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SAVE NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES INTERNATIONAL EVENTS THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2009
FROM SUZANNE SCHOLTE, CHAIRMAN OF THE NORTH KOREA FREEDOM COALITION
Dear Friends:
Save North Korean Refugees Events to Be Held on September 24: Please take part in the special events being held around the world to focus attention on the plight of the North Korean refugees in China that will be held on Thursday, September 24. We have been organizing the International Protest to Save North Korean Refugees for many years during the month of December, but this year we are hosting much earlier because of the rapidly deteriorating situation in North Korea and the increasing sense of urgency to focus attention on the refugees. The date of September 24, 2009 was selected because that is the date in 1982 that China became a signatory to the 1951 Refugees Convention, the very agreement it is violating by its repatriation of North Korean refugees. We must call attention to China's violation of this agreement as it is becoming increasingly more known the horrors that the refugees are facing both in China and when they are repatriated.
Listed below are the city and country coordinators confirmed so far, most of whom will be delivering letters/petitions at noon on September 24 to the China's embassies and consulates calling on China to abide by the 1951 Refugee Convention and Protocol and to work with the international community to save the North Korean refugees in China. Also, because we feel the USA should be doing more, we are also planning several events in Washington, D.C. on that day, while other coordinators are staging demonstrations, vigils, and other activities. Please contact these city and country coordinators if you can help BUT also if you have contacts in countries not listed, let us know, as we want to have as many countries involved as possible.
We want the People's Republic of China to feel the presence and concern at as many consulates and embassies as possible from around the world as anything we do will be reported back to Beijing.
The city and country coordinators are listed below and special additional events are also noted:
United States of America: Chicago: contact Linda Dye of the North Korea Freedom Coalition is planning a peaceful protest from 12 - 2 and delivery of a petition; linda.dye@earthlink.net Houston: contact Captain & Pastor Stephen Na of the Salvation Army Church stephen_na@uss.salvationarmy.org Los Angeles: Sam Kim and the Korean Church Coalition for North Korea Freedom at samkimesq@hotmail.com; Sam Kim and KCC are organizing a vigil and will deliver a petition to the PRC consulate on the 24th. In addition, they are hosting a special event on September 25th especially for educating young people about the North Korea human rights crisis. New York City: Michelle Kim and PSALT will be delivering a petition to the PRC consulate as well as hosting a special prayer vigil that evening. michelle@psaltnk.org San Francisco: Liz Oh at elizabeth.h.oh@gmail.com Washington, DC: 10.30 AM: Demonstration and Press Conference. The North Korea Freedom Coalition and member groups, HANKR (Helping Angels for North Korean Refugees), and 318 Partners, will be hosting a press conference with North Korean refugees who have resettled in the USA. They will speak along with Pastor Heemoon Lee, Vice Chairmain of the North Korea Freedom Coalition, & Steve Kim, American hero and refugee rescuer. We will deliver a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with action items for the USA to help the North Korean refugees. Location: Meet across the street from the U.S. State Department Office (2201 C Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20520). 12:00 NOON: Protest at Chinese Embassy. Deliver Petition and Protest against China's repatriation policy and inhumane treatment of North Korean Defectors. Location: Embassy of the People's Republic of China, 3505 International Place, NW, Wasington, D.C. 20008 8:00 PM: Free Screening of the Film CROSSING. Location: Woo Lae Oak Korean Restaurant, 8240 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, Virginia 22182 USA. Please RSVP as seating is limited. Contacts for D.C. Events: Henry Song at henry@defenseforum.org or Hyoju Kim at kimhyoju@gmail.com AUSTRALIA: potential coordinator requested, awaiting response BELIGIUM: contact Willy Fautre at Human Rights Without Frontiers at w.fautre@hrwf.net CANADA: contact Kyung B. Lee and The Council for Human Rights in North Korea (Canada) at kbl928@yahoo.com FRANCE: potential coordinator requested, awaiting response NETHERLANDS: contact Annet Meester of Open Doors-Netherlands atAnnetM@opendoors.nl Motivating prayers for North Koreans with information posted on their website. POLAND: potential coordinator requested, awaiting response SOUTH KOREA: Seoul: contact Suh Suk Koo saveuskorea@naver.com Busan: contact Pastor Changho Lim limchangho@gmail.com Also note in Seoul: regular prayer campaign and vigils every Friday-- details at www.unifykorea2009.com UNITED KINGDOM: potential coordinator requested, awaiting response JAPAN: contact Kan Andoo kanandoj@yahoo.co.jp; Kan Andoo is coordinating the events in Japan which will include the delivery of a petition to the PRC Embassy it Tokyo, as well as media interviews and visits to political leaders. He will be working to focus attention on the North Korean refugees and will also work with the Japanese groups focusing attention on the abductees being held in North Korea. |
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