U.S. student who was returned from North Korea in coma has died

[stevenl]

1 hour ago, brewsterbudgen said:

He was part of an organised student trip.

Thanks, just found the background on Wiki.

[mamypoko]

#sad #angry

[overherebc]

Why do people travel to NK and expect to behave the same way they do in their own country. A student prank in USA or UK may result in a small fine etc.

The result of a student prank that will be taken as a political insult in NK is something the tour organisers should have advised all on the tour about. If they did so then anyone who steps outside the lines has only themselves to blame.

It's a very sad outcome and obviously I don't condone the actions of the North Korean authorities, but, people should be made very aware of the possible outcome of their behaviour when travelling to other countries.

Edited June 20, 2017 by overherebc

[YetAnother]

perhaps this is why he was repatriated

[dick dasterdly]

It seems likely he had an un-diagnosed health issue (heart)?

[ddavidovsky]

1 hour ago, hawker9000 said:

The US waterboards a known terrorist and the America-haters lead a global chorus in screaming bloody murder...

 

Fatboy carries out an actual atrocity on an innocent civilian and the world just yawns...

 

Haven't yet seen any speculation as to what caused it, but I don't believe he was tortured. NK would gain nothing by that, especially when the news inevitably come out. They never accused him of being a spy.

 

I can well imagine though that they anaesthetised him, perhaps because he was getting hysterical, but botched it. Not sure that 'medical blunder' comes under 'atrocity'.

 

As punitive measures do not work with irrational people (if they didn't yet know that, I am telling them now) the US is better advised to be friendly, and stop threatening them - as much as that might stick in the gullet. Rodman absolutely has the right idea. More of that sort of rapprochment and there will be less likely to be other cases like Warmbier.

[dick dasterdly]

1 hour ago, ddavidovsky said:

 

Haven't yet seen any speculation as to what caused it, but I don't believe he was tortured. NK would gain nothing by that, especially when the news inevitably come out. They never accused him of being a spy.

 

I can well imagine though that they anaesthetised him, perhaps because he was getting hysterical, but botched it. Not sure that 'medical blunder' comes under 'atrocity'.

 

As punitive measures do not work with irrational people (if they didn't yet know that, I am telling them now) the US is better advised to be friendly, and stop threatening them - as much as that might stick in the gullet. Rodman absolutely has the right idea. More of that sort of rapprochment and there will be less likely to be other cases like Warmbier.

 

"Haven't yet seen any speculation as to what caused it, but I don't believe he was tortured. NK would gain nothing by that, especially when the news inevitably come out. They never accused him of being a spy."

 

I agree, torture is unlikely - what would be the point?

[Srikcir]

POTUS attacked the "brutality of the North Korean regime" following the death of American student Otto Warmbier.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/otto-warmbier-dead-trump-response-statement-north-korea-imprisoned-student-death-latest-a7798281.html

That was the same Trump who would be honored to meet Jung-Un and praised Jung-Un for handling the affairs of State at such a young age. And yet even now Trump does not hold the regime leader personally accountable. Jung-Un is the regime - say his name.

 

Then the insensitive “Melania and I offer our deepest condolences to the family of Otto Warmbier on his untimely passing,”

Yes, murder is often untimely and not just a passing. The Tin Man lacks a heart.

[Sydebolle]

I'm not a friend of totalitarian regimes like North Korea but nobody really knows what happened.

 

• How come a 22 years old kiddo, en tour in Beijing, decided on short notice to visit North Korea and who paid for the trip? 
• What did really happen in Pyongyang; not even a stalinist regime like the North Koreans throw a student, pulling off a poor prank, into the slammer for 15 years and let him rot in a gulag. They knew perfectly well, what kind of storm that would instigate. But having pawns always helps - from their perspective! 
• Warmbier must have been briefed on the dos and donts (like all visitors to North Korea) prior to departure, so given the IQ of this smart young man, he should have known that pranking is not a North Korean pastime. 
• Why did he fall into a coma and what happened over the last 14 months between North Korea and the US? No healthy fellow just falls "like that" into a coma and well, the story of the sleeping pill..... 
• Who organized and who paid for this extremely expensive rescue operation? The Us had chartered a very special aircraft from Phoenix Air Group, one of only three aircraft able to fly highly infectious patients (usually they fly Ebola patients etc.). It took people very high up to get overflying and landing rights out of the USAF air force base near Sapporo - New Chitose Airport (Chitose/Hokkaido in Japan) - into Pyongyang and back; the time between arrival and departure to the US - out of Sapporo - was 75 hours. During these 75 hours the aircraft went into Pyongyang (135 minutes flight) and back to Japan. 
• Was the plane chosen to protect the rescued student or those on the plane? 
• Sure the Pyongyang Hilton is not a fun place to stay but he knew about it (otherwise he should not have gone in the first place - see briefing)
• No torture, no broken bones and an MRI dating from April 2016 given the damaged brain condition. So, whatever happened must have happened in the first three months of Warmbier's stay in North Korea. 

