China Raises Bounty on NK Refugees 1600%
A year’s Pay for One NK Defector
Stories of a shocking new development are just beginning to leak out of China. The government there has just raised the stakes in the human rights issue now coming to a boil. While the world’s attention is focused on the uproar in Tibet, other important developments are quietly taking place in the shadows.
China’s claim that Tibetan protestors are being agitated by foreign religious elements, has led it to suspect that foreign connections are behind any activities of which it disapproves.
Government officials have reportedly ordered the Department of Religion in each province to start thorough investigations into any involvement with foreign influences.
LFNKR has received a report from our local staff in Jilin Province that any Christian church in Yanbian found to be involved with foreigners, including South Koreans, are being forced to shut down.
In addition, the punishment has been made more severe for extending help to North Korean defectors. Until recently, violators were fined, but now they face imprisonment. This has further discouraged our local staff and others who had been helping protect North Korean defectors.
And there is more – The Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture zone in Jilin Province recently issued oral instructions to the Dept. of Security, Dept. of Public Safety, and Dept. of Religion on attracting more informants to report NK defectors.
According to sources familiar with the Dept. of Religion in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, “The bounty has been raised from 500 RMB to at least 8000 RMB for one NK defector.”
This amount is equivalent to the average annual income in China.
China is encouraging its citizens to hunt down North Korean refugees by increasing the bounty 1,600 percent. This inhumane behavior should not be tolerated. The North Korean refugees in China should be protected as refugees under the international refugees convention.
LFNKR suggests that you send a letter urging the Chinese government to listen to the voice of the world and demonstrate to international society that they respect human rights by halting this inhumane behavior.
You can find the PRC embassy in your country at this URL:
http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/wjb/zwjg/2490/default.htm
This is a crucial situation that affects lives. Please send your letter now.