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Ananova : Mystery boat may be from North Korea ============================ Suspicions are mounting that a boat sunk by Japanese authorities was a spy vessel from North Korea, after Korean script was found on items recovered from three dead sailors. Japan's coastguard, meanwhile, continued the search for about 12 remaining crew members dumped in rough seas during the skirmish. Coastguard officials found one dead crewman, a lifejacket with a Korean label still clinging to his body. Another dead sailor had a bag of candy with Korean writing in his pocket, says coastguard officer Shigehiro Sakamoto. It is not immediately clear whether the articles were manufactured in North Korea or South Korea. The coastguard also says search-and-rescue team members located the body of a third castaway, naked from the waist up. However, the body sank before they were able to pluck it from the water. Coastguard officials say they believe the ship - built like a fishing boat - may have been sent by Pyongyang because it closely resembled two suspected North Korean spy vessels chased from Japanese waters in March 1999. Officials say they think the boat's crew may have killed themselves to avoid capture, and that they hoped autopsies on the three men will reveal how they died. However, a Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity, says officials hadn't confirmed the vessel's nationality and that Tokyo hadn't contacted Pyongyang. North Korean state media has not reported the incident yet. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zang Qiyue says the sunken boat was not from China, official media reports. Story filed: 11:54 Sunday 23rd December 2001 ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9WB2D Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
