Don't know why, don't care

The Chinese have quietly agreed to allow North Koreans living in South Korean missions in their country to leave for Seoul.

This is a major turnaround and one wonders what it says about the status of Kim Jong Eun. After all, China didn't take the North Korean refugee situation as seriously as they have in recent years until Kim Jong Il (ca. 2008?) gave them hell about it. Since then, they've steadily ratcheted up the pressure on refugees, doing almost everything possible to keep them from getting into their country and hunting them down and returning them when that fails. Now with Jong Eun sending more and more NSA security agents into China to hunt down ever greater numbers of "traitors," maybe the Chinese are thinking this isn't such a big deal. Maybe it's a case of, "Hey, why are we being so accomodating to this young man when our sources inside the Politburo tell us he isn't long for this world?" Remember that rumored hit on him? What a crazy rumor to start if it had no basis. Maybe it was an assassination gone wrong.

In any event, is this a true turnaround for the Chinese? Is it a way of telling Pyongyang, "Hey, we're your biggest supporter and the reason your miserable government doesn't come crashing to the ground. And when we say launching this rocket isn't a good idea, take a hint." Or is it something else entirely?

I don't know, and I don't care, as long as it happens. Of course, we won't know until we see those defectors get off the plane in Seoul, but if it happens, it can't come too soon. Praise God at least these people will have a shot at a better life. Let's pray it all comes to fruition and fast and that many more join them soon thereafter.

This should be a priority for all world leaders, not just Obama

Don't forget to see the following. Well worth reading.

If you have a Chinese consulate anywhere near you, please call them and tell them to stop repatriating North Korean defectors. Here are the embassy and consulate contact numbers:

Chinese Embassy in Washington DC
Address: 2201 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., Washington D.C. 20007
Tel: (202) 338-6688, (202)5889760
Fax: (202) 588-9760

Chinese Consulate General in Chicago, IL
Address: 1 East Erie Street, Suite 500, Chicago, IL 60611
Tel: (312) 453 0210 / (312) 803-0095
Fax: (312) 803-0122

Chinese Consulate General in Houston, TX
Address: 3417 Montrose Blvd., Houston, TX 77006
Tel: (713) 520-1462
Fax: (713) 521-3064

Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles, CA
Address: 443 Shatto Place, Los Angeles, CA 90020
Tel: (213) 807-8088
Fax: (213) 807-8091

Chinese Consulate General in New York, NY
Address: 520 12th Avenue, New York, NY 10036
Tel: (212) 244-9392
Fax: (212) 465-1708

Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco, CA
Address: 1450 Laguna Street, San Francisco, CA 94115
Tel: (415) 674-2900
Fax: (415) 563-0494

SYMBOLIC COFFIN OUTSIDE WHITE HOUSE:

DRAMATIC PLEA TO PRESIDENT OBAMA ON EVE OF KOREA TRIP

TO INTERVENE WITH PRESIDENT HU

TO SAVE NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

March 16, 2012

WHEN: Tuesday, March 20, 2012

WHERE: 11 am: The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C.

(sidewalk across from Lafayette Park)

12:00 noon: Embassy of the People's Republic of China, 3505 International Place, NW, Washington, D.C. 20008

1 pm: Embassy of the People's Republic of Korea,2450 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington DC

WHO: North Korea Freedom Coalition, Korea Freedom Alliance, and Pilgrim Church

WHY: To Save North Koreans Facing Torture, Imprisonment and Execution

 

(Washington, DC)...Despite appeals by the Republic of Korea, the United States, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the People's Republic of China illegally forced over 40 North Korean refugees ranging in age from 71 years to infancy back to North Korea to face certain torture and execution. Among those repatriated were North Koreans whose family members were in South Korea including a 71 year old mother, a 19 year old daughter, a 16 year old brother, and a mother and her baby.

 

On March 20, activists will assemble at the White House at 11 am to release a letter urging President Barack Obama to call upon China to stop their policy of forced repatriation when he meets with President Hu Jintao for the Nuclear Security Summit in South Korea on March 26 and 27.

 

Following the White House visit, activists will go to the Embassy of the Republic of China to dramatize the fate of these refugees and deliver a letter to Hu Jintao citing his role in sending North Koreans to their death.

 

The activists will then stop by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea to deliver a letter encouraging President Lee Myung Bak and the South Korean government to continue their efforts in trying to save the lives of North Korean refugees in China.

 

Despite the fact that North Koreans face certain torture, certain imprisonment, and increasingly, execution for fleeing their homeland, China continues to force them back to North Korea in violation of its international treaty obligations. China is a signatory to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol.

 

Among those participating will be members of the North Korea Freedom Coalition, Korea Freedom Alliance and Pilgrim Church, which has become the home church for defectors residing in this area.

 

In related efforts, demonstrations will be occurring simultaneously on March 20th in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles.

 

For further information contact NKFC at nkfcadmin1@gmail.com or phone:

Dr. In Y. Park at 571-222-7313 or 276-971-7332 or

Suzanne Scholte at 703-534-4313

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