Feb. 26
CHINA:
Singapore man on death row wants trial for separtate charge?
A Singapore man - already sentenced death for shooting at a policeman -
wants to be tried for a separate charge of killing a truck driver because
he says he is innocent of the second crime, newspapers reported Saturday.
Firing a gun at a police officer is a capital offense in Singapore,
regardless of whether the policeman is hit.
Khor Kok Soon, 52, was recently found guilty of shooting at policeman Lim
Kiah Chin in 1984 when the officer tried to arrest him for suspected armed
robbery, The Straits Times newspaper reported. It did not say if Lim was
hurt.
Officials at Singapore's High Court could not be reached for comment
Saturday.
Khor was caught in neighboring Malaysia after two decades on the run, the
newspaper said.
He is also accused of hijacking a truck and killing its driver _ but wants
to either have the murder charge dropped or to be tried for it to clear
his name, the paper said.
"I have committed a few robbery cases with firearms and opened fire on a
few occasions, but till today, I have not killed anybody," the report
quoted Khor as saying.
The deputy public prosecutor said he would consult the Attorney-General's
Chambers and decide if a trial should be held, The Straits Times said.
(source: The China Post)
NORTH KOREA:
US State Department confirms refugees face execution
Some North Koreans who defect or seek political asylum abroad can face
execution if they are returned involuntarily to their homeland, according
to a State Department report.
North Koreans forced home after leaving without authorization are subject
to at least five years of "labor correction," the report said.
In cases deemed serious, they can receive "an indefinite term of
imprisonment and forced labor, confiscation of property, or death," it
said.
The report said US officials have been told that the harshest treatment is
reserved for those who have had extensive contact with Christian
missionaries and other activists in China.
Officials also have learned, the report said, that current treatment of
returned migrants generally is better than it has been in the past.
As part of the North Korean Human Rights Act, approved by Congress last
year, the State Department was ordered to compile a report on North
Koreans who try to leave the country.
A copy of the report, sent by the State Department to congressional
committees, was made available to reporters.
In 2000, it said, credible estimates of the number of North Koreans in
neighboring China ranged from 75,000 to 125,000.
Nowadays, the number is believed to have dropped to between 30,000 and
50,000, it said, attributing the decline to increased Chinese pursuit of
illegal migrants and improvements in the country's economy.
In forcibly repatriating some North Koreans, China has violated rules
requiring that UN refugee officials screen those who might suffer
reprisals if involuntarily repatriated.
"The mere fact that North Korea has labeled illegal departure from North
Korea as an act of treason suggests the importance of evaluating each
individual claim before a person is repatriated," the study said.
China contends that unofficial North Koreans in the country are illegal
economic migrants, whom China can summarily return, rather than political
refugees.
(source: Taipei Times)
