Ji Seong-ho urges the repatriation of North Korean detainees, Interview with the acting head of the UN Office

Anchor : Ji Seong-ho , a former North Korean defector from South Korea's first opposition party, met with the acting head of the United Nations Office for Human Rights in Seoul and urged them to work together to repatriate Koreans detained in North Korea . I also went to the National Human Rights Commission of Korea and filed a complaint .

Reporter Seung-wook Hong reports from Seoul.

Ji Seong-ho, a member of the People's Power of the 1st opposition party , was elected as a member of the Korean National Assembly in April 2020 , a native of North Korea .

On the morning of the 25th , Rep. Ji visited the UN Human Rights Office in Seoul with members of ' Uni+Y ' , an inter-Korean youth coalition group .

Rep. Ji and the youth, who interviewed Acting Director General Imesh Pocarel, delivered a letter requesting that the international community voice an active voice for the repatriation of six South Koreans detained in North Korea .

In this regard, Rep. Ji and the youth said that acting Major General Pocarel promised to make the issue of repatriation of South Koreans detained in North Korea an important agenda in future meetings with the North Korean delegation .

Rep. Ji Seong-ho of People's Strength : There were difficulties in actively pursuing the resolution of the six detained Koreans , but he expressed his gratitude to us for continuing to work so that we would not be forgotten, and he said that he would actively reflect this in future reports . So, there seems to be a lot of work that can be done through the United Nations in the future .

Hyerim Yoo, Member of Unit Y : Rep. Seongho Ji and young people visited together and delivered their message to them, saying that it was a great message to them. Now , you said that you will make repeated and continuous efforts to resolve this issue .

Rep. Ji said, “ I hoped that the six Koreans who were detained on Lunar New Year’s Day would return to their families, and it is very unfortunate . ”

The South Korean government has officially identified six South Koreans detained in North Korea.

Missionaries Kim Jeong- wook , Kim Kuk -gi , and Choi Chun-gil have been detained since 2013 , and three North Korean defectors who acquired South Korean citizenship have also been forcibly detained since 2016 , and it is known that they were sentenced to life-changing reform through life imprisonment .

In this regard, the US State Department pointed out to Radio Free Asia (RFA) late last year that it is working to repatriate South Koreans detained in North Korea and that the human rights situation in North Korea is deplorable .

In May 2018 , then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also rescued Korean Americans Kim Hak-song , Kim Sang -deok and Kim Dong-cheol, who had been detained in North Korea for over a year .

Rep. Ji and the youth visited the National Human Rights Commission of Korea on the same day and filed a complaint urging the repatriation of detained Koreans in North Korea .

Eun-chan Oh, Member of Unit Y : I had the experience of holding a rally in front of Seoul Station in 2018 calling for the release of 6 detained Koreans.I am very grateful and I think it is a great opportunity to be able to take action like this in 2022 .

They mentioned the incident of Otto Warmbier, an American college student who was detained in North Korea in 2016 and returned to the United States after a year and a half , and said that they would continue to work hard not only at the South Korean government but also at the private level to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.

Reporter Seung-wook Hong , Editor Jung -seok Oh

U.S. courts agree to change translators for Bali bombing suspects

The United States Military Court, which tried two Malaysians and an Indonesian on terrorism charges in connection with the deadly bombings in Indonesia in 2002 and 2003, has agreed to change the suspect's translator.

According to news reports, the decision was made following the suspects' protests against the translators who they said were biased and incompetent.

The suspects are Malaysians, Mohammed Nazir Lep and Mohammed Farik Amin, while Encep Nurjaman is an Indonesian, also known as Hambali.

The court set up in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba had to rely on the interpreter to translate Malay and Indonesian to communicate with the suspect.

Nazir, Farik and Encep reportedly refused to make any confessions when they were charged on eight charges in August last year on the grounds that the translators were biased and incompetent resulting in inaccurate translations.

