highlights
China refuses to provide treatment to North Korean refugees even after lifting of Covid restrictions
People fleeing North Korea to China cannot get treatment even if infected with the virus
North Korean citizens in China have not received a single dose of vaccination since the start of the COVID pandemic
Beijing, US-based radio network Voice of America (VOA) said that China is discriminating against refugees coming from North Korea by not giving them Kovid vaccines and thus putting their lives at risk. According to a report by news agency ANI, China has refused to provide treatment to refugees from North Korea, even after lifting its Covid restrictions. Due to lack of identity proof, refugees are not being provided treatment even when they are facing severe Covid19 symptoms.
The report quoted Seoul-based online daily The Daily NK as saying that people coming to China fleeing North Korea cannot get treatment even if infected with the virus. In the absence of an identity card, they are not entitled to vaccination (Covid19 Vaccines). At the same time, NK News has claimed that North Korean defectors in China have not received a single dose of vaccination since the start of the Covid pandemic, thus leaving them vulnerable.
In a telephonic conversation with Daily NK, one such person said that he cannot get treatment even if he is infected with the Covid virus. The person further said that he cannot go anywhere without the vaccination certificate. Refugees told that when they try to escape to South Korea, they are arrested by the Chinese police.
this is the reason
China, which is a close ally of North Korea, does not consider these people refugees but illegal economic migrants. Under its border agreement with North Korea, China forcibly deports these people. In North Korea, they face the potential for torture, sexual violence, hard labor, imprisonment in political or re-education camps, or even execution by the North Korean state. Most North Koreans come from the northern border to China in search of a better life, but they find disappointment here too.
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Tags: China, Covid19, North Korea
FIRST PUBLISHED : January 21, 2023, 14:42 IST
