees, said a group of 11 North Korean refugees who fled the starving country and was hiding in the mountainous region near the southern China’s Kunming City, were arrested by the Chinese police early this week and are currently detained in a facility in Dandong, a city in the northeast Liaoning Province that borders North Korea, RFA reported Friday.
The North Koreans, whose ages range from 19 to 50, are scheduled to be repatriated to North Korea on Nov. 28, the organization said, calling for the intervention of the U.S. Congress so that they may be freed and eventually allowed to go to a third country such as Thailand or South Korea.
The organization sent an “emergency plea letter” to dozens of members at the U.S. Congress, including Edward Royce, who have been paying keen attention to the North Korean refugee situation.
Tomothy Lee with the AIM Korea said that initially a $40,000 deal was struck with the Chinese police that would guarantee the release of the refugees and a safe passage out of the nation.
However, when the police found out that one of the detainees was actually a North Korean agent, who disguised himself as a refugee to crack down on the refugees, the police changed their attitude.
“Once the Chinese officials found out that this man was working for North Korea, they immediately rescinded their offer and said they would not be accepting any money,” Lee said.