European Parliament Passes Resolution on N. Korean Refugees in Thailand

Let no one dispute the effectiveness of groups like Freedom House and Human Rights Without Frontiers. Their influence in Europe is growing, and that influence may preempt a source of cash, trade, and diplomatic support that has proven so useful to Iran. I agree with Nick Eberstadt and Jae Ku that Europe’s support for the North Korean people could shame South Koreans into action.

Maybe there’s hope for Europe yet. Full text follows:
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The Resolution was tabled by

Hubert Pirker, Georg Jarzembowski, Charles Tannock and Bernd Posselt, on behalf of the EPP-ED group; Pasqualina Napoletano and Andres Tarand, on behalf of the PSE Group; Marco Pannella, Marios Matsakis, Marco Cappato and István Szent-Iványi, on behalf of the ALDE Group; Gérard Onesta and Gisela Kallenbach, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group; Giusto Catania, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group; Gintaras Didžiokas and Michal Tomasz Kaminski, on behalf of the UEN Group.

B6-0489, B6-0494,B6-0496, B6-0498, B6-0501/2006

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on North Korea ,

– having regard to the rules laid down in the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol thereto,

A. whereas in recent years tens of thousands of North Koreans have fled from their home country because of the repression and widespread hunger and some risking their lives in travelling through China to arrive in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, South Korea and other South-East Asian countries,

B. whereas the DPRK has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,

C. whereas Thailand has become a transit destination for North Koreans fleeing their homeland, thus putting the Thai authorities in a difficult situation vis à vis DPRK, a country with whom they have friendly relations,

D. whereas the number of North Korean, Burmese, Laotian and Chinese refugees in transit on Thai territory has considerably increased over the past years ;

E. whereas the Thai authorities wish to enforce the law on illegal immigration ;

F. whereas on 22 August 2006 the Thai police arrested a group of 175 asylum seekers – 37 men, 128 women and 10 children ““ who had been hiding for the last two months in an abandoned house in the Thai capital Bangkok ,

G. whereas these asylum seekers, who form the largest group of North Koreans ever arrested in Thailand, were charged with illegal entry and brought before a court, where they where fined THB 6000 (USD 160) each and put into jail for 30 days because they were unable to pay,

H. whereas 16 members of this group have been granted refugee status by the Bangkok office of the UNHCR and are scheduled to leave Thailand in a few days for South Korea, which grants citizenship to defectors from the North,

I. whereas governments are bound by their obligations as parties to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol thereto to grant the UNHCR access to all nationals, including North Koreans, seeking asylum in another country,

J. whereas the situation of the remaining asylum seekers remains precarious and needs to be solved rapidly;

1. Deplores, as it has done in its previous resolutions, that thousands of North Korean citizens flee their country because of repression, hunger and economic decline;

2. Urges the Thai authorities not to repatriate the North Korean refugees, since they and their families will face dire consequences;

3. Calls on Thailand, which is well-known for its long tradition of hospitality towards refugees and which is a responsible member of the international community, to seek, in close cooperation with the UNHCR and other humanitarian organisations, to find a rapid and acceptable solution for the North Korean refugees by sending them to a third country of their choice after the expiry of their 30-day jail sentence;

4. Calls on countries able to take the refugees in to make this known at the earliest opportunity in order to assure that they are not kept in detention;

5. Calls on the Commission closely to monitor the situation of North Korean refugees in collaboration with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and, if necessary, to provide appropriate financial aid;

6. Calls on the Council and the Commission to address the question of North Korean refugees and asylum seekers during the forthcoming ASEM Summit on 10 and 11 September 2006;

7. Calls on the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to observe the special procedures established by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights;

8. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand , the Government of the Republic of Korea , the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.