Chinese police raided two hide-out places in the outskirts of Beijing, and arrested 65 North Korean refugees and 2 activist workers on October 26th.  Among them, there are 11 teenagers and 1 senior aged over 70. In a press release, the Democracy Network Against North Korean Gulag (NK Gulag) urges chinese government to immediately release the North Korean refugees and the South Korean human rights workers. (29-OCT-2004)

Chinese officials confirmed the arrests on Tuesday of 2 South Koreans and 62 North Korean refugees from safe-houses in eastern Beijing, in a statement released yesterday by China´s foreign ministry office. Human rights organizations believe the People´s Republic of China plans to repatriate the North Korean refugees over the next few days.

According to eyewitness accounts of neighbors, at 4am on Tuesday morning, approximately 30 armed and uniformed Chinese guards raided two apartments in Tongzhou section of Beijing. They handcuffed 62 refugees and two South Korean activists, none of whom resisted arrest. Among the 62 refugees were 11 teenage children and one elderly man over 70 years old. They were boarded onto buses waiting outside the building and taken to the Tongzhou county prison. They are believed to be held in a section reserved for North Korean refugees. The refugees and the 2 activists were reportedly planning to seek asylum in a foreign embassy in Beijing to defect to South Korea.

If returned to North Korea, these 62 refugees will face severe persecution from North Korean officials. Contact with South Koreans and intention to defect are considered serious political crimes in North Korea, punishable by execution and long-term detention in a force-labor camp.

The two South Koreans–Kim Hong-kyoon, 41, and Lee Soo-chul, 47– are activists affiliated with the Democracy Network Against the North Korean Gulag (NKGulag), a Seoul-based human rights organization. They were in the People´s Republic of China on independent missions, without the support of their organization, to give humanitarian aid and shelter to North Korean refugees. Both Mr. Kim and Mr. Lee are former North Korean defectors who currently hold South Korean citizenship.

STATEMENT BY THE NK GULAG
 
Chinese government must release immediately the (65) NK refugees and (2) SK human rights workers it arrested yesterday!
 
Chinese government raided two NK refugee hide-out places in the Tong Chow section of Beijing on October 26th, and arrested (65) NK refugees who were waiting to be rescued and (2) SK human rights workers.  Among them were (11) teenage children and (1) senior man aged over 70.  Thirty policemen came and arrested the refugees who did not even resist.
 
Chinese government changed its policy from “quiet solution” to “tough stance” toward the NK refugees since the recent incidents of NK refugees entering into the foreign language schools in great numbers.  This will worsen the problem of the NK refugees, rather than solve the problems.  The cause of this mass exodus is the North Korean regime.  Chinese government, instead of solving the problem at its root, has adopted their hardliner policy appeasing the NK regime.  Chinese government opted to go completely against the human rights of the NK people.
 
Only thing the NK refugees want is their freedom.  Chinese government is ignoring this simple hope of the NK refugees, and is turning them over to the NK regime.  They know how terribly the refugees will be treated once they are repatriated.  If the Chinese government keeps sending them back to NK, they are violating the international law and cannot escape the responsibilities.
 
WE DEMAND AGAIN TO THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT!  RELEASE THOSE (65) NK REFUGEES AND (2) SK AID WORKERS IMMEDIATELY!  STOP HARASSING THE NK REFUGEES AND LET THEM GO TO THEIR FREEDOM!
 
We, 6,000 NK defectors in South Korea and NK Human Rights workers, will not tolerate or stand by if the Chinese government continues to arrest and repatriate the NK refugees.  The NK refugee issue will get worse if the Chinese government does not treat them humanely.  Send them to South Korea NOW!
 
WE DEMAND TO THE SOUTH KOREAN GOVERNMENT ALSO!
 
The SK government must take actions now to bring them safely to South Korea.  What happens to these refugees now will affect the future policy of the People´s Republic of China toward the NK refugees.  If the SK government acts passively and does not do anything about the situation, they will be also held responsible and cannot escape the just criticism of the international community.  The SK government must mobilize everything they have diplomatically, and help save the (67) people in the Chinese prison right now.
 
–    the People´s Republic of China, release the 65 NK refugees and 2 SK aid workers NOW!
–    the People´s Republic of China, let go of your hardliner policy toward the NK refugees, and try to solve the problem seriously and humanely!
–    South Korea, save those refugees and bring them over to South Korea!