Firstly, if you’re going to break into a foreign legation, make absolutely certain that it really is a foreign legation that could offer you asylum:
On Monday, September 27, eight North Korean women and children went inside the Elementary school of the Shanghai American School and were subsequently handed over to the Chinese Police.
…
After being contained by our security guards within the reception area of the Elementary School, the local police were called. In the meantime, the group was informed through a translator that SAS does not have status that would allow us to grant political asylum and that according to local and consulate regulations, we are required to inform the local authorities. We informed them, however, that as an educational institution, we would not prevent them from leaving the campus before the police arrived.
Be sure to read the letter that accompanied the post.
Meanwhile, Myrick advices N. Korean defectors to avoid the Canuckistani Embassy if they can:
It is nearly universally accepted among long-term Canadian expats and travelers that Canada has some of the worst consular services available from a Western country. They are typically unable to deal efficiently and politely with requests from the country’s own citizens and they are generally bad at processing refugees.
The Koreans would have been better off storming the UK or US embassies. Though I’m sure the lax security of the Canadian facility made it an easier option.
Storming the UK or US embassies would be fine, just as long as you’re not storming the American School, in which case you’d be shit out of luck.
UPDATE: In a rather unprecedented move, China has requested that the Canadian Embassy turn the defectors over to Chinese authorities. This is no doubt linked to Chinese concern that the passage of the NK Human Rights Act by the U.S. Senate may encourage increased numbers of mass defections. Myrick has more on this, as well as some interesting observations about Canada’s “soft power.”
9 Comments
Though I feel sorry for the North Koreans and their “storming” the American Elem. School only to be turned over to the Chinese Government, I feel even more outraged that they were able to do so. We have already seen a terrorist attack on a school in Russia and various crazy people attacking children in their schools (including the United States) so I would have assumed that the school would at least be better protected than it appears to be. Is it no wonder that so many terrorist groups in the world find the United States an easy and very tempting target?
One would have hoped that, rather than calling the Chinese police, the staff of the school would recommend in the strongest terms possible that the North Korean refugees flee for their lives before the Chinese authorities became aware of their presence. That the refugees waited around for over an hour to be arrested and removed physically by Chinese ‘public security’ police, shows to me that perhaps they were not fully aware of the gravity of their situation. I’d have been running to the nearest safehouse or something.
It also shows that the NGOs who helped them to the school and provided leaflets did not have adequate knowledge about where extra-territoriality applied, and did not have a proper back-up plan. Amateurs, risking people’s lives. It’s happened before, sadly…
Those who are interested can check the school’s website and see that so far no mention has been made of the human drama.
Some might want to write to the members of the board asking for a more detailed explanation of what happened and how it came to this.
Well, you’ve got the right line on Canadian consular services abroad - useless, lazy, contemptous to its own citizens, interested ONLY in promoting trade (not that there’s anything wrong with that, there’s just something wrong with the word ‘only’ being in there).
It doesn’t surprise me that China has chosen my country’s consul to make it’s first demand for the return of NK refugee’s…during the APEC meeting in the 90’s, Indonesia -INDONESIA!- actually demanded Canada shoo away and forbid protests against the Suharto regime…and Canada backed down! Whupped a group of it’s own law-abiding citizens for exercising their right to protest. It’s not a proud record…
But..Canuckistan? sigh. Oh well, we are a small power. Hmmm. But one with a yearly budget surplus. And a leader who can construct a sentence…and coherent policies! And an electorate bright enough to choose him, and not a talking monkey, to represent them…!
Hey, I was joking! Like you were!
Zdunk — you forgot to mention a reasonable drinking age, decent beer and the best pot in the world.
And none of that will mean a thing after all your hockey teams move south of the border. Can you say New Orleans Maple Leafs?
Another Canadian here. I will be absolutely outraged if Canada backs down on this. Those N. Koreans are heroes and deserve the ambassador’s suite while in our embassy; not mattresses on the dining room floor. If they are returned (in effect, executed) to protect a few millions in trade with China, every Canadian should be ashamed.
Too warm down there in the Big Easy….and too voodoo!
Canada’s strength and simultaneous weakness is our reasonablity. Assuming the other guy must have a valid point it and taking it into consideration is the Canadian way. Serves us well most of the time…BUT… then we come up against the utterly unreasonable. People who want to destroy the country. Or, in this case, the Chinese Communist Party. And our reasonable nature becomes idiotic.
“So, you want to destroy my country, huh? Let’s discuss it”
“So, you want these refugee’s back to deliver them into death, eh? Let’s discuss it”
Hey, I can admit it. I really hope our Min of Foreign Affairs does the right thing. But it doesn’t surprise me that the CCP has pegged Canada as the possible pussy link in the foreign embassy chain.
The word in the media here in Canada is that the North Koreans will be sent to South Korea.
[...] nocent detainees at Guantanamo, eh? Also, check out the Marmots Hole to see why it sucks to be a North Korean defector. [...]