North Korean officials killed in staged accidents, says Amnesty International

[HotelUser]

The human rights organization Amnesty International claimed (http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/north-korea/report-2012) on Friday that North Korea had killed at least 30 officials last year and rounded up 200 more in January of this year, executing some and sending others to political prison camps.The Telegraph said (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/9289608/30-North-Korean-officials-involved-in-South-talks-die-in-traffic-accidents.html) the State Security Agency rounded up the 200 as power was transferred from the late Kim Jong-il to his son, Kim Jong-un.
The 30 who were executed last year became scapegoats after they failed to improve ties with South Korea, taking the fall for the low point in the relationship between the north and south. The Telegraph noted that North Korean officials often shoulder the blame on failed policies even when they are carrying out orders from higher up.
More on GlobalPost: North Korea resumed work at nuclear test site, satellite images show (http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/120522/north-korea-nuclear-test-site-satellite-images-pyonyang-rocket)
Yahoo News said (http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/report-n-korean-official-executed-staged-traffic-accidents-155745223.html) the report suggested the men were executed by firing squads or staged traffic accidents.
The political prison camps reportedly contain 200,000 prisoners, held in horrific conditions where they are tortured and forced to do dangerous work, according to the report.
On Thursday, the US State Department said that human rights conditions in North Korea remained "extremely poor."
More on GlobalPost: Former North Korea prisoner can't forget (http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/south-korea/110712/north-korea-robert-park-political-prisoners)
The 2011 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices noted: "Citizens did not have the right to change their government. The government subjected citizens to rigid controls over many aspects of their lives, including denial of the freedoms of speech, press, assembly, association, religion, and movement and worker rights," according to the South Korean Yonhap news agency (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2012/05/25/26/0301000000AEN20120525000200315F.HTML).




Meanwhile, China, one of North Korea's only allies, has launched a campaign to decrease illegal immigration from North Korea into China, according to the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-18208831). China routinely repatriates North Koreans who slip across the border to escape poverty and persecution.

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/120525/north-korean-officials-killed-staged-accidents-amnesty-international

Meanwhile in the land of everywhere else we continue to do nothing to help, and continue to get rich and fat.

[jasey]

Meanwhile in the land of everywhere else we continue to do nothing to help, and continue to get rich and fat.

You can complain all you want but you are acting sheltered if you think the governments in Canada, America or the United Kingdom are going to play superman and use magic to fix the tensions on the Korean peninsula or the death of innocent citizens in North Korea. If our governments actually did lovely, moral, very constructive things for basic human rights then you wouldn't need the presence of organisations like Amnesty International.

It's a terrible story but you must understand that you are certainly not alone in feeling compassion for what is going on. There are people in your country and similar ones that feel exactly the same way and others who do a lot and go much out of their way to try and improve things. The governments are not but we are ridiculous to expect them to. Recently, have they ever? The only thing they will ever do is facilitate a war and enact economic sanctions. They leave the empathetic and better work practices to the NGOs.

[HotelUser]

You can complain all you want but you are acting sheltered if you think the governments in Canada, America or the United Kingdom are going to play superman and use magic to fix the tensions on the Korean peninsula or the death of innocent citizens in North Korea. If our governments actually did lovely, moral, very constructive things for basic human rights then you wouldn't need the presence of organisations like Amnesty International.

It's a terrible story but you must understand that you are certainly not alone in feeling compassion for what is going on. There are people in your country and similar ones that feel exactly the same way and others who do a lot and go much out of their way to try and improve things. The governments are not but we are ridiculous to expect them to. Recently, have they ever? The only thing they will ever do is facilitate a war and enact economic sanctions. They leave the empathetic and better work practices to the NGOs.

You're making excuses for the military operations (or lack thereof) of our own countries. NATO or even United Nations certainly could be doing more to install very basic human rights in North Korea as well as other places like Afghanistan or Iran. They choose not to do it on a grand scale because they have other objectives and because of stupidly bad politics.

