Appendix E 

Beijing

20th September 2003

Mrs.Fu Ying

Director General,

Asian Department for Foreign Affairs,

2 Chaoyangmen Nanjie

Chaeyang District

B 100 701

We have just returned from Pyongyang where we had extensive discussions with government officials of the DPRK about a variety of issues. Following a meeting which we held yesterday with Sir Christopher Hun, Her Majesty’s Ambassador to China, we felt it vitally important to follow up our visit through this letter to you.

You will naturally be aware that there has been a disturbing flow of refugees from North Korea into China and we have been discussing ways in which aid agencies could restore their humanitarian programmes to North Korea and thus halt the flow.

The more widespread provision of life-saving aid would reduce the necessity for people to have to emigrate in order to survive. The overwhelming majority of North Koreans leave the country because of food shortages and an estimated 65% stay for only a matter of weeks and return.

Other factors influence the 15-20% of refugees who seek to leave permanently and in Pyongyang we discussed these contributory factors – including the need for economic and political reforms in North Korea.

The best estimates available suggest that 200-300 are currently being forcibly repatriated from China each week without determination of status. We know that last year alone 160 fled though Mongolia. Currently 26 Korean refugees are being held at one Mongolian location alone. We also know of the harsh consequences for anyone repatriated to North Korea who has attempted to go to a third country. These consequences include execution.

As you will see from the enclosed list, there is an acute crisis within China involving the enforced repatriation of refugees to North Korea and the arrest of aid workers. 

The international community is looking to China to honour its international humanitarian obligations. Not least among these are the bilateral agreement between the People’s Republic of China and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, promising unimpaired access to refugees and conferment of refugee status where appropriate.

We enclose these lists that have been compiled for members of the British and European Parliaments and the United States Congress.

We do appreciate the complexity of these issues and would therefore be most grateful to have an opportunity to discuss your response to them with your Ambassador in London. We will await your reply.

We remain,

Yours faithfully,

Rt. Hon. Professor The Lord Alton of Liverpool 

Rt. Hon The Baroness Cox of Queensbury, Deputy Speaker of the British House of Lords

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