Friday, March 24, 2006

UNHCR Visits the Mainland

Perhaps the most frustrating abuse of the human rigthts of North Koreans is the way that refugees are treated in China. Starving, desperate and worn, masses of these refugees seek shelter in China, whic is certainly not the freest of countries. There goal? Make some money on which to survive and, for the most daring, make it to South Korea.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees is responsible for seeing that refugees around the world are dealt with properly and not sent back to a situation where they will be mistreated. China, as a signatory to the UNHCR charter, continues to label Refugees as economic migrants and sends them back to NK.

This week, Antonio Guterres, the new High Commissioner (he replaced Ruud Lubbers, who quit after being accused of getting friendly with some of the women in his office) visited China. This was the first time in nine years that the UNHCR has sent someone to China. Guterres was kind enough to say something about the NK refugee issue:
the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said on Thursday that even those North Koreans who crossed the border for purely economic reasons would be in grave danger if they were returned to their country and therefore need to be seen as refugees.
Such comments and criticisms, however, are lost on the Chinese if the UNHCR doesn't demand access to the refugees, which they won't ask for and China won't give them.

The Chinese version of the story is a wonderful read that glosses all bad and highlights the "good" (which is probably why the articles are all so short). According to Chinese state run news, China wants to help solve refugee problems.
In a meeting with visiting UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres, Tang said the Chinese government attaches great importance to the protection of refugees. It always fulfills its obligations with practical actions.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is what we call erroneous reporting. Apparently, the Chinese news didn't catch the part about the North Korean refugees. And, since they are such a prominent fixture of most respectable human rights naughty lists, i am inclined to believe they just cut anything mildly critical. Guterres doesn't figure prominantly in the articles, with little in terms of even vague paraphrase of anything he said.

In a slightly related note, China has launched their copy of the UN Refugee Handbook. I just hope someone actually takes it seriously. I wonder had badly edited it is. And, regardless, knowing the charter and protocol of the UNHCR hasn't stopped China in the past, why should it mean anything now? Looks like things aren't going to change for NK Refugees any time soon.

1 Comments:

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