Sean: 脱東è€

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Posted by Sean:
脱東者
http://whiteperil.com/posts/1180964190.shtml


   I'm surprised we haven't heard [1]this sort of thing much more
   frequently before now:

     The decision by four apparent North Korean defectors to brave 900
     kilometers of open water in a small wooden boat to reach Japan
     suggests a level of desperation not seen before.
     And it may signal that North Koreans are seeking out new routes to
     escape from the repressive regime in Pyongyang.
     China traditionally was the route of choice. But after Beijing
     began to crack down out of consideration for its ties with North
     Korea, defectors started turning up all over Asia.
     ...
     The arrival Saturday of four defectors at Fukaura port in Aomori
     Prefecture could well be an isolated case.
     "It may just be random occurrence rather than an entirely new
     route," said a South Korean government official.

   Possibly. But it wouldn't be difficult to believe that the PRC's
   tightening of border controls has convinced many would-be defectors
   that almost any alternative is better. There was that widely-linked
   Times Online [2]story last year, detailing at least one "repatriation"
   of a refugee:

     The [PRC] soldiers, who later told family members of the incident,
     marched the woman, who was about 30, to the mid-point of the
     bridge. North Korean guards were waiting. They signed papers for
     receipt of the woman, who kept her dignity until that moment. Then,
     in front of the Chinese troops, one seized her and another speared
     her hand -- the soft part between thumb and forefinger -- with the
     point of a sharpened steel cable, which he twisted into a leash.
     'She screamed just like a pig when we kill it at home in the
     village,' the soldier later told his relative. 'Then they dragged
     her away.'

   Of course, that's a third-hand account, so it's not certain whether
   every detail is accurate. It's certainly not hard to believe that the
   DPRK is making an extra effort to make an example of those who are
   returned after trying to escape.

References

   1. http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200706040059.html
   2. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2393599_1,00.html