Speech #1100112622

The Government of North Korea deems leaving their country a crime. in some cases a capital offense. If not that. the expense is the gulag. Chinas mistreatment of these refugees is not new but has really intensified. according to the State Department. in the last couple of years. During 2006. several thousand North Koreans were forcibly detained and forcibly returned to North Korea. the State Department reports. As part of its steppedup campaign of repatriation. Chinese authorities reportedly also have established new detention centers along the border with North Korea to accommodate greater numbers of North Korean prisoners prior to the repatriation. The CongressionalExecutive Commission on China. on which I serve. recently released its annual report finding that during the past 1 or 2 years the Chinese Government has intensified its efforts to forcibly repatriate North Korean refugees. in part as security preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games. These refugees deserve better. Certainly. Kim Chunhee did.