The Marmot’s Hole

One Free Korea reports that there is a bill in Congress to address to force the deadenders at State to do their legally required jobsstreamline the resettlement process for North Korean refugees to the USA. It is not a moment too soon. I hope it will prevent reoccurence of this.

The bill notes that only 43 North Korean refugees have been accepted by the US since the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 was passed.

I hope that members of Congress get a chance to see this letter from NK refugees in detention in Thailand (via the Rosett Report) as they consider the legislation.

Granted, the refugees are legally ROK citizens and Seoul has “dibs” on them. However, 43 of a total of about 6,000 refugees is a pathetic total and, given how far the Bush administration seems willing to go to placate Kim Jong-il, I don’t hold much hope for improvement unless they are pressured to do the right thing.

A couple of excerpts from the refugees’ letter are worth noting.

First, they go over how the got to the point where they are and express hope to get to the USA:

For an anachronistic rise of communism and a long-term authoritarian ambition, the regime of Kim Jong Ilcontinues to suppress the lives and the human rights of its own people. We are North Korean refugees who have escaped from this regime, experiencing hardships and suffering in our long journey, having run until where we are now in Thailand, all in search of true freedom and happiness that is full of human rights.
Finally, we are now in a place where there is no threat to our lives. Through a lawful process and interviews, we have now been given the opportunity to freely choose a country of our choice.
We want to express our deepest gratitude to the United States of America and President George W. Bush for creating and enforcing national policies and many other lawful and practical tasks in order that we, who once lived without the protection of basic human rights nor the freedom to see, hear or say things and lived like slaves, would see this opportunity for an asylum for freedom and resettlement.

For reasons I noted above, I believe that sense of gratitude, while heartfelt, is misplaced.

Why they would rather go to the States than South Korea:

Through our daily personal experiences, we have come to learn more of the truth to the history that was once taught to us. We have clearly realized the evil deceit of Kim Jong Il’sregime, which has been covering the eyes and ears of the people from learning the real history. And we have come to know that the U.S.A, a place we only thought of as evil, is the North Korean refugees’ real safe haven and a place with the fullness of true freedom.
For all these reasons, we have declined the thankful invitation from the Republic of Korea where they welcome us each with a house to live in, resettlement money and warm brotherly love. We have instead boldly chosen a journey to the United States of America, where everything still seems so new and unfamiliar.
We realize the challenge of the language barrier, and we know that it is a place without any employment guarantee programs for refugees.

Unfortunately, this next part might make the Bush administration be even more negligent in its duty to welcome those refugees:

Still, we have not faltered in our decision to go to the U.S.A, not because we are selfish beings who will be satisfied with the newly found freedom and happiness while forgetting our past lives, but because we desire to live our lives as fighters for human rights and true freedom and to rescue our North Korean brothers and sisters who are still living in the unhappiness and pain that Kim Jong Il’s dictator regime has caused.

That does not go well with Bush’s new view of Pyongyang.

BTW, It is pretty clear from parts of the letter that many of those refugees have converted to Christianity and write with the passion of the converted.