Interesting read on North Korea and the plight of their populace and how their Navy is "Funded"
Entire article here http://www.kforcegov.com/Services/IS/NightWatch.aspx
Conditions are deteriorating in North Korea, but it does not know how to ask for help. Last week three people were executed for cannibalism. The last time there were reports of cannibalism in North Korea was during the 1996 famine when millions died of starvation.
North Korea-China: All 29 Chinese fishermen and their three fishing boats that were seized and held for ransom on 8 May, were released on Sunday, the North Korean foreign ministry said.
A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Pyongyang told Xinhua that the North's foreign ministry had notified the embassy of the latest development. The Chinese statement said the fishermen were treated adequately.
Press interviews with the fishermen related a less diplomatic narrative of their detention. "They used the back of their machine guns to hit us and also kicked us," said Wang Lijie, one of 29 fishermen in a telephone interview on Tuesday. "They stripped us of all our clothes after the beating, including sock and shoes. Most of us had only underwear left."
"The North Koreans drained the three fishing boats of fuel and also removed almost all the caught fish and the food and cooking oil stored for the journey. The fisherman were allowed out once or twice a day to cook small rations of grain, but were otherwise confined in a tiny storage room while their captors negotiated for ransom."
The hostage takers initially demanded $65,000 per ship, according to the ships' owners, which apparently the Chinese refused to pay.
Comment: The Chinese fishermen were explicit in identifying their captors as North Korean military personnel, almost certainly a naval patrol. As reported in an earlier edition, North Korean naval commands are expected to pay for most of their daily living expenses through fishing or piracy.
The Chinese fishermen were seized in an act of piracy, not law enforcement. A ransom had to have been paid, but less than $65,000 per ship. That is an enormous sum for a North Korean military command, which operates on a shoestring budget. The conclusion is ineluctable that North Korean naval patrols use piracy to help finance their operations.
The interviews provide a detailed open source look at what occurs when North Korea holds captives for ransom. The theft of even personal items should be understood as evidence of how poorly North Korea supplies its navy and other military commands.
Entire article here http://www.kforcegov.com/Services/IS/NightWatch.aspx
Conditions are deteriorating in North Korea, but it does not know how to ask for help. Last week three people were executed for cannibalism. The last time there were reports of cannibalism in North Korea was during the 1996 famine when millions died of starvation.
North Korea-China: All 29 Chinese fishermen and their three fishing boats that were seized and held for ransom on 8 May, were released on Sunday, the North Korean foreign ministry said.
A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Pyongyang told Xinhua that the North's foreign ministry had notified the embassy of the latest development. The Chinese statement said the fishermen were treated adequately.
Press interviews with the fishermen related a less diplomatic narrative of their detention. "They used the back of their machine guns to hit us and also kicked us," said Wang Lijie, one of 29 fishermen in a telephone interview on Tuesday. "They stripped us of all our clothes after the beating, including sock and shoes. Most of us had only underwear left."
"The North Koreans drained the three fishing boats of fuel and also removed almost all the caught fish and the food and cooking oil stored for the journey. The fisherman were allowed out once or twice a day to cook small rations of grain, but were otherwise confined in a tiny storage room while their captors negotiated for ransom."
The hostage takers initially demanded $65,000 per ship, according to the ships' owners, which apparently the Chinese refused to pay.
Comment: The Chinese fishermen were explicit in identifying their captors as North Korean military personnel, almost certainly a naval patrol. As reported in an earlier edition, North Korean naval commands are expected to pay for most of their daily living expenses through fishing or piracy.
The Chinese fishermen were seized in an act of piracy, not law enforcement. A ransom had to have been paid, but less than $65,000 per ship. That is an enormous sum for a North Korean military command, which operates on a shoestring budget. The conclusion is ineluctable that North Korean naval patrols use piracy to help finance their operations.
The interviews provide a detailed open source look at what occurs when North Korea holds captives for ransom. The theft of even personal items should be understood as evidence of how poorly North Korea supplies its navy and other military commands.
