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| Korea |
| Former North Korean official denied refugee status in Canada |
| 2003-10-06 |
| I have mixed feelings about this one. Seems we should be encouraging defections, shouldn’t we? A former high-ranking North Korean government official who has been hiding in Canada with his son for almost two years has been denied refugee status in the country. CBC News has learned that Ri Song Dae’s refugee claim has been denied because of his complicity with a government guilty of crimes against humanity. That’s pretty vague. Surely they have more on him than that. The adjudicator in the case said she believed the former trade diplomat could be tortured and killed if he returned to North Korean. Killed, probably not. But there’ll be no room at the party trough anymore. She found that Ri knew of atrocities committed by the North Korean government but suspected he fled after he made "alcohol-fueled" comments that got him in trouble. A lot of people know about the atrocities of the NKorean government. This is the reason for denying him refugee status??? His five-year-old son will be allowed to stay in Canada. Ri said he fled North Korea after he was accused of "leaking confidential military and state information" to China. To China?? Well, that’s obviously made up. He claimed he’d become fed up with conditions in North Korea and spoke out against the government after witnessing the mistreatment of people caught trying to defect. The Korean community sheltered Ri when he came to Canada. He hid underground in Toronto. Ri said his wife and son also fled to Canada. He claimed his wife was lured back to Japan by her parents where she was kidnaped and returned to North Korea and killed last year. The board said Ri provided no proof of his wife’s death. Ri plans to fight the adjudicator’s judgment in federal court. Someone better explain to the board how Communist tyrants work. They don’t exactly provide death certificates in some cases. |
| Posted by:Rafael |
| #6 John B - SKor does NOT welcome defectors from NKor. See this article for more, but here's one quote: The South Korean government doesn't exactly put out the welcome mat for their escaping brethren. South Korea regards North Korean escapees as an impediment to progress in inter-Korean reconciliation. |
| Posted by: lkl 2003-10-6 1:34:54 PM |
| #5 The board said Ri provided no proof of his wife’s death. There's the problem, Ri obviously forgot to mail $10 (Canadian) to the Bureau of Vital Statistics in Pyongyang for a copy of his wife's death certificate. That would have cleared everything up. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2003-10-6 11:33:01 AM |
| #4 His mistake was asking for refugee status in a country that has diplomatic relations with the North Korean government. |
| Posted by: john 2003-10-6 11:20:05 AM |
| #3 Why hasn't this guy defected to South Korea where he should be welcomed with open arms? Still, a strange decision on Canada's part. I believe it is being appealed. |
| Posted by: John B 2003-10-6 11:18:18 AM |
| #2 amazing, Canada's given refugee status to Islamic killers and bombers but all of the sudden they have standards? Guy should've worn a turban |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-10-6 10:57:49 AM |
| #1 Killed, probably not. But there’ll be no room at the party trough anymore. Actually, disgraced officials in North Korea get special treatment to set an example for everyone else. What's more likely is tortured, then killed. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2003-10-6 7:44:21 AM |