Representative
Christopher Smith, Chairman and Senator Sherrod Brown, Cochairman of the
Congressional-Executive
Commission on China
announce
a hearing on "China's Repatriation of North Korean Refugees"
Monday,
March 5, 2012
2:30
p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
2118
Rayburn House Office Building
In
recent weeks, international human rights advocates and organizations have
called on the Chinese government not to repatriate dozens of North Korean
refugees currently detained in China. There is now growing concern that the
refugees and their family members may face public execution if the refugees are
forcibly returned to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea).
In January, Kim Jong-un, the "supreme leader" of North Korea,
reportedly threatened to "exterminate three generations" of any family
with a member caught defecting from North Korea during the 100-day mourning
period for the late Kim Jong-il. Despite its obligations under international
law, the Chinese government maintains an agreement with North Korea to
repatriate North Korean refugees.
The
Commission hearing will address the current predicament of North Korean
refugees who have been detained by Chinese authorities in recent weeks.
Witnesses will discuss the factors driving North Koreans to flee to China.
Witnesses will also address the legality of China's forced repatriations of
North Koreans and relevant humanitarian concerns.
The
hearing will be webcast live.
Witnesses:
PANEL
I
Suzanne
Scholte, President,
Defense Forum Foundation; Chairman and Founding Member of the North Korea Freedom
Coalition
Songhwa
Han, Former
North Korean refugee detained in China, repatriated to North Korea, and
detained in North Korea
Jinhye
Jo, Former
North Korean refugee detained in China, repatriated to North Korea, and
detained in North Korea
PANEL
II
T.
Kumar, Director,
International Advocacy for Amnesty International USA
Greg
Scarlatoiu, Executive
Director, the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
Michael
Horowitz, Senior
Fellow, Hudson Institute
Suzanne Scholte
one of the factor that hampers the N. Korea advocacy work is the position of South Korean government. The government is pretty divided.
(DO- fair point. however, the government have good reason to do so. The advocacy work does not necessarily go in line with re-unification efforts)
Michael Horowitz
UNHCR says it feels pressure from China. It is the U.S. that pays for UNHCR's electricity bill. If UNHCR feels pressure, it should be from the U.S.
Congressman Smith
what are Ban Ki-Mun, UNSG and other UN bodies doing to address this issue?
(DO- is it really question or just passing the buck? To me, sounded a bit disingenuous)
Jinhye Jo
two ways of communicating with people in North Korea. In response to the illegal use of mobile phone, N. Korea government is said to install three detector (of signal) in the border area.
