Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07VIENTIANE296
2007-04-09 11:04:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Vientiane
Cable title:  

MISDIRECTED MAIL COMPLICATES NORTH KOREAN

Tags:  PREF PREL PGOV PHUM LA KN KS 
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VZCZCXRO8425
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHVN #0296/01 0991104
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 091104Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY VIENTIANE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1106
INFO RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK IMMEDIATE 7239
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL IMMEDIATE 0553
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA IMMEDIATE 0604
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 1165
RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 VIENTIANE 000296 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MLS
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/K
DEPARTMENT FOR PRM
BANGKOK FOR HONNOLD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/09/2017
TAGS: PREF PREL PGOV PHUM LA KN KS
SUBJECT: MISDIRECTED MAIL COMPLICATES NORTH KOREAN
CHILDREN'S RELEASE


Classified By: Ambassador Patricia Haslach. Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 VIENTIANE 000296

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MLS
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/K
DEPARTMENT FOR PRM
BANGKOK FOR HONNOLD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/09/2017
TAGS: PREF PREL PGOV PHUM LA KN KS
SUBJECT: MISDIRECTED MAIL COMPLICATES NORTH KOREAN
CHILDREN'S RELEASE


Classified By: Ambassador Patricia Haslach. Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: South Korean Counsellor Miyon Lee told DCM
April 9 that she was hopeful that three North Korean asylum
seekers who have been detained in Laos since November 2006
would be released in the next day or two. The situation took
a "tricky" turn, she said, when the Lao police misdirected a
communication meant for the South Koreans to the North Korean
embassy, alerting them to the arrangements for the children's
release and apparently prompting them to demand that the
children be returned to North Korea. She said that, in
addition to some 70 North Koreans known to have made their
way into Laos since January, a Japanese citizen living in
North Korea also escaped and sought resettlement in Japan.
Ms. Lee had no details on a group of ten North Koreans who
were reportedly arrested after crossing into Thailand from
Laos, but she said that North Koreans arrested in Thailand
continue to eventually make their way to the office of the UN
High Commissioner for Refugees in Bangkok. End summary.


2. (C) On April 9, DCM called South Korean Counsellor Miyon
Lee to inquire about a story in that day's Japan Times about
three young North Korean asylum seekers who have been
detained in Vientiane since November 2006. The story quoted
a representative of a Japanese NGO called Life Funds for
North Korean Refugees as saying that a Lao government
official had demanded $1000 for the release of each of three.
The story also said that the North Korean embassy visited
the prison on Friday and demanded that the Lao government
deport the three to North Korea. The story said that (as has
been previously reported) the children hope to be resettled
in the United States. Embassy Vientiane also received a
forwarded e-mail from activists saying that the North Koreans
had become involved.


3. (C) Ms. Lee said of the situation, "It's kind of

tricky." The matter had been on the brink of resolution,
with quiet communications underway between the Lao government
and the South Korean Embassy on the details, including, she
hinted, a sum of money similar to the total figure of $3000
that the Japanese NGO representative mentioned. Then the
embassy received an inquiry from a representative of the Lao
police asking why the South Koreans had not responded to
their latest communication about the matter. The South
Koreans replied that they had never received the
communication. The reason, as it turned out, was that the
Lao police had sent the message to the wrong Koreans. (Both
North Korea and South Korea have embassies in Vientiane.)
The North Korean embassy, Ms. Lee said, had known about the
situation for a long time but had not made a major issue of
it until they received the misdirected communication. She
was unable to confirm whether the North Korean consul visited
the prison as reported in the article, but she indicated that
this reaction would not be surprising. She doubts that the
consul saw the children.


4. (C) Ms. Lee said that she remains optimistic that the
children will be released within the next day or two. The
South Koreans have told the Lao government that they cannot
wait any longer than that. (Note: The urgency may stem from
the North Korean embassy's involvement. End note.) She
believes that the Lao government wants the issue resolved
before the Lao New Year (April 14-16).


5. (C) The DCM asked about the involvement of the Japanese
NGO mentioned in the Japan Times story. Ms. Lee said that
the reason for the Japanese involvement is that a Japanese
citizen who had moved to North Korea had left and was trying
to make his way back to Japan. The NGO went to Laos to try
to facilitate this. Ms. Lee at first appeared to indicate
that the Japanese government had said it was unable to help,
then backed away from this and said that they may have
helped. (Comment: This may shed light on something that has
left us scratching our heads for several days. The newly
arrived Japanese DCM urgently requested a meeting with the
DCM to ask about our procedures for dealing with North Korean
asylum seekers, then asserted during the April 5 meeting that
he was just asking for contingency planning purposes. End
comment.) DCM asked Ms. Lee whether a statement in the press
story that the Japanese NGO representative met the three
North Korean children was credible. Ms. Lee said that it is
possible, since, after arriving in Laos, he was working with
other refugee assistance groups.

VIENTIANE 00000296 002 OF 002




6. (C) Asked about a report in the Bangkok Post saying that
ten North Koreans were arrested in Chiang Rai Province,
Thailand, after crossing from Laos, Ms. Lee said that she has
no specific information. She is not certain whether this is
the same group of eight that, while making its way through
Laos, was the subject of several false NGO reports saying
that that they had been arrested and/or sent back to China.
There are many North Koreans making their way through Laos,
she noted. (Note: The newly arrived South Korean ambassador
told the Ambassador during his April 3 introductory call that
the embassy is aware of 70 North Korean asylum seekers who
have made their way to Laos since the beginning of 2007, as
opposed to only 60 in all of 2006. End note.) She said that
the process by which North Koreans are arrested by Thai
authorities and moved to Bangkok, where they make their way
to the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR),is still working.


7. (C) Comment: We hope that Ms. Lee's optimism about an
imminent resolution to the three children's situation is
justified. The message that was misdirected to the North
Koreans may have complicated matters, since the Lao
government scrupulously avoids taking any action that appears
to favor one Korea over the other. Also complicating matters
is the press coverage of the issue and the children's
apparent desire to go to the United States. We continue to
recommend that our Embassy not get directly involved in this
case. End comment.
HASLACH