North Korean refugees plead case against Kim Jong-il

Refugees from North Korea are in The Hague in an attempt to convince the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prosecute Kim Jong-il for crimes against humanity.

From NRC Handelsblad, 10 December 2009 17:31:
North Korean refugees plead case against Kim Jong-il
By Harry Meijer

Park Hye-ri (43) cried softly as she removed her artificial limbs in a hotel conference room in The Hague on Wednesday, her black lacquered shoes dangling pointlessly from the flesh-coloured prostheses. The limbs are evidence in a case Park Hye-ri and one of her compatriots came to make on behalf of 150 refugees from North Korea.

Hye-ri reached South Korea, where she now lives with her 19-year-old son, in 2006 at the end of her second escape attempt from North Korea. The first failed when she was intercepted by Chinese police in the border area between Mongolia and China, in 40 degrees Celsius below zero temperatures, and repatriated to North Korea, where she was detained and beaten for months.

"The Chinese sent me back with frozen feet. The North Korean secret police beat me on my feet, and drove a steel pin through them. My legs started rotting away. They only wanted one thing: to hear me confess that I had wanted to escape to South Korea," Hye-Ri told the court.

If al-Bashir, why not Kim Jong-il?

Hye-ri and the other refugees want the ICC's main prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo, to investigate the possibility of indicting the regime of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il for crimes against humanity. The charges include torture, deportation, sexual slavery, rape, starvation and summary executions.

The refugees are supported by a group of South Korean intellectuals and activists. They take courage from the ICC's earlier indictment of Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir for war crimes in Darfur.

If the ICC can issue an arrest warrant for Bashir, then surely it must do the same for North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, said Ha Tae-keung, a South Korean activist who is the driving force behind Open Radio for North Korea, a Seoul-based radio station that broadcasts daily to listeners in North Korea. "The crimes against humanity committed by North Korea are at least as grave as those of Sudan," said Ha.

Stalinist North Korea is one of the most reclusive and repressive regimes in the world. According to human rights organisations, an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 people are detained in political prisoners camps. Prisoners are subjected to forced labour, torture and public executions, claims the file of the refugees before the ICC.

Slim chance

The international community is at a loss what to do with the North Korean leader. US envoy Stephen Bosworth paid a three-day visit to Pyongyang this week in an attempt to persuade North Korea to re-enter talks about nuclear disarmament.

Activist Ha sees a trial in The Hague as another way to put pressure on the regime. "Kim Jong-il will never give up his atom bomb," he said, "but with enough international pressure he might be persuaded to do something about the human rights situation."

Chances that the ICC will prosecute Kim Jong-il personally are slim as North Korea does not recognise the court. The UN Security Council could refer Kim Jong-il to the ICC, but such a move would be almost certainly vetoed by China, an ally of North Korea.

Burma claims it will release Aung San Suu Kyi

Photo: Aung San Suu Kyi is being held under house arrest in the commercial hub Yangon after her detention was extended by another 18 months in August. (AFP) Source: The Daily Telegraph, Nov. 03, 2009:
US diplomats arrive in Burma for talks with junta
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From The Daily Telegraph
Burma claims it will release Aung San Suu Kyi
Published: 7:00AM GMT 10 Nov 2009

"There is a plan to release her soon ... so she can organise her party," Min Lwin, a director-general in the foreign ministry. He gave no details and it was unclear whether Mrs Suu Kyi would be allowed to campaign or stand for election.

Despite the conciliatory remarks, the country's constitution includes provisions that bar her from holding office and ensure the primacy of the government in the military.

The Nobel peace prize winner has spent 14 of the last 20 years under house arrest. In August a court sentenced her to an additional 18 months after an American, John Yettaw, swam across a lake to her villa in Rangoon and stayed overnight.

Burma's junta in the past has raised expectations of Mrs Suu Kyi's imminent release only to dash the hopes of her supporters at home and abroad.