This story will never come clear, too many smoke screens on both sides of the Pacific. I am truly sorry for the parents as no parent should bury their child, irrespective of what happened. My sincere condolences to them. 

[Baerboxer]

6 hours ago, Mosha said:

If you can't respect/obey the laws of a country, stay home. Failure to comply has serious consequences.

Sent from my iris 505 using Tapatalk
 

 

So you believe the unidentifiable person caught stealing the propaganda sign in the grainy cctv video recording was the deceased.

 

On what basis?

[Rob13]

13 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

So you believe the unidentifiable person caught stealing the propaganda sign in the grainy cctv video recording was the deceased.

 

 

 

That's the only 'evidence' they've produced and it reveals nothing definitive. NK has shown their true colors time and again, there's no reason to believe them when they say this kid stole something. 

 

The other people on the tour say he wasn';t scared or nervous when the NK authorities pulled him out of the group to speak with him. If he was guilty seems  he would have been nervous about getting caught. He was a smart kid with no history of being a trouble maker. Alot easier to  to believe NK was up to it's usual tricks than to think this kid turned into a prankster. But we'll probably never know for sure. 

[Mosha]

 
So you believe the unidentifiable person caught stealing the propaganda sign in the grainy cctv video recording was the deceased.
 
On what basis?

On the basis of a lack of commonsense leaving his group tour in China. He should have stayed there.

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[alocacoc]

Poor guy. May be Trump should introduce a travel ban for US citizens like he did for Cuba.

[thaihome]

8 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

He was part of an organised student trip.

No, it's a tour company cashing in on the short lived reality travel show " Don't Tell My Mother" appealing to bored backpackers.

https://www.google.co.th/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.youngpioneertours.com/&ved=0ahUKEwjmwt3hjczUAhVGMo8KHS_jCH8QFggcMAA&usg=AFQjCNFl-5ewO5eK9AG-L48BZmGaLGU_Pw&sig2=ccC55vqxYgiWEU9oH-1TgQ

 

Some reports are tours includes large amounts of cheap alcohol consumption. 

 

https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/booze-bribes-and-propaganda-the-company-that-promises-safe-travel-in-north-korea-061917.html

TH 

[brewsterbudgen]

I'm not a friend of totalitarian regimes like North Korea but nobody really knows what happened.
 

• How come a 22 years old kiddo, en tour in Beijing, decided on short notice to visit North Korea and who paid for the trip? 
• What did really happen in Pyongyang; not even a stalinist regime like the North Koreans throw a student, pulling off a poor prank, into the slammer for 15 years and let him rot in a gulag. They knew perfectly well, what kind of storm that would instigate. But having pawns always helps - from their perspective! 
• Warmbier must have been briefed on the dos and donts (like all visitors to North Korea) prior to departure, so given the IQ of this smart young man, he should have known that pranking is not a North Korean pastime. 
• Why did he fall into a coma and what happened over the last 14 months between North Korea and the US? No healthy fellow just falls "like that" into a coma and well, the story of the sleeping pill..... 
• Who organized and who paid for this extremely expensive rescue operation? The Us had chartered a very special aircraft from Phoenix Air Group, one of only three aircraft able to fly highly infectious patients (usually they fly Ebola patients etc.). It took people very high up to get overflying and landing rights out of the USAF air force base near Sapporo - New Chitose Airport (Chitose/Hokkaido in Japan) - into Pyongyang and back; the time between arrival and departure to the US - out of Sapporo - was 75 hours. During these 75 hours the aircraft went into Pyongyang (135 minutes flight) and back to Japan. 
• Was the plane chosen to protect the rescued student or those on the plane? 
• Sure the Pyongyang Hilton is not a fun place to stay but he knew about it (otherwise he should not have gone in the first place - see briefing)
• No torture, no broken bones and an MRI dating from April 2016 given the damaged brain condition. So, whatever happened must have happened in the first three months of Warmbier's stay in North Korea. 

