20 NK defectors arrested in Laos, face risk of deportation

More than 20 North Korean defectors were arrested by border guards in the northwestern region of Laos last week, and face the risk of repatriation to China, Radio Free Asia reported Tuesday.

Kim Hee-tae, chairman of North Korean Human Rights Missionary, told the broadcaster, “More than 20 defectors are detained at the detention house of Luang Nam Tha immigration office of Laos, and they include a 32-month-old girl,” adding, “We`re urging Lao authorities not to forcefully repatriate them to China on humanitarian grounds.”

Radio Free Asia said, “When they arrest defectors near their border with China, Lao authorities repatriate them if the defectors fail to pay 300 U.S. dollars per head, and if they pay, the defectors are put in an immigration detention center before being handed over to the South Korean Embassy.”