Pro-democracy campaigners cautioned against reading too much into the latest hints on Mrs Suu Kyi's release. "They've been saying these sorts of things for a long time but they have never delivered on them," Anna Roberts, the director of the Burma Campaign UK told the Guardian. "The regime's main concern is get economic sanctions lifted and get approval for the sham elections next year."

Tantalising hints of a possible release for the political prisoner came as Min Lwin was in Manila for a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and the US.

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Diplomat says jailed opposition leader will be allowed to organise her party for elections next year
Excerpt from The Guardian
Burma claims it will release Aung San Suu Kyi
Tuesday, 10 November 2009

In a break with George Bush's policy of isolating the Burmese regime, Barack Obama has decided on a policy of engagment with the junta. Last week the US assistant secretary of state for east Asia, Kurt Campbell, and his deputy, Scott Marciel, became the most senior American officials to visit Burma since 1995, when Madeleine Albright went as Bill Clinton's ambassador to the UN.

Campbell and Marciel held exploratory talks with senior figures in the junta, including the prime minister, Thein Sein, but not Than Shwe, the general who has ruled the country for the last 17 years. They also met Aung San Suu Kyi.

Obama will meet Asean leaders this weekend during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Singapore, possibly bringing him into rare contact with Thein Sein. The last US president to meet a Burmese leader was Lyndon Johnson, who held talks with prime minister Ne Win in 1966.

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From The Irrwaddy
China Builds Fence on Part of Burma’s Kachin Border
By WAI MOE, Tuesday, December 23, 2008:

Chinese authorities are building a fence along the Burmese border near Laiza in Kachin State, reportedly to deter drug traffickers.

Awng Wa, of the Kachin Development Networking Group, based on the Sino-Burmese border, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that work began on the fence last month. He said it is expected to be at least 10 km long.

“I heard that the Chinese authorities want to complete the construction before the coming Chinese New Year Festival [in late January],” he said.

Awng Wa said that although the Chinese authorities claimed the fence was being built to prevent landslides, the real purpose appeared to be to stem rising drug trafficking across the border.

Authorities in China’s Yunnan Province report that in the three years ending April 2008 they seized 12.9 tons of heroin, 9.3 tons of crystal methamphetamines and 4.5 tons of opium originating in Burma. The heroin amounted to 75 percent of nationwide seizures, the methamphetamines accounted for 55 percent and the opium 87 percent.

The fence is the second to be built by China along its border with Burma. The first, 4 km long, was built near Ruili. A third is planned in the Pangwah pass area, according to sources.

Aung Kyaw Zaw, a Burmese analyst on the Sino-Burma border, said the fences were not expected to disrupt drug trafficking. “The Chinese need to consider the root of the problem,” he said.

China and Burma have a relatively open border of more than 2,000 km, favoring smuggling and drug trafficking, according to Poon Kim Shee, an expert on Sino-Burmese relations.

Cross-border trade was banned by the government of Burmese dictator New Win from 1962 until 1988. The two countries signed an agreement legalizing trade in August 1988.

Since 1988, bilateral trade increased steadily, soaring 60 percent in the fiscal year ending last March 31, reaching a total value of US $2.4 billion.

China is now Burma’s second largest trading partner, after Thailand, and bilateral trade accounts for 24 percent of Burma’s trade.

Burmese exports to China comprise mostly raw materials such as agricultural produce, fish, timber, gems and minerals, while Burma imports Chinese machinery, electronics, processed food and consumer goods.

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Further reading

Online Burma/Myanmar Library

From foes to friends: The changing face of Burma-North Korean relations
Did Foreign Pressure Make Ship Turn Back? 
By LALIT K JHA (WASHINGTON) — Pressure from Burma’s key neighbors including India, China and members countries from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) could have persuaded the military junta not to be associated with North Korean nuclear activities at this point of time. The controversial North Korean ship heading for Burma may have been turned around as a result.

Related Articles

• US diplomats arrive in Burma for talks with junta

Meme: Joe Trippi's Eleven-Eleven 1111Campaign - America's and Britain's Veterans have given so much. Now, you can give back.

