Authorities in Burma say they have arrested 19 North Korean defectors
and will try them on charges of illegally entering the country.
The
defectors were trying to make their way to South Korea via China and
Southeast Asia when they were captured after entering Burmese territory
early this month. There is no information on how long they had been in
China.
Burmese immigration authorities have moved the group from
a detention center to a prison, where they await a trial expected to
open next week.
North Koreans fleeing the impoverished and
repressive Stalinist state are increasingly choosing Southeast Asia as
a destination after passing through China, in hopes they can eventually
resettle in South Korea.
China repatriates North Korean defectors it captures as economic migrants.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP.
