DPRK CITIZENS ENTER SWEDISH EMBASSY COMPOUND IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENTIANE 000888 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/MLS (BESTIC) DEPT FOR PRM (PONGONIS) DEPT FOR OPERATIONS CENTER DEPT FOR DS/IP/EAP E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/09/2017 TAGS: ASEC PREL LA KN SUBJECT: DPRK CITIZENS ENTER SWEDISH EMBASSY COMPOUND IN VIENTIANE Classified By: HARVEY A. SOMERS, ACTING DCM, FOR REASONS 1.4 (a) & (d) ¶1. (C//NF) On Friday, December 7, 2007, at approximately 1230 hrs. (Vientiane Time) Consular Officer Michael Scharding received a telephonic message from the Administrative Counselor at the Swedish Embassy in Vientiane - Birgitta Holmstrom. Ms. Holmstrom informed Mr. Scharding that, at approximately 0900 hrs., two Asian males, described as in their mid-20's, made their way onto the Swedish Embassy compound and requested to go to the United States. Ms. Holmstrom contacted the American Embassy to request assistance. Mr. Scharding immediately informed RSO. ¶2. (C//NF) At 1300 hrs, the Ambassador met with the RSO and POL/ECON Chief to discuss a course of action. The Ambassador then initiated contact with the Swedish Charge D'Affairs and confirmed the presence of two North Korean citizens who desired relocation to the U.S. The Ambassador explained to the Swedish Charge that the normal course of action in Laos (as there is no UNHCR presence) was to involve the South Korean Embassy and to utilize that Embassy's "discrete methods" to facilitate the transfer of the North Korean citizens to the Bangkok UNHCR Offices. The Swedish Charge explained that a representative from the South Korean Embassy had already interviewed the North Korean citizens and stated that South Korean involvement was complicated by the fact that the refugees had already expressed a desire to relocate to the U.S. versus South Korea. ¶3. (C//NF) The Ambassador then contacted the South Korean Ambassador and asked if the South Koreans could reevaluate their position to provide assistance to the Swedes, and the South Korean Ambassador agreed to try. ¶4. (C//NF) The POL/ECON Chief contacted the PRM duty officer via the OpCenter and informed her of the situation. RSO was unsuccessful in contacting Refugee Management Affairs (RMA) Bangkok but successfully contacted POL Bangkok to inform her of the situation. POL Bangkok then passed the information along to RMA, including a request to inform the UNHCR Bangkok office. ¶5. (C//NF) On Monday, December 10, 2007, RSO contacted Ms. Holmstrom for a status update and was informed that the Swedes were still hosting the two North Koreans on their compound and expected that resolution to the situation was still three to four weeks out. Ms. Holmstrom indicated that Lao authorities had been informed of the situation. ¶6. (C//NF) Comment: Undoubtedly, the fact that the Lao Government has at least tacit knowledge of the situation may pose an impediment to the quick resolution of this issue. The Swedes indicated that they had received additional support from their Embassy in Bangkok from an officer who had previous experience dealing with similar issues, but they expressed concern over their limited resources and their difficulty in providing round-the-clock coverage at the Embassy until they could facilitate the departure of their guests. The Swedes stated that the South Korean Embassy was actively involved in assisting and hoped to seek a resolution as quickly as possible. End Comment. ¶7. (SBU) Post will pass along any significant developments regarding this issue. HUSO