Joe Trippi, one of America's greatest bloggers, has launched Eleven Eleven Campaign. The objective of the Eleven Eleven Campaign is simple: to get 11 million Americans to donate $11 to support America’s Veterans. Here is a copy of Joe's latest tweet on Twitter:

Tomorrow is Veterans Day, and now is our moment to encourage our friends, family members and colleagues to join us... http://bit.ly/9Iu9s
33 minutes ago from Facebook
1111Campaign
Eleven Eleven

Hey Joe! Britain's Veterans have given so much too!

Stand with 11 million Brits and Give £11 to Support Britain’s Vets!

Take Action Today
Click here to support Britain's Veterans
November 11, 2009

Bill Clinton meets Kim Jong Il in North Korea, 4 Aug 2009

Photo: The former American President Bill Clinton flew into North Korea on a surprise mission to secure the release of two American journalists. He was taken from the airport into a rare face-to-face meeting with the regime's 'Dear Leader', Kim Jong Il. It has raised hopes that North Korea may soon be enticed back to multinational disarmament talks after three months of mounting atomic tensions and provocation. (KRT/Reuters)



Photo: North Korea’s official news agency reported that Mr Clinton and Mr Kim engaged in "sincere and exhaustive discussions" on a range of issues. (KRT/Reuters)



Photo: A South Korean newspaper reports on his visit (Ahn Young-joon/AP/Times Online) Reports suggest that Mr Clinton will use the two-day trip to "negotiate robustly" for the release of Euna Lee and Laura Ling, the two American journalists who are serving 12 years hard labour in a North Korean prison. They were both working for a television company run by Mr Clinton’s former Vice-President, Al Gore, and were arrested for a "grave" though unspecified, crime on the North Korea-China
border earlier this year. (Yonhap/AP)



Photo: South Koreans have been demanding the release of the two women. Here they burn a defaced North Korean flag during a rally. (Ahn Young-joon/AP)



Photo: A defaced portrait of the North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is placed on the street during the rally in Soeul (Ahn Young-joon/AP)

Source: Times Online, 04 August 2009 - Bill Clinton meets North Korean leader Kim Jong Il for talks

UPDATE:

Within hours of shaking the hands of his reclusive host, Kim Jong Il, North Korea dramatically announced that the journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, were free to go.

“Kim Jong Il issued an order ...on granting a special pardon to the two American journalists who had been sentenced to hard labour in accordance with Article 103 of the Socialist Constitution and releasing them,” North Korea’s official news agency reported.

They were expected to fly back home on board Mr Clinton’s plane.

Full story at Times Online by Leo Lewis in Tokyo, and Tim Reid in Washington 4 Aug 2009:
Bill Clinton secures 'pardon' for imprisoned journalists after meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Il

EU plans to sign $100 bln S.Korea trade pact in '09

From Reuters Mon Jul 13, 2009 9:54am EDT
UPDATE 1-EU plans to sign $100 bln S.Korea trade pact in '09

* Swedish EU presidency plans to conclude S. Korea pact

* Free-trade agreement estimated to be worth $100 bln

* Diplomats see initialling of deal in September

* EU carmakers remain opposed, BusinessEurope in favour

S. Korean president seeks Italy's support for Korea-EU FTA in summit

From Yonhap News Agency by Byun Duk-kun, Friday, 10 July 2009:
S. Korean president seeks Italy's support for Korea-EU FTA in summit

L'AQUILA, Italy, July 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak sought to win Italy's support for an envisioned free trade deal between his country and the European Union in a summit with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi here Friday.

The move is part of last-minute efforts by Seoul to conclude the free trade agreement (FTA) while three EU nations -- Italy, Poland and Hungary -- were believed to be holding back their full support for the accord.

Berlusconi agreed to work with the South Korean leader to help "upgrade the Korea-EU relationship to a strategic partnership by concluding the Korea-EU FTA at an early date as agreed in the Korea-EU summit held in Seoul on May 23," Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said in a press release.

