North Koreans charged with illegal entry in Northeast

By The Nation

 

Five North Korean women and three children ages 3-6 found wandering on a road in northeastern Bueng Kan province on Monday have been charged with entering Thailand illegally.
 

Police were alerted at 6.30am about the group walking along Highway 212 (Bueng Kan-Nong Khai Road) and took them in for questioning.

 

With the help of an interpreter, it was determined that the group had fled North Korea into China’s Yunnan province, travelled by bus to northern Laos and crossed the Mekong River by hired boat.

 

They claimed to have no particular destination in mind, though an unconfirmed report suggested they wanted to be arrested in Thailand and sent to South Korea.

 

About 30 North Koreans have crossed the Mekong into Thailand this year, including 20 in February alone.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30340204

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-03-05

guess they'll be sent over to south korea then

17 minutes ago, Happy enough said:

guess they'll be sent over to south korea then

That is the usual protocol AFAIK. The South Korean embassy will be notified. Have yet to hear of Thailand deporting them back to the North. 

  They should not be sent back to N Korea that is a death sentence Send they to South Korea They will be welcomed

2 hours ago, InfinityandBeyond said:

That is the usual protocol AFAIK. The South Korean embassy will be notified. Have yet to hear of Thailand deporting them back to the North. 

Thailand doesn't want to pee off the Chinese, remember what happened to the Uighurs! I bet they'll be sent back to North Korea via Beijing...   

38 minutes ago, hobobo said:

remember what happened to the Uighurs!

Aren't Uighurs Chinese by law?

I doubt that China/Thai relations would be affected too much by sending some N.K. refugees to S.K.

 

 

Edited March 5, 20188 yr by KhunBENQ

1 minute ago, KhunBENQ said:

Aren't Uighurs Chinese by law?

I doubt that China/Thai relations would be affected too much by sending some N.K. refugees to S.K.

 

 

Uighurs, like Tibetans, are Chinese only by Chinese laws, following unlawful occupation of their homeland by the Chinese. 

22 minutes ago, hobobo said:

Uighurs, like Tibetans, are Chinese only by Chinese laws, following unlawful occupation of their homeland by the Chinese. 

I do not disagree and in this case Thai gov. indeed does not have the courage to oppose the Chinese.

But who does?

Most are licking their boots when it comes to business.

1 hour ago, hobobo said:

Thailand doesn't want to pee off the Chinese, remember what happened to the Uighurs! I bet they'll be sent back to North Korea via Beijing...   

why? The Chinese aren't interested. they'll be sent to south korea

Absolutely nothing to do with China or the Uighurs.

Completely irrelevant 

Edited March 5, 20188 yr by Happy enough

4 hours ago, hobobo said:

Thailand doesn't want to pee off the Chinese, remember what happened to the Uighurs! I bet they'll be sent back to North Korea via Beijing...   

I am sure China would take a keen interest in having them repatriated to China if they were Uighurs or other domestic groups deemed as dissidents (e.g. Fulong Gong (sp?)). However, Thailand is the "go to" destination for N Korean defectors as the Thai gov't will not repatriate them unlike China, Laos or Vietnam if they are caught there. 

AFAIK, the South Korean embassy in BKK has (or had) a special attaché for reunification that liaises with Thai immigration and is tasked with ensuring defectors picked up in Thailand are sent to South Korea. It has been over ten years now, but I had a friend who was assigned to that office. 

As well, based on what I was told there is a "hankook" underground railroad in Laos that takes them in and secures their passage to (back in the day) Nakhon Phanom where my friend spent considerable time as a "field" rep for her office at the embassy. 

In any case, I hope S Korean/Thai policy hasn't changed in recent years and these people can get safely to Seoul. If not, they are dead. And S Korea will pull out its significant investments in Thai manufacturing (fridges, TVs, a/c, computer hardware etc.). 

3 hours ago, Happy enough said:

why? The Chinese aren't interested. they'll be sent to south korea

Absolutely nothing to do with China or the Uighurs.

Completely irrelevant 

All North Koreans who escape via China (more than 85%) and are subsequently sent back to China, are then quietly returned to North Korea. China is well aware of the fate that awaits them in Pyongyang, but they don't want a situation that may well end in a million plus refugees on their side of the (river) border.

8 minutes ago, InfinityandBeyond said:

I am sure China would take a keen interest in having them repatriated to China if they were Uighurs or other domestic groups deemed as dissidents (e.g. Fulong Gong (sp?)). However, Thailand is the "go to" destination for N Korean defectors as the Thai gov't will not repatriate them unlike China, Laos or Vietnam if they are caught there. 

AFAIK, the South Korean embassy in BKK has (or had) a special attaché for reunification that liaises with Thai immigration and is tasked with ensuring defectors picked up in Thailand are sent to South Korea. It has been over ten years now, but I had a friend who was assigned to that office. 

As well, based on what I was told there is a "hankook" underground railroad in Laos that takes them in and secures their passage to (back in the day) Nakhon Phanom where my friend spent considerable time as a "field" rep for her office at the embassy. 

In any case, I hope S Korean/Thai policy hasn't changed in recent years and these people can get safely to Seoul. If not, they are dead. And S Korea will pull out its significant investments in Thai manufacturing (fridges, TVs, a/c, computer hardware etc.). 

I do hope that you're right and I'm wrong. The only doubt I have about S Korea pulling out of Thai manufacturing over human rights issues. As with so many countries, it's the buck, or the Wong, or even the Baht, that rules.

6 hours ago, hobobo said:

Thailand doesn't want to pee off the Chinese, remember what happened to the Uighurs! I bet they'll be sent back to North Korea via Beijing...   

Easy to bet when one has no cash.

There was a documentary a few years ago following N Koreans defectors all the way to Bangkok where they were nabbed for traveling on a train without a ticket (if I remember rightly). 

4 hours ago, hobobo said:

I do hope that you're right and I'm wrong. The only doubt I have about S Korea pulling out of Thai manufacturing over human rights issues. As with so many countries, it's the buck, or the Wong, or even the Baht, that rules.

True. 

This has been going on for a long time, I read an article about this route long ago: if they manage to get to Lao, which is a member of the PDR brotherhood, they come across the Mekong by boat at night.  If the Thais catch them then uh-oh, but the quest is to make it to Bangkok (can't recall to where exactly, maybe S. Korean embassy?) and ask for asylum.  There is (was?) a sort of underground railroad in place.

My guess is Thailand is now paying more attention to the Mekong crossings.

 

 

How do they flee? They cross the border ok but then what? Which currency do these people use on the road? They must pay someone to get into LOS. Poor souls. I feel for them. Chok dee!

19 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

 

 

 

20 hours ago, hobobo said:

Uighurs, like Tibetans, are Chinese only by Chinese laws, following unlawful occupation of their homeland by the Chinese. 

The same could be said for American Indians Fact remains it's a dead issue They are also Americans and can do nothing about it