[Logandyer45]

North Korea is doing the job that the US wants to do, see, we will get bombed by North Korea if we bring home the troops. That damn president we have has no idea what the hell he's doing. He doesn't realize that we forfeit if we bring the troops home, let alone what would happen if North Korea came and dropped a bomb in the middle of the country and killed 200 miles worth of people. I say we get Rommeny in office QUICK.

[jasey]

You're making excuses for the military operations (or lack thereof) of our own countries. NATO or even United Nations certainly could be doing more to install very basic human rights in North Korea as well as other places like Afghanistan or Iran. They choose not to do it on a grand scale because they have other objectives and because of stupidly bad politics.

That's what I am saying. I don't believe our governments are doing moral things — that would be a shock. What I am saying is that it is deadpan to complain about a status quo that has been in place for a long time. If we want change we need to rely on institutions like Amnesty International who are much more dedicated to rights, liberty and humanity. I would like to see the government change for the better just as much as the next person with eyes opened to the tragedy but the fact is that if governments ever acted like a true good samaritan then these rash of NGOs would not exist. It would be a sheltered and silly thing to do to expect governments to something 'good' unless it serves themselves. That is the western world we live in. It's sad and I agree with you but our focus must be on groups that aren't focused around bureaucracy (or, at least, less so).

[dbgtz]

You're making excuses for the military operations (or lack thereof) of our own countries. NATO or even United Nations certainly could be doing more to install very basic human rights in North Korea as well as other places like Afghanistan or Iran. They choose not to do it on a grand scale because they have other objectives and because of stupidly bad politics.

I think too much intervention would only increase tensions which could lead to worse consequences.


North Korea is doing the job that the US wants to do, see, we will get bombed by North Korea if we bring home the troops. That damn president we have has no idea what the hell he's doing. He doesn't realize that we forfeit if we bring the troops home, let alone what would happen if North Korea came and dropped a bomb in the middle of the country and killed 200 miles worth of people. I say we get Rommeny in office QUICK.

Urrm, oh dear... Not only is what you're referring to completely unrelated to North Korea, but if anything it increase tensions between the west and Middle East and that is why they should be withdrawn, that and it's completely unnecessary. Have you been brainwashed?

I also advise you don't vote (if you're old enough) Romney, see this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLWnB9FGmWE
It basically shows how Romney essentially made thousands lose their jobs for his own gain, which is not really someone you want as a president.

[-:Undertaker:-]

Meanwhile in the land of everywhere else we continue to do nothing to help, and continue to get rich and fat.

Ah yes of course, rich - that must be why the United States is under $17tn of debt (and growing) with the United Kingdom under £5tn+ along with other western nations facing disaster thanks to the failed Euro. Tell me, where would the resources (in terms of wealth) come from to stage an invasion and then a rebuilding of North Korea? how much more debt do we need to incur before people such as yourself stop spending money on moral crusades around the world which the people tire of?

Secondly, where would the human resources come from? certainly not from you personally I bet, no, you're too precious (educated, probably middle class) to die in a far away foreign land so we'll leave that to the poorer children in inner city areas in the US and UK to go and die so we can all pat ourselves on the back and say how we've helped the North Korean people, yes? - just like we did when we 'helped' the Iraqi and Afghan people, many of whom studies have shown actually prefer the Saddam-era to the post-Saddam era.

The people tire of war, and more so - they tire of politicians (Obama, Romney, Bush, Gingrich, Santorum) sending them into wars (Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya) when those very politicians never served when they had the chance to do so.


You're making excuses for the military operations (or lack thereof) of our own countries. NATO or even United Nations certainly could be doing more to install very basic human rights in North Korea as well as other places like Afghanistan or Iran. They choose not to do it on a grand scale because they have other objectives and because of stupidly bad politics.

Eh? I was unaware that we'd declared sovereignty over North Korea.