The agreement could mean the sides are now only a step away from signing the deal which, once signed, is expected to generate billions of dollars in increased trade for both sides.

Poland is said to have withdrawn its early opposition to the proposed deal, with President Lech Kaczynski saying in a joint press conference with Lee after their summit Wednesday that the FTA will help improve the relationship between his country and South Korea.

Lee and the Italian prime minister agreed to improve their countries' bilateral ties, noting their relationship has steadily expanded to economic, political and cultural areas since first established in 1884, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

"The two heads of state agreed to strengthen the cooperation between their countries in dealing with global issues, such as the worldwide financial crisis and climate change," it said in the press release.

They also agreed to work together for an early resumption of six-nation talks on ending North Korea's nuclear ambition, noting its possession of nuclear weapons will not be accepted.

Pyongyang declared it was abandoning the nuclear disarmament talks in protest over U.N. condemnation of its rocket launch in April. The talks involve the two Koreas, the United States, Japan, China and Russia.

bdk@yna.co.kr 

(END)

Did North Korea cyber attack Washington?

it seems the North Koreans may have carried out an act of cyber-war against half a dozen US government agencies and the hallowed Washington Post. Our Asia correspondent Nick Paton Walsh is out there in cyberspace, chasing them down.

Did North Korea attack Washington?: http://bit.ly/agDWR

Source: Channel 4 News (UK) Snowmail by Jon Snow, Wednesday, 08 July 2009.

Kaesong Industrial Park in the DPR Korea - A new city for 500,000 people

See this incredible video uploaded to YouTube November 17, 2008.



A new centre for the far East. North and South Korea will co-exist. A new city for 500,000 people.



From Reuters Wed, 01 July 2009 10:53pm ED, by Jack Kim:
North Korea seen readying missiles

SEOUL (Reuters) - North and South Korean officials held talks on Thursday to salvage a joint factory park in the communist state that has become a key source of foreign cash for Pyongyang, hit by U.N. sanctions for its nuclear test.

The talks come as North Korea looks ready to launch medium or short range missiles from its east coast within days, a South Korean newspaper reported, which could further stoke tensions already high due to the North's May 25 nuclear test.

Washington said this week it has tightened its crackdown on firms linked to the North's lucrative proliferation of missiles, a major source of cash for the destitute state, and has sent the U.S. point man for sanctions to Asia for discussions.

The talks over the Kaesong industrial park, where about 100 South Korean companies pay $70 a month per person to employ about 40,000 North Koreans, have hit snags in previous rounds over the North's demands for sharp raises in wages and land lease fees.

Analysts said North Korea was trying to squeeze more money out of the South Korean companies in Kaesong as U.N. sanctions imposed for its missile and nuclear tests begin to grip the state that produces few goods other than arms it can export.

North Korea has ignored the South's demand for the release of a South Korean worker who has been held at the park located just inside North Korea for more than three months for supposedly insulting the North's political system.

The North said in May it was cancelling all wage, rent and tax agreements for the park, once hailed as a model of future economic cooperation between the rival states technically still at war who share one of the world most militarized borders.

MISSILES MOVES

The North was likely to fire medium or short range missiles from its east coast in early July that could include Scuds with a range of about 340 kilometers (210 miles) or Rodong missiles with a range of up to 1,000 kilometers, the daily JoongAng Ilbo quoted an intelligence source as saying.

Japan's coast guard has said it had monitored no-sail warnings by the North for 10 nautical areas around the Korean peninsula for military firing exercises.

On Tuesday, the United States said it was cracking down on companies involved in North Korea's suspected missile proliferation and in the purchase of equipment that could be used in a nuclear weapons program.

The U.S. Treasury and State Departments moved to freeze the assets of an Iranian and a North Korean firm under an executive order and also barred U.S. firms from dealing with them.

Philip Goldberg, the U.S. envoy who coordinates sanctions against the North, went to China in a bid to get tough with North Korea. China is the North's biggest benefactor whose cooperation could determine the success of any sanctions regime, analysts said.

