China Detains More Defectors

By Radio FREE Asia

February 26, 2012

Beijing is holding more North Korean defectors than reported.

China has detained more North Korean defectors this month than previously thought by monitoring groups, with most of the refugees facing imminent deportation and possible execution at home, sources say.

The sources close to a U.S. nongovernmental group, which has workers on the ground in China to help North Korean defectors, also gave the names of several of those caught in a bid to debunk claims by Pyongyang that there were no such defections.

Nearly 40 North Koreans were detained as they crossed the border into China in separate incidents this month, according to the U.S. nongovernmental group, the sources told RFA.

Monitoring groups and media reports had earlier stated that between 29 and 33 North Korean defectors were caught by Chinese authorities in February, of whom nine were believed to have been already repatriated.

Beijing had deported the nine a week ago despite pleas by Seoul not to send them back as they faced the risk of being tortured or even executed by the hardline regime in Pyongyang.

"Reports have stated that the number of defectors facing imminent forcible repatriation ranges from 29 to 33, but according to this NGO's records and their [sources] in the field, the number of those recently arrested is 39," one source told RFA.

"According to the same NGO, it appears that nine of the 39 were repatriated about a week ago," the source said, declining to name the NGO due to security reasons.

The NGO was involved in helping five of the 39 defectors before they were caught by the Chinese authorities, according to the sources.

It identified the five as Lee Seung-Bok, Chae Keum-Hwa, Lee Myung-Sook, Kang Eun-Hyang, and Myung-Kwon.

They were among a group of defectors detained by Chinese security police in the the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang, the sources said.

"We are providing the names of some of these defectors to show that North Korea's denial of the Chinese detention of the defectors has no basis," the source said.

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