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Defectors held in Thai detention centers are not allowed to receive visitors outside their immediate family. Until May this year, local activists were also allowed to visit, but since the South Korean and Thai governments began to cooperate on the issue, this option has been off the table.
Both governments want to turn the process into a ‘one-stop shop’, with defectors entering Thailand and being shipped out to South Korea in the shortest time possible. This means that temporary housing, transit and immigration issues should be taken care of by specified government officials. The capacity of local activists to take part in the process has been greatly reduced.
▲ Defectors in need of psychological stability
Such activists welcome the fact that the South Korean government is engaging with the issue, but fear that isolation is causing some defectors serious stress. They say that while it is good to see defectors now spending as little as a month waiting to leave Thailand, more resources should be devoted to easing the isolation of an unfamiliar environment with a big language barrier.
One activist explains to Daily NK, “Even in Thailand the defectors suffer, and this is because they fear for their safety. This is precisely where religious organizations and NGOs are needed, to help them emotionally.”
The anonymous activist continues, “Back in May we went to a shelter at a police station in the northern states to hear about their difficulties and deliver essential items, but there has been no contact with defectors since the government officials came.”
However, one such government official rejects the criticism. “The cooperation between the South Korean and Thai government is going smoothly,” he asserts. “Although we certainly will improve those parts that need improving.”
▲ Shortening the process
The head of the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights, Yoon Yeo Sang says that a shorter waiting period would be beneficial, explaining, “The worry is that the immigration department might be paralyzed were a large number of defectors to come in at once. One alternative could be to shorten the waiting period.”
However, this is impossible, according to the governments of both sides. Not only are there North Korean defectors in the Bangkok system; there are also many refugees from Myanmar and Laos, and it takes a minimum of weeks to process everybody through the system.
The South Korean official declares, “The government has requested a faster processing time, and the Thai detention center is already doing the best it can. Demanding an even shorter processing time is unreasonable.”
▲ Defectors must change their attitude
As noted in the first part of this series, most North Korean defectors entering Thailand come with help from a family member in South Korea or from a broker. As such, they know the management policy, procedures and time it should take to get to South Korea.
This causes problems. One local person explains to Daily NK, “Some of them act like they are someone important or special and cause a huge fuss. We locals feel less sympathetic and affectionate towards the defectors here now.” According to one NGO in the area, some defectors have even been heard to verbally abuse the police officers trying to arrest them.
Accusations run both ways. Last May a report emerged suggesting that a government official had ‘verbally abused’ one defector in a detention center. However, a second government official denies it, saying, “Reports that the local police and government officials verbally abuse defectors are misinterpretations.”
“People get annoyed and aggressive because they are living in a confined space, and to solve these issues staff have to speak to them firmly, but they are never verbally abused or insulted,” he adds.
Choi Sung Jin (57), who entered South Korea through Thailand last year agrees, saying, “None of the staff swore or did anything like that. They only raised their voices when defectors fought with each other or violated the rules. I didn’t feel like they were looking down on us at all.”
“The defectors need to have respect for one another instead of demanding their rights,” Yoon concludes. “They must have respect for the host country as well, especially when the Thai government is treating them so well.”