He will be in Malaysia on Sunday before heading back to Washington on Monday. It was not immediately clear why he was visiting Malaysia.

A North Korean ship being tracked by the U.S. Navy on suspicion of carrying a banned arms cargo has turned around and is headed in the direction of the North after it was seen sailing to Myanmar.

Officials said the North's military grandstanding is likely related to moves by its leadership to begin readying leader Kim Jong-il's youngest son as a future heir by consolidating the 67-year-old leader's power base.

(Editing by Jon Herskovitz and Valerie Lee)

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N Korea threatens US as world anticipates missile

Report from Associated Press (via Yahoo News) by HYUNG-JIN KIM, Associated Press Writer – Wed Jun 24, 2009 7:13 pm ET:

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea accused Washington of seeking to "provoke a second Korean War" as the regime prepared to hold maritime military exercises off the eastern coast. U.S. and regional authorities were watching closely for signs that North Korea might fire short- or mid-range missiles during the June 25 to July 10 

timeframe cited in a no-sail ban for military drills sent to Japan's Coast Guard.

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Source/credit:  With thanks to seeker401 (a wordpress blog):

Jul 04, 2009 - Kaesong Industrial Park in North Korea..this is how the game is played

Jun 26, 2009 - North Korea threatens to wipe the USA off the map

• Strange timing as the noise continues
• North Korea threatens to wipe the USA off the map
• North Korea: Ready for war
• North Korea Ejects South Korean Companies

North Korea fires missiles off coast

Report: NKorea ship suspected of carrying missiles

North Korea has carried out a nuclear test

North Korea has carried out a nuclear test. Barack Obama is threatening unspecified 'action'. The UN Security Council will meet later tonight.

Source: UK's Channel 4 News Service Snowmail, Monday, 25 May 2009.

See 25 May 2009 BBC News report Outrage over N Korea nuclear test and comments at Have Your Say

Microsoft blocks MSN access for selected countries

Microsoft blocks MSN access for selected countries. List of those affected includes Syria, Cuba, Iran and North Korea.

Source: AJ-IT by Ben, Friday, 22 May, 2009:
Microsoft blocks MSN access for selected countries

Reports are surfacing online confirming that Microsoft has removed access to its Windows Live MSN services for residents in several embargoed countries, the full list of those effected includes Syria, Cuba, Iran and North Korea.

If, say, you’ve woken up in Cuba this morning and gone to log into your MSN account you would have seen this little error message pop-up, “Error 810003c1”, which, buried in Microsoft’s terms means “Microsoft has shut off the Windows Live Messenger IM for users in the countries embargoed by the US hence Microsoft no longer offers Windows Live Service in your country”.

The reasoning or logic behind which countries get denied access and which get allowed is undisclosed but could be considered more than a little confusing as other countries with sanctions against them remain unhindered in accessing the services.

The reason behind the timing of the decision is also unclear, but one thing is for sure, a simple IP-based blocking system won’t keep MSN users in those countries off of the service for very long.

Japan to 'destroy' N Korea rocket

Report by the BBC March 27, 2009:
Japan to 'destroy' N Korea rocket (BBC)

Japan says it is deploying missile interceptors to destroy any parts of a North Korean rocket that might fall on its territory.
North Korea has said it will launch a satellite into orbit next month.

South Korea, Japan and the US say the launch is cover for a test of the Taepodong-2 ballistic missile.

The US said a launch would violate UN Security Council resolutions. Russia said North Korea should "abstain" from testing any missiles.

'Assure safety'

Japan's Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada issued the orders to mobilise Japan's missile defence shield after a meeting with Prime Minister Taro Aso and cabinet ministers.

"We will do our best to handle any flying object from North Korea in order to assure the Japanese people's safety and security," said Mr Hamada.

North Korea's missile programme

"A satellite or a missile - we are displeased with anything that is going to fly over our land, and such an action must be stopped."

It is the first time that constitutionally pacifist Japan has deployed the shield. The country's military is also expected to deploy warships off its coast.

