Speech #1100112620

Some flee because they fear persecution for their thoughts. beliefs. or simply because a member of the regime has arbitrarily labeled them a risk. Pyongyang knows that given the choice most North Koreans would leave. and so the regime clamps down ruthlessly to try and stop the flow. making an already dangerous trek even more perilous. Yet. the sad fact is that those who successfully brave the hazards of the border crossing face further human rights abuses by the government of the Peoples Republic of China on the other side. Beijing is fearful of attracting too many refugees. and so it brutally tries to create disincentives for North Korean refugees. The government imprisons North Koreans who cross into China. subjecting them to terrible conditions and abuse. only to repatriate them to North Korea. where they face likely torture or execution. In an attempt to avoid its responsibilities under the United Nations Conventions and Protocols that govern the status of refugees. to which the PRC is a signatory. China falsely labels North Korean refugees "economic migrants." Using this cynical excuse Beijing stubbornly refuses to provide for the legitimate needs of these refugees and will not allow the U.N. High Commissioner of Refugees access to Northeastern China to assess the welfare of North Koreans there. The disturbing truth is that there are those in China who go to great lengths to attract North Korean refugees. through sex and labor trafficking. H. Con. Res. 234 calls on Beijing to stop this awful charade. and live up to its moral and legal obligations. It demands that China stop repatriating North Korean refugees. that it honor the United Nations Conventions that govern the status of refugees. and that it provide unfettered access to the U.N. High Commissioner on Refugees so that these people who have suffered so terribly can finally receive the protection and fair treatment they so richly need and deserve. I strongly support this resolution and encourage my colleagues to do the same. Mr.