VZCZCXRO8425
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHVN #0296/01 0991104
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 091104Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY VIENTIANE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1106
INFO RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK IMMEDIATE 7239
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL IMMEDIATE 0553
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA IMMEDIATE 0604
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 1165
RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 VIENTIANE 000296 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MLS 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/K 
DEPARTMENT FOR PRM 
BANGKOK FOR HONNOLD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/09/2017 
TAGS: PREF PREL PGOV PHUM LA KN KS
SUBJECT: MISDIRECTED MAIL COMPLICATES NORTH KOREAN 
CHILDREN'S RELEASE 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Patricia Haslach.  Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1.  (C)  Summary:  South Korean Counsellor Miyon Lee told DCM 
April 9 that she was hopeful that three North Korean asylum 
seekers who have been detained in Laos since November 2006 
would be released in the next day or two.  The situation took 
a "tricky" turn, she said, when the Lao police misdirected a 
communication meant for the South Koreans to the North Korean 
embassy, alerting them to the arrangements for the children's 
release and apparently prompting them to demand that the 
children be returned to North Korea.  She said that, in 
addition to some 70 North Koreans known to have made their 
way into Laos since January, a Japanese citizen living in 
North Korea also escaped and sought resettlement in Japan. 
Ms. Lee had no details on a group of ten North Koreans who 
were reportedly arrested after crossing into Thailand from 
Laos, but she said that North Koreans arrested in Thailand 
continue to eventually make their way to the office of the UN 
High Commissioner for Refugees in Bangkok.  End summary. 
 
¶2.  (C)  On April 9, DCM called South Korean Counsellor Miyon 
Lee to inquire about a story in that day's Japan Times about 
three young North Korean asylum seekers who have been 
detained in Vientiane since November 2006.  The story quoted 
a representative of a Japanese NGO called Life Funds for 
North Korean Refugees as saying that a Lao government 
official had demanded $1000 for the release of each of three. 
 The story also said that the North Korean embassy visited 
the prison on Friday and demanded that the Lao government 
deport the three to North Korea.  The story said that (as has 
been previously reported) the children hope to be resettled 
in the United States.  Embassy Vientiane also received a 
forwarded e-mail from activists saying that the North Koreans 
had become involved. 
 
¶3.  (C)  Ms. Lee said of the situation, "It's kind of 
tricky."  The matter had been on the brink of resolution, 
with quiet communications underway between the Lao government 
and the South Korean Embassy on the details, including, she 
hinted, a sum of money similar to the total figure of $3000 
that the Japanese NGO representative mentioned.  Then the 
embassy received an inquiry from a representative of the Lao 
police asking why the South Koreans had not responded to 
their latest communication about the matter.  The South 
Koreans replied that they had never received the 
communication.  The reason, as it turned out, was that the 
Lao police had sent the message to the wrong Koreans.  (Both 
North Korea and South Korea have embassies in Vientiane.) 
The North Korean embassy, Ms. Lee said, had known about the 
situation for a long time but had not made a major issue of 
it until they received the misdirected communication.  She 
was unable to confirm whether the North Korean consul visited 
the prison as reported in the article, but she indicated that 
this reaction would not be surprising.  She doubts that the 
consul saw the children. 
 
¶4.  (C)  Ms. Lee said that she remains optimistic that the 
children will be released within the next day or two.  The 
South Koreans have told the Lao government that they cannot 
wait any longer than that.  (Note: The urgency may stem from 
the North Korean embassy's involvement.  End note.)  She 
believes that the Lao government wants the issue resolved 
before the Lao New Year (April 14-16). 
 
¶5.  (C)  The DCM asked about the involvement of the Japanese 
NGO mentioned in the Japan Times story.  Ms. Lee said that 
the reason for the Japanese involvement is that a Japanese 
citizen who had moved to North Korea had left and was trying 
to make his way back to Japan.  The NGO went to Laos to try 
to facilitate this.  Ms. Lee at first appeared to indicate 
that the Japanese government had said it was unable to help, 
then backed away from this and said that they may have 
helped.  (Comment:  This may shed light on something that has 
left us scratching our heads for several days.  The newly 
arrived Japanese DCM urgently requested a meeting with the 
DCM to ask about our procedures for dealing with North Korean 
asylum seekers, then asserted during the April 5 meeting that 
he was just asking for contingency planning purposes.  End 
comment.)  DCM asked Ms. Lee whether a statement in the press 
story that the Japanese NGO representative met the three 
North Korean children was credible.  Ms. Lee said that it is 
possible, since, after arriving in Laos, he was working with 
other refugee assistance groups. 
 
VIENTIANE 00000296  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶6.  (C)  Asked about a report in the Bangkok Post saying that 
ten North Koreans were arrested in Chiang Rai Province, 
Thailand, after crossing from Laos, Ms. Lee said that she has 
no specific information.  She is not certain whether this is 
the same group of eight that, while making its way through 
Laos, was the subject of several false NGO reports saying 
that that they had been arrested and/or sent back to China. 
There are many North Koreans making their way through Laos, 
she noted.  (Note:  The newly arrived South Korean ambassador 
told the Ambassador during his April 3 introductory call that 
the embassy is aware of 70 North Korean asylum seekers who 
have made their way to Laos since the beginning of 2007, as 
opposed to only 60 in all of 2006.  End note.)  She said that 
the process by which North Koreans are arrested by Thai 
authorities and moved to Bangkok, where they make their way 
to the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees 
(UNHCR), is still working. 
 
¶7.  (C)  Comment:  We hope that Ms. Lee's optimism about an 
imminent resolution to the three children's situation is 
justified.  The message that was misdirected to the North 
Koreans may have complicated matters, since the Lao 
government scrupulously avoids taking any action that appears 
to favor one Korea over the other. Also complicating matters 
is the press coverage of the issue and the children's 
apparent desire to go to the United States.  We continue to 
recommend that our Embassy not get directly involved in this 
case.  End comment. 
HASLACH