Mailed to UNHCR Japan

Mr. Kasidis Rochanakorn
Regional Representative for Japan
     and the Republic of Korea
UNHCR-Tokyo
Japan

Dear Mr. Rochanakorn,

We wish to remind you of our letter to your office, dated 11 December 2002, to which we have not received a response as of the date of this writing. Due to the urgent nature of the letter, kindly inform us how soon we should expect your reply to our communication that dealt with the plight of North Korean refugees in China and incarcerated aid workers who try to assist them.

Speaking frankly, the long silence of your office dating from December 11, 2002, at which time we took the time and expense to visit you in Tokyo, conveys the inescapable impression that either we, or the subject of our letter, are somehow not deemed of sufficient importance to merit your time and effort required for a reply. A second possible explanation for your office's failure to respond is simply that, as many NGO workers believe, the UNHCR is in fact an "outsider" on the issue of North Koreans in China and really has nothing substantial to say about this tragic crisis. Naturally, we hope that UNHCR's action in coming months will prove this impression to be an incorrect one.

Sincerely yours,

Nakadaira Kenkichi
         Representative
         Life Funds for North Korean Refugees
         Contact Us


Timothy A. Peters
         Representative
         Helping Hands Korea
         tapkorea@unitel.co.kr

San Hun Kim
         International Human Rights Volunteer
         guygeo@softgram.com

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