Repatriation row over nine North Korean refugees captured in Laos
South Korean embassy accused of standing by and failing to stop group, aged 15 to 23, from being sent back to Pyongyang after capture in Laos
Human rights monitors and North Korean defector groups voiced anger and concern yesterday over the forced repatriation to Pyongyang of nine young refugees captured in Laos.
The case has aroused strong public feeling in South Korea.
Some have accused the South Korean foreign ministry, which has refused to comment, of failing in its duty to protect the refugees once they got to Laos.
Most North Korean refugees begin their escape by crossing into China and then try to make it to third countries - often in Southeast Asia - where they seek permission to resettle in South Korea. If they are caught and then returned to the North they can face severe punishment.
The nine arrested in Laos around three weeks ago were returned to China on Monday and then flown back to Pyongyang the next day.
Laos had previously been seen as a relatively safe and popular transit point, and its decision in this case to return the nine refugees - aged between 15 and 23 - prompted strong expressions of concern. "Laos and China demonstrated their disregard for human rights by allowing the North Korean government to forcibly return these nine people without fulfilling their obligations to allow refugee status determination," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch.
