South Korea Exploring Refugee Camps in Thailand
What a difference one election makes
SEOUL, South Korea: South Korea’s president has instructed officials to look into setting up regional refugee camps for the growing number of North Koreans fleeing the Stalinist nation, a ruling party lawmaker said Tuesday.
President Lee Myung-bak, a conservative who took office in February, has promised not to shy away from criticizing the North and recently asked his Chinese counterpart to cooperate on ensuring that defectors aren’t forced to return to the impoverished nation.
Lee ordered his government to quickly review ideas for setting up refugee camps — at least in Thailand — said an aide for Hong Jung-wook, a lawmaker from the ruling Grand National Party. Hong’s office said it obtained a transcript of Lee’s March directive from the Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs.
His orders mark a departure from South Korea’s previous two presidents, both liberals, who abstained from publicly raising the issue of North Korean defectors for fear of angering their northern communist neighbor as Seoul sought reconciliation with Pyongyang.
As a key ally of the North, China views North Korean defectors as “economic migrants,” not political refugees, and is obligated to repatriate them as required by a bilateral treaty.
Of course, there is the issue of what country actually wants refugee camps in their country. Places like Sudanese camps in Chad are the result of Chad not having full control of its country. I believe that for these camps to be feasible, it will cost South Korea quite a bit.
In my opinion, it will be worth every penny.
