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Human rights activists around the world recently staged protests against the brutal crackdown on North Korean refugees by the Communist Chinese government.The North Korea Freedom Coalition organized the protests in front of Chinese embassies and consulates in reaction to the escalating crisis facing North Korean refugees in China. Suzanne Scholte, chairman of the Coalition, says that with the Olympics just around the corner, China is afraid that the world will "see first-hand the horrible treatment" the Chinese government is giving North Korean refugees. "They've got an extensive campaign to try to repatriate these refugees to get them sent back to North Korea before the end of the year," Scholte claims.Steve Kim is a South Korean-born American businessman who was imprisoned in China for helping North Koreans escape the country. He says nine North Korean refugees were with him. He says it is unfortunate that those refugees were sent back to the regime of Kim Jong Il."They took the nine others to the nearest border town between North Korea and China. Since then I didn't hear anything about them. But later-about six months later-I learned these people were repatriated to North Korea," say Kim.Scholte says the Chinese government also fears that refugees will try to apply for asylum by going to the South Korean embassies during the Olympic games.In response, the Chinese government has stationed soldiers outside the embassies and barricaded those embassies with barbed wire. She says refugees sent back to North Korea face imprisonment and almost certain death.As in the days of Noah....
