ARREST OF NORTH KOREAN ASYLUM SEEKERS

C O N F I D E N T I A L BANGKOK 006470 SIPDIS SIPDIS GENEVA FOR RMA E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/25/2016 TAGS: PREF PREL PHUM TH KN KS SUBJECT: ARREST OF NORTH KOREAN ASYLUM SEEKERS REF: BANGKOK 5157 Classified By: Political Counselor Susan M. Sutton, Reason 1.4 (B,D). ¶1. (C) On October 24, 83 North Korean asylum seekers were picked up by Thai immigration officers in an apartment building in the northern Bangkok suburb of Pathum Thani. A South Korean NGO was taking care of them in that facility. A representative of the NGO was also taken into custody by the police but released the same day after intervention by the ROK Embassy. The group was taken to the Bangkok Immigration Detention Center and later back to a local police station in Pathum Thani. A UNHCR representative said they will likely be charged with illegal entry into Thailand. Their cases are expected to be heard on October 25. UNHCR thinks the group will be fined and since they do not have any funds, will work off the fine through a jail term of 30 days. UNHCR reported that there were a number of South Korean and Japanese media who took photographs of the group at the local police station. ¶2. (C) Similar to the case of the 175 North Koreans who were picked up by Thai police in late August (reftel) UNHCR believes that this new group will be resettled to South Korea after serving jail time. UNHCR says that none in the group has expressed interest at this time in U.S. resettlement. UNHCR had issued person of concern letters to 20 in the group. The others had not yet gone through the standard UNHCR interview procedure for North Koreans but all had UNHCR interview appointment slips. ¶3. (C) ROK Embassy Political Counselor Choi told Refcoord on October 25 that the facility raided by Thai Immigration was the new shelter established in the aftermath of the August arrests. The number of refugees in the shelter was actually 92, but 8 had eluded the Thai. He stated that there were no reports of the noise or disturbances that apparently led to the August events. Choi said he expected that those arrested would be allowed to resettle in the ROK after serving their sentences. He described RTG policy toward North Korean refugees as confused. The ROK Embassy thought it had a tacit agreement with the Thai National Security Council (NSC) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) to run a shelter, in part to alleviate crowding at Thai immigration detention facilities. So the Thai Immigration action did not make sense. Choi speculated that there might be divisions within Thai Immigration over how to handle North Korean cases. UNHCR told Refcoord on October 25 that both the NSC and MFA expressed surprise at this latest development. They said the timing in particular was poor given the larger nuclear issues concerning the DPRK in recent weeks. ¶4. (C) Counselor Choi and UNHCR said the action by Thai Immigration may be related to a recent unilateral decision by that organization to require all refugees bound for resettlement from Thailand, except those from the neighboring countries of Burma, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, to serve some jail time or pay a fine before the issuance of necessary exit permits. UNHCR stated that MFA was not pleased with this policy change and there would be an RTG interagency meeting on October 27 to discuss it. UNHCR said it would weigh in with the RTG for the reversal of the policy shift. Note: if the change is not reversed, it would also affect refugees bound for U.S. resettlement. ¶5. (C) Embassy recommends press guidance similar to that used on August 23 after the arrests of the first group. BOYCE