EVIDENCE OF MISREPRESENTATION BY PERSONS SEEKING

C O N F I D E N T I A L BANGKOK 002405

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

GENEVA FOR RMA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/27/2017
TAGS: PREF PREL TH KN KS
SUBJECT: EVIDENCE OF MISREPRESENTATION BY PERSONS SEEKING
U.S. RESETTLEMENT AS NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES

Classified By: CLASSIFIED BY DCM ALEX A. ARVIZU.
REASONS: 1.4 (B,D).


1. (U) This is an action request. Please see para. 7.


2. (C) Summary. Recent events have revealed evidence of
misrepresentation of nationality by persons seeking U.S.
resettlement as North Korean refugees. At least six persons,
and possibly more, of North Korean origin who are waiting for
U.S. resettlement processing were previously resettled to
South Korea but came to Thailand and misrepresented
themselves as North Koreans in the hope of going to the U.S.
Post seeks guidance on responding to this development. End
summary.


3. (C) Embassy has previously reported by email that Thai
authorities two days ago detained two males who were being
provided room and board by the USG and who had told UNHCR and
Embassy that they were North Korean refugees interested in
U.S. resettlement. Yesterday evening, during questioning by
Thai Immigration officers, the two men stated that they were
in fact South Koreans and showed South Korean passports.
When initially apprehended by Thai police, the two had stated
that they were North Koreans. Embassy has copies of their
passport pages and these contain similar but not identical
names (the surnames are the same but the given names differ)
and different DOBs than those provided to UNHCR and to us.
The passports contain entry and exit stamps which show that
after arriving in Thailand in late January, the two had
traveled back and forth to South Korea in March and April on
short trips. While Embassy has not questioned them, we have
heard rumors that some North Koreans resettled to the ROK,
upon hearing of a U.S. resettlement option, returned to
China, assumed new names, and came to Thailand. The ROK
Embassy questioned the two men last night and ROK Political
Counselor Choi informed RefCoord today that they had in fact
been resettled to the ROK and were ROK citizens. Since they
hold valid ROK passports, the Thai authorities released the
two men this afternoon.


4. (C) In addition to the two men, the wife in a family of
four persons who had also claimed to be North Koreans and
were also staying at USG expense told Embassy spouse Korean
interpreter yesterday that she and her family were in fact
South Koreans. That is, they were North Koreans who had been
resettled to South Korea but came to Thailand for U.S.
resettlement. She also stated that her family had been
advised by brokers in South Korea that in undertaking an
effort for U.S. resettlement, they should change their names
and dates of birth. The women told Embassy interpreter that
two other families of four and two persons waiting for U.S.
resettlement as North Koreans were South Koreans. In the
last two days and after the Thai apprehension of the two
males mentioned above, another five persons presenting
themselves to us as North Korean refugees have checked out of
the locations where they had been staying and disappeared.
We do not know the reason for their disappearance.


5. (C) Embassy interpreter, when asked, said she also had
doubts about the bona fides of others who are currently
waiting for U.S. resettlement. When asked if she had similar
concerns about any refugees who have already departed for the
U.S., she recalled that she had noticed that one male (Bek
Eun Cheol, TH-107987) seemed to have many friends in South
Korea.


6. (C) It seems that the case of the two males apprehended by
the Thai police has opened the lid on a serious problem of
misrepresentation by persons seeking resettlement as North
Korean refugees. All of the above cases passed the screening
carried out by the ROK secondee to UNHCR, whose job is to
verify the nationality of those seeking U.S. resettlement.
The more in-depth security screening carried out by the ROK
on refugees seeking U.S. resettlement had not taken place yet
for the real and possible misrepresentation cases above. We
do not know to what extent misrepresentation may be a problem
with others who have approached the USG in other countries in
the region seeking U.S. resettlement as North Korean
refugees. Given that the persons involved seem to be
changing their names and dates of birth, perhaps the only way
to verify that they have not previously been resettled to the
ROK would be through fingerprinting and checking with the
ROKG, assuming the ROKG fingerprints North Koreans during
their processing for ROK resettlement.


7. (C) Action request: We request Department consideration
of whether an additional screening step needs to be added to
U.S. processing of North Korean refugees, perhaps involving
fingerprinting of the refugees, and checking those
fingerprints against ROKG records. We also have the
immediate question of what to do with case processing that is
occurring now. We currently have one case (the last person
out of the group of 16 approved for U.S. resettlement by the
Thai government) that is in process.
ARVIZU