Laos: refugees returned
Laos in May deported nine North Korean refugees to China, from where they were forcibly repatriated to North Korea, where they could face detention, torture and even execution as ‘illegal defectors’.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide
The nine North Koreans, aged 15-23, arrived in Laos around May 10 and were on their way to South Korea when they were caught by the Lao authorities. According to reports, the South Korean embassy in Vientiane requested that the refugees be transferred into their custody. However, on May 27 the embassy heard that the group had been deported to China. On May 29, a senior South Korean foreign ministry official said that they judged that the refugees were repatriated to North Korea on May 28.