The eight charges are - conspiracy, murder, attempted murder, causing serious injury intentionally, violence, assault on civilians, assault on public objects, and destruction of property - related to the twin bombings in Bali, Indonesia in October 2002 and another bombing at the JW Hotel Marriot in Jakarta, Indonesia in August 2003.

What is the benefit of Total's departure for Myanmar?

A Human Rights Watch (HRW) official says Total's decision to leave Burma is not a good outcome for the people of Burma. International analysts say the decision to leave Burma has been welcomed by international human rights groups, but will not change for the multibillion-dollar military council.

It has now been announced that Total and Chevron will leave Burma, but if other energy companies take their place and the project continues, the military council will continue to generate revenue. HRW issued a statement on January 25 warning that new sanctions were needed to target their payments to prevent large-scale foreign exchange earnings from Burma's military gas and other resources.

United States EU, UK Japan and other pro-Burma countries Sanctions should be imposed on all revenues from the sale of natural gas. HRW said in a statement that Thai-owned PTT and South Korea's POSCO, which are still working on natural gas projects in Myanmar, also need to show support for the sanctions.

John Sifton, HRW's director for Asia, said it would not be significant if another company were to replace the outgoing company and continue to generate gas sales for the Burmese military.

"What we want is for the United States and the European Union to be able to keep Total from paying their obligations to the military council," he said. If the Burmese military continues to generate revenue from the sale of natural gas, Total's decision to leave Burma would be a way to avoid blaming them. Good for them, though. This is not a good result for the people of Burma. ”

Before leaving Burma, John Sifton said the United States and the European Union should work with the United States and the European Union to ensure that sanctions on gas sales do not reach the military council.

Richard Horsey, a Burma analyst with the International Crisis Group (ICG), told the Bangkok Post that the departure of Total and Chevron would not affect the Burmese military in the near future, and that the Burmese military could gain more money in the short term if it resold its shares to other companies.

The state-owned Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE), which is controlled by the Burmese military, is expected to receive up to $ 1.5 billion in gas sales this year, which is about half of all foreign currency in Burma, a key sanctions target, said former UN Special Rapporteur on the situation in Burma, Ms. Healy, in an online conference last week.

"The people of Burma have been on strike without paying a meter to cut off the military's revenue since the military coup," he said. The driver's license has not been renewed. Army-owned beer; There are various ways to strike, such as boycotting alcohol and phone companies. But these sources of revenue are only a fraction of the water in the ocean compared to the revenues from the oil and gas sector. When I was the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, I focused on the exploitation of the military's natural resources. The Burmese military is using these sources of revenue to: Various acts of violence have been committed against minorities in Myanmar for a long time. The Burmese military is now using the proceeds to crush pro-democracy movements across the country, giving the military more power

Healy said energy companies involved in the exploitation of natural gas, the Burmese military's largest source of revenue, were responsible for crimes committed by the Burmese military, and that US President Joe Biden and French President Nicolas Sarkozy had a responsibility to curb the Burmese military's revenue through MOGE.

After the military coup in Burma, the United States, Canada The UK and the EU have already imposed various sanctions on Burma's military leaders and military-owned companies. John Sifton of HRW points out that there have been no sanctions on payment of gas sales to Myanmar Oil and Gas's MOGE.

"What is really needed is For the Burmese military, not only natural gas but also mining, Gems and jewels Sanctions will be targeted at revenues from teak and other forest products. Banks providing remittance services to the Burmese military Instead of imposing sanctions on the entire bank, we should focus on payments. Banks can keep this money from giving it to the Burmese military. If we don't get this money, the military council will suffer. "If you do not stop doing them, you will have to pay a high price."

Gas sales for MOGE Payments are made through banks in Thailand and South Korea, but in US dollars and euros. "These banks need to work with US and EU banks to comply with US and EU laws, and the US and the EU have an important role to play in curbing funding for gas sales," said HRW.