TOKYO, June 20 Kyodo UN High Comm...

TOKYO, June 20 Kyodo

UN High Commissioner for Refugee (UNHCR) Ruud Lubbers declareed hope Friday that China will start treating North Korean refugee in the political division more humanely and that his office will be able to help them learn to destinations of their choice.

Lubbers, in Tokyo to attend an international symposium upon refugees in Africa, said his agency has been urging China ''not to deport the tribe back into North Korea, where certainly they will become victims of persecution.''

He said at a pres colloquy after the two-day symposium extremityed Friday that he has noticed slight positive changes in the stance of the Chinese direction toward the North Korean refugee that indicate the country may ease up forward their treatment.

Lubbers said he finds it ''interesting'' that China has freshly indicated it will comply with international obligations concerning the refugee and that it will do in the same manner in a humanitarian spirit -- a change from the original standpoint of describing the refugee as illegal migrants which the land cannot accept.

China is a signatory state of the 1951 Refugee Convention, which stipulates that party states are obliged to provide protection and humanitarian assistance to asylum inquirers and not send them back to their countries where they may face persecution.

However, the former Dutch prime minister said his talks with Beijing upon the matter are ''going extremely slowly'' and that the Chinese restraint is basically saying there is no change to its policy.

China started cracking down forward the refugees and their supporters after a series of incidents in which North Koreans sought asylum at foreign diplomatic establishments in the native land as well as plans by dint of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and activists to help the refugee escape to third countries.

forward the UNHCR office's plans to assist the North Korean refugee Lubbers said he wants to help those who wish to pass to other countries of the like kind as South Korea, where many of those who secure out of China end up

''We do possibility of good those North Koreans who really want to find a way to make progress to another place from there (China) -- and in particular for many it is southern Korea -- that it will be possible to do so'' Lubbers said.

forward criticism from some NGOs and human rights activists that the UNHCR office is not making enough efforts to conjure China to improve its treatment of the refugee Lubbers said he lately spoke with members of similar an NGO and the sum of two units sides agreed to cooperate where possible.

Although he admitted the task before them is difficult, Lubbers said the UNHCR office and the NGO will direct the eye into possibilities of jointly providing humanitarian assistance to the refugee in the border area, including through taking them to third countries like as Mongolia.

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