If China had its way,
the documentary film 'Seoul Train,' would never be seen at a
single international film festival.
Director-producer Jim
Butterworth revealed recently that several festival producers had
contacted him quietly with news that Chinese embassies were applying
pressure to discourage showing of the Seoul Train documentary.
The film reveals China's role in sending North Korean refugees back to face
punishment and even execution, and this exposure apparently displeases Chinese
authorities.
Although most of the
pressure was discretely applied through phone calls and personal
'suggestions' from embassy officials around the world, in at least one
case a fax was sent. The document (shown
below) clearly reveals China's desire to suppress the
documentary, which has won praise and awards at film festivals around
the world.
This concerted pattern
of pressure tactics reveals much about the Chinese government's intolerance
of dissent.