This story will never come clear, too many smoke screens on both sides of the Pacific. I am truly sorry for the parents as no parent should bury their child, irrespective of what happened. My sincere condolences to them. 

Why not use Google and you'll find many of your questions can be answered; some have been answered in this thread!

[midas]

15 hours ago, spiderorchid said:

I do not know the circumstances of this chaps death, as do all posters and their suppositions.

What I will say is that you have to be off your trolley to ever think about entering this country.

RIP condolences to family and friends.

Except Rodman it seems he is exempt.

 

 

I visited North Korea with Koryo Tours and found it a thoroughly fascinating place as did the other 25 people in my group who had flown in from all over the world to see this unique country.

We all behaved ourselves and showed respect to our hosts nothing bad happened.

This person stole a poster from his hotel and considered it to be insulting. What's the problem with that?

I see no difference to being required to show respect as a visitor in North Korea compared to being required to respect the Les Majeste laws in this country.

 

*link edited out*

Edited June 20, 2017 by Scott
Link Edited out

[thaihome]

Doctors have said the brain tissue was killed due to lack of oxygen to the brain. I suspect the most likely cause was a choke hold applied by an over zealous guard in subduing him at some point soon after the trial. 

 

Search for "choke hold coma" gives many results.

 

N. Korea realized he was not going to recover and finally made arrangements to give him to the US.

 

Feel for the family, but they should not have used it for political reasons or blamed Obama for not getting him released earlier. 

 

Young Pioneer Tours are saying they will not take Americans to N.  Korea any more.

 

TH  

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 20, 2017 by thaihome

[Mosha]

He was part of an organised student trip.

The organised trip was to China, he chose the NK trip after seeing travel agents window ad in China.

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[Scott]

Troll posts removed.  

[Ruffian Dick]

We Yanks are still restricted from tourism to Cuba, but free to give N Korea our tourist dollars. Sad.

[ddavidovsky]

7 hours ago, thaihome said:

Doctors have said the brain tissue was killed due to lack of oxygen to the brain. I suspect the most likely cause was a choke hold applied by an over zealous guard in subduing him at some point soon after the trial. 

 

Search for "choke hold coma" gives many results.

 

N. Korea realized he was not going to recover and finally made arrangements to give him to the US.

 

Feel for the family, but they should not have used it for political reasons or blamed Obama for not getting him released earlier. 

 

Young Pioneer Tours are saying they will not take Americans to N.  Korea any more.

 

TH 

You could search also for "nitrous oxide coma". Maybe he went for some routine dental treatment in prison and they botched it.

[hawker9000]

17 hours ago, tonray said:

Also while people here say "oh just stole some dumb banner', keep in mind that the banner to North Koreans represents something far more than we can imagine. Imagine the outrage from Americans if a foreigner came here and attempted to defile the American flag. That is what North Koreans see, the outcome was horrific but when you go to a repressive, brutal regime you should not even step 1 inch out of line.

Oh please.  Defiling the US flag has become a favorite wingnut pastime!   (Along with cheerleading when some leftwing crank pots at Republican Congressmen.)

 

Step 1 inch out of line?  How about not stepping 1 inch into N Korea!!  Travel there should've been banned long ago.

[Mosha]

We Yanks are still restricted from tourism to Cuba, but free to give N Korea our tourist dollars. Sad.

However.

Adult = read before you go

The Department of State strongly warns U.S. citizens not to travel to North Korea/the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). U.S. citizens in the DPRK are at serious risk of arrest and long-term detention under North Korea’s system of law enforcement. This system imposes unduly harsh sentences for actions that would not be considered crimes in the United States and threatens U.S. citizen detainees with being treated in accordance with “wartime law of the DPRK.” Since the United States does not maintain diplomatic or consular relations with North Korea, the U.S. government has no means to provide normal consular services to U.S. citizens in North Korea.

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