[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 213 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 213

 Expressing the sense of Congress regarding North Korean refugees who 
   are detained in China and returned to North Korea where they face 
                 torture, imprisonment, and execution.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 2, 2001

 Mr. Royce (for himself, Mr. Becerra, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. Payne, Mr. 
  Smith of New Jersey, Mr. Rohrabacher, Mr. Gilman, Mr. Kirk, and Mr. 
Horn) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred 
              to the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of Congress regarding North Korean refugees who 
   are detained in China and returned to North Korea where they face 
                 torture, imprisonment, and execution.

Whereas the Government of North Korea is controlled by the Korean Workers Party, 
        which does not recognize the right of North Koreans to exercise the 
        freedoms of speech, religion, press, assembly or association;
Whereas the Government of North Korea imposes punishments, including execution, 
        for crimes such as attempted defection, slander of the Korean Workers 
        Party, listening to foreign broadcasts, possessing printed matter that 
        is considered reactionary by the Korean Workers Party, and holding 
        prohibited religious beliefs;
Whereas at least 1,000,000 North Koreans are estimated to have died of 
        starvation since 1995 because of the failure of the centralized 
        agricultural system operated by the Government of North Korea;
Whereas the combination of political, social, and religious persecution and the 
        risk of starvation in North Korea is causing many North Koreans to flee 
        to China;
Whereas between 100,000 and 300,000 North Korean refugees are estimated to be 
        residing in China without the permission of the Government of China;
Whereas the Governments of China and North Korea have begun aggressive campaigns 
        to locate North Koreans who are in China without permission and to 
        forcibly return them to North Korea;
Whereas North Koreans who seek asylum in China are routinely imprisoned and 
        tortured, and in some cases killed, after they are returned to North 
        Korea;
Whereas the United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees of 
        1951, as modified by the Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees of 
        1967, defines a refugee as a person who, ``owing to well-founded fear of 
        being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership 
        of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the 
        country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is 
        unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country'';
Whereas despite China's obligations as a party to the United Nations Convention 
        relating to the Status of Refugees of 1951 and the Protocol relating to 
        the Status of Refugees of 1967, China routinely classifies North Koreans 
        seeking asylum in China as mere ``economic migrants'' and returns the 
        refugees to North Korea without regard to the serious threat of 
        persecution faced by the refugees after their return;
Whereas the Government of China does not provide North Koreans whose asylum 
        requests are rejected a right to have the rejection reviewed prior to 
        deportation despite the recommendations of the United Nations Convention 
        relating to the Status of Refugees of 1951 and the Protocol relating to 
        the Status of Refugees of 1967 that such a right be granted; and
Whereas the Government of China recently permitted the United Nations High 
        Commissioner for Refugees to resettle 7 North Korean refugees in South 
        Korea: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) encourages the Government of China to honor its 
        obligations under the United Nations Convention relating to the 
        Status of Refugees of 1951, as modified by the Protocol 
        relating to the Status of Refugees of 1967, by--
                    (A) making genuine efforts to identify and protect 
                the refugees among the North Korean migrants 
                encountered by Chinese authorities, including providing 
                the refugees with a reasonably opportunity to request 
                asylum;
                    (B) providing North Korean refugees residing in 
                China with a safe asylum;
                    (C) halting the forced repatriations of North 
                Korean refugees seeking asylum in China;
                    (D) allowing the United Nations High Commissioner 
                for Refugees to have access to all North Korean 
                refugees residing in China; and
                    (E) cooperating with the United Nations High 
                Commissioner for Refugees in efforts to resettle the 
                North Korean refugees residing in China in other 
                countries; and
            (2) encourages the United Nations High Commissioner for 
        Refugees to facilitate the resettlement of the North Korean 
        refugees residing in China in other countries.
                                 <all>