HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------- Activist plans more defections by N Koreans
Financial Times; Mar 21, 2002 By ANDREW WARD
The human rights activist who masterminded the defection of 25 North Korean refugees in Beijing last week has pledged to help more people escape the Communist country, while China made public its anxiety about the threat of mass defections. Norbert Vollersten said he would intensify his campaign during June's soccer World Cup finals in South Korea and outlined plans to smuggle defectors into the tournament's opening ceremony to stage a protest against human rights abuses in North Korea. "The World Cup is the best opportunity to get our message across because there will be hundreds of international journalists and television crews in the country," he said. "There are lots of North Korean defectors in Seoul who are ready to speak out." Mr Vollersten, a German doctor, said more defections through western embassies in Beijing were planned and likened the asylum bids to defections by eastern Europeans in the 1980s that helped pull down the Iron Curtain. Beijing is concerned that a flood of asylum bids by the thousands of North Korean defectors hidden in China could create instability in the region and strain its relations with the two Koreas and the international community. "The issue could bring about difficulties for the improving relationship between South Korea and China," said Li Bin, Chinese ambassador to Seoul. Beijing allowed last week's asylum seekers to head for Seoul despite its policy of returning defectors to Pyongyang, where they would almost certainly have faced punishment. The incident trapped China between its loyalty to a traditional Communist ally and its desire to foster better relations with South Korea and the west. The 14 adults and 11 children spent their second full day in South Korea yesterday following their arrival from China via the Philippines on Monday. Mr Vollersten, who spent 18 months working in North Korean hospitals before being expelled in 2000, described how a multinational network of activists had organised the asylum seekers' storming of the Spanish embassy in Beijing. He said the group was recruited by activists in north-east China and taken to Beijing, where they were disguised as South Korean tourists in designer clothes. "The children were very excited the night before and the adults a little nervous but they were all determined to reach freedom," he said in an interview with the FT. A TV crew and photographers, briefed beforehand, hid behind trees outside the Spanish compound ready to capture the group's bolt for freedom - ensuring international scrutiny of China's decision about their fate. Mr Vollersten was acclaimed as a national hero in North Korea for his work in the country's hospitals but was expelled after he became disillusioned about the military regime. Movement is restricted in the country and its borders sealed, but up to 300,000 people are believed to have escaped to China. "The Juche Idea means, in a few words, that the owner of the revolution and construction are the masses" : Kim Il Sung ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Unsubscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Juche Korean Central News Agency : http://www.kcna.co.jp/ Korea Friendship Association : http://www.korea-dpr.com/ Korea Friendship & Solidarity Campaign: http://www.kfsc.org/ Juche International Institute : http://www.cnet-ta.ne.jp/juche/defaulte.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B 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 ==^================================================================ |
