Last night (April 22 [2005]), there was a fire (I believe in cell 201). It happened around 3:30 a.m. I learned later that is was probably started by three Russian men (who are now in solitary confinement). Before this fire occurred I could hear people shouting downstairs, complaining and demanding that the TVs be restored. (I’m not sure if the people who started the fire were among their number.)

Luckily, the fire was contained. But what if it wasn’t? Everyone, behind bars, have no ability to escape to safety. During the fire, the guards on our floor seems to be at a loss as to what to do (or rather, they were waiting to be told what to do.) One guard, if my memory is accurate, sat down at the office computer and played solitaire.

I doubt the fact that the staff were at the end of a 24 hour shift would have helped matters much.

Nationality isn’t and shouldn’t be determined by ethnicity, and therefore these people aren’t anymore entitled to Korean citizenship than Koreans are to a Mongolian passport. Look at it this way: If you tried to enter North Korea to claim political asylum, you’d be turned away at the border…or worse, you’d be shot.

http://news.chosun.com/site/da.....00013.html