Times of London: N. Korean Snipers Shooting Refugees

You read it here first, but now it’s getting some big media coverage:

North Korean guards, newly armed with Russian Dragunov sniper rifles, have shot dead refugees attempting to ford the river that divides their hungry homeland from China, according to human rights campaigners.

On the Chinese shore alone, two bodies, marked by several bullet holes, were found by a local activist, said Tim Peters, an American pastor who runs a Christian group supporting the fugitives.

The shootings indicate a coordinated change in tactics by North Korea and China to deter refugees from crossing. They want to stamp out bribery among border guards who let the refugees go and to catch those who make it to safety.

The two countries, nominally socialist allies, have agreed to tighten security measures to ensure “stability” in the run-up to the Olympic Games and to stop any embarrassing demonstrations by the refugees.  [Times Online, Michael Sheridan]

But we mustn’t politicize the Olympics  … unless it’s  to “create a harmonious and stable environment for the Olympic Games.”  Understand?  Good.