North Korea says it intends to test-fire the rocket between the 4 and 8 April.

The trajectory issued by Pyongyang shows the rocket will pass over Japan, with the first booster stage landing in the sea to the west, the second in the Pacific Ocean to the east.

The interception is only likely to be activated if the launch does not go as planned and debris appears to be falling towards Japan.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavkin told journalists that the launch had led to increased tensions in the region, "and this is why it would be better if our partners in North Korea abstained from this".

Japan revised its Self-Defence Forces Law in 2005, legalising possible interceptions of ballistic missiles.

But the country's pacifist constitution does not allow it to intercept a missile if it is clearly heading elsewhere.

The Japanese government had previously warned it would try to shoot down any missile or debris that threatens to hit its territory.

North Korea has said it would regard any rocket intercept as an act of war.

North Korea accuses U.S. of plotting attack

From Reuters Wed Mar 11, 2009
North Korea accuses U.S. of plotting attack

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday accused the United States of preparing for a war against the communist state in Pyongyang's first verbal criticism of the Obama Administration.

A ministry spokesman said military drills taking place between U.S. and South Korean forces were "nuclear war exercises designed to mount a preemptive attack on the DPRK." The DPRK is the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The comments came as Russia and China -- two of the North's few remaining allies -- said that they were also concerned about rising tensions on the Korean peninsula.

"The new administration of the U.S. is now working hard to infringe upon the sovereignty of the DPRK by force of arms in collusion with the South Korean puppet bellicose forces," said a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, in comments carried by the North's official KCNA news agency.

"The DPRK, exposed to the potential threat of the U.S. and its allied forces, will take every necessary measure to protect its sovereignty," the unnamed spokesman added.

Since the inauguration of the South's conservative President Lee Myung-bak, the North has all but severed relations with its wealthy neighbor, and in recent weeks increasingly stepped up rhetoric against the United States.

TENSE SITUATION

The North Korean official said that inter-Korean relations had reached their worst phase and the situation had grown so tense that "a war may break out any moment due to the reckless policy of confrontation" pursued by South Korea.

The prickly North has turned increasingly strident in its rhetoric, putting its one-million-strong military on combat readiness over the exercises in the South and planning to launch a long-range missile in what several governments have said would be in contravention of U.N. sanctions.

Media reported last week that Japan and the United States might try to intercept any ballistic missile launched by the North.

The North says the rocket is part of a peaceful space programme and any attempt to shoot down its missile would be seen as an act of war.

North Korea on Monday said it had put its armed forces on full combat readiness in response to the start of the annual military exercises that have been held for years without incident. The drills end on March 20.

On Wednesday, U.S. aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis made a port call in the southern city of Busan to join the drills while a guided missile destroyer the USS Chafee was in the waters off the peninsula's east.

The commanding officer of the nuclear-powered carrier, Rear Admiral Mark A. Vance said the exercise and the participation of the fleet was not at all in response to the increased tensions surrounding the North's missile launch preparations.

RUSSIA, CHINA CONCERNED

Russia and China called on those involved "to show restraint and composure, and to refrain from any actions that could undermine security and stability in this region," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke to his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi on Tuesday.

Russia and China, together with South and North Korea, the United States and Japan are party to multilateral talks that began in 2003 on ending the North's nuclear arms programme.

Implementation of a key disarmament deal struck in 2005 has been held up as Pyongyang slowed the process of disabling its nuclear facilities while energy aid to the North in return for those steps also dried up in recent weeks.

The conservative South Korean government has stopped aid to the impoverished North after 10 years of no-questions-asked aid by Lee's liberal predecessors, angering Pyongyang's leaders.

After a day of suspending border processing on Monday, the communist North on Tuesday allowed South Koreans back into a lucrative factory just across the armed border.

Traffic and personnel flow across the heavily armed border continued as usual while the military hotline used to process the crossing remained cut from the North's side, officials said.

(Additional reporting by Jo Yong-hak in Busan and Guy Faulconbridge in Moscow; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)