Forced repatriation of North Korean defectors from China “Sending to a camp… Violation of the Refugee Convention”
“Korea and China, who did not participate in the statement condemning Uyghurs, should raise their voices”
Chris Smith (Republican Party), chairman of the Congressional and Executive China Committee (CECC) under the US Congress, pointed out on the 18th (local time) in relation to the leaked confidential documents, “We must give our allies confidence that confidential information will be kept confidential.” .
Chairman Smith said in an interview with the Dong-A Ilbo that day, “It is not helpful for the US president to say that ‘the current situation is not contained in the document’.” “The documents contain information about the current situation,” he stressed, “we must be honest.” The documents leaked by Pfc Jack Teixeira, an intelligence officer in the Massachusetts National Guard, contain details related to the war in Ukraine and South Korea’s plan to bypass artillery shells through Poland.
“I was shocked by the leak of documents,” said Smith.
The CECC is a bipartisan body created under a 2001 law to monitor human rights issues in China. CECC held a hearing on the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) in the parliament that day.
Regarding Korea’s absence from the UN statement condemning human rights violations in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Chairman Smith said, “As a liberal democracy, Korea must be in a moral position.” We need to be active,” he said.
Regarding China’s forced repatriation of North Korean defectors, he pointed out that “China is a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention,” and that “North Korean defectors have the freedom to move to South Korea, the United States, or other free countries.” He criticized, “Repatriating them to North Korea is the same as confirming their conduct in concentration camps.”
Regarding North Korea’s escalating nuclear threat, Chairman Smith said, “It would be nice if China played a positive role in the North Korean nuclear issue, but China will not do that.” It has to be done,” he stressed. He said, “For this, large-scale deployment of US forces is necessary (on the Korean Peninsula).”
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.