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On
Jan. 20, U.S. Senator Sam Brownback sent a letter to Chinese
authorities urging them to release our worker, Takayuki
Noguchi, who is currently being held in prison in Nanning,
Guangxi.
Read the text of this letter below
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United
States Senate
January 20, 2004
His
Excellency Yang Jiechi
Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China
2300 Connecticut Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20008
Dear
Mr. Ambassador:
I
write to express my appreciation to the Chinese authorities in
Nanning, Guangxi, China for the release last month of the female
interpreter detained on December 10, 2003, with humanitarian worker
Takayuki Noguchi and two Japanese-born Koreans. I also write to
request that the same treatment be given to Mr. Noguchi and the
two refugees who were with him at the time.
Mr. Noguchi is a member of the Japanese non-governmental-organization
(NGO), Life Funds for North Korean Refugees, an organization highly
regarded for its efforts to assist refugees from North Korea.
Mr. Noguchi was attempting to assist two Japanese born individuals
who had fled North Korea. While China has every right to protect
its borders and its citizens, these individuals were clearly refugees
seeking protection under the international agreements to which
the People’s Republic of China is signatory.
It
is my understanding that Mr. Noguchi is currently being detained
at Nanning Prison in Guangxi, along with the two Japanese-born
refugees, a woman born in her 40s who was born in Tokai Region
Japan and a man in his 50s born in West Japan.
It
is my hope that China will release Mr. noguchi and the two refugees
to Japanese authorities as soon as possible. I appreciate your
attention and request that you contact me if you need any further
information or wish to discuss this matter.
Sincerely,
Sam Brownback
United States Senator
