North Korea jails 2 female US journalists for 12 years

"We are deeply concerned by the reported sentencing of the two American citizen journalists by North Korean authorities, and we are engaged through all possible channels to secure their release," Kelly said in a statement.

news.ninemsn.com.au...

The women; Laura Ling and Euna Lee were working on a story about fleeing citizens from North Korea when they were detained in March.

They have been convicted to hard labour camps for "grave crime", no other details as to their alleged wrong doing have been provided.

Hillary Clinton has demanded their release, but I suspect the US will be able to do nothing, and North Korea will keep them as trophies.

They are now experiencing first hand the injustice of this hardline communist state...research is no longer needed as they suffer first hand the voiceless and hopeless state of being in North Korea.

I'm not saying that what N. Korea has done is right. However, I'm under the impression that the 2 journalists entered the country illegaly. Yes I know that would be the only way to get the real story, but if they did enter the country illegaly do they deserve what they are getting?

reply to post by DEEZNUTZ


Do they deserve 12 years of hard labour camp for trying to report on human tragedy? Ah no.
Perhaps a simple deportation order would have done the trick, much aswe do with illegal entrants.

They knew the risk, and my god, what amazing strength of character and sense of justice they have, if reporting on communist hardline abuses was really their goal.

reply to post by DEEZNUTZ


Not to be argumentative, but I believe they were in the river separating China from NK, and were close to the China shore. NK troops went into the river and captured them. Many, many journalists have entered the country illegally (there's a special a British journalist did on NK that aired last year- I believe on Nat Geo)- and he followed a young child back and forth across that river many times, being harrassed only by the Chinese.

There was a recent escape from camp 16 (about 120 people) and the NK army has placed guards at the spot where the women were detained as a result.

As well, they give NK a card to play with the West-i.e., if you let us have missiles, we'll let the women go home.

Even if they DID accidently cross some arbitrary line in a flowing river by an inch, do theydeserve 12 years in a concentration camp? Look up the NK camps- they make Auschwitz look....small. Certainly they were trying to shed light on a closed country, but never meant to violate borders- especially being aware of the draconian NK laws? If I were one of them I'd send a message home telling the world to strike and strike hard-despite my presence there- but I can't speak for anyone. My own opinion.

Just to play devils advocate for a second.....

Could the two reporters, or getting them back, be an excuse to go into N.K.???

Could it be used as an excuse to bomb N.K.???

Could reports of the reporters death (if they die) be a rallying cry to hit N.K. hard????

Remember, with international politics, any excuse is a good one...

Laura Ling is a kick ass reporter with a fierce combination of intelligent and sensitive reporting backed by some huevos grandes. I cannot remember Euna Lee but if she was with Laura then she had to have a certain fearlessness about her.

Originally posted by mandroid
Laura Ling is a kick ass reporter with a fierce combination of intelligent and sensitive reporting backed by some huevos grandes. I cannot remember Euna Lee but if she was with Laura then she had to have a certain fearlessness about her.

They are known and respsected reporters agreed thanks mandroid
They hardly deserve a 12 year labour camp.
They are political pawns

While 'you guys' are in the Middle East stirring up a hornet's nest, while you stick your beaks into everyone else's business, while you retain the death penalty, then I have no sympathy.
While you train your young people to be state-sanctioned murderers, while you lie to and deceive other nations, while you continue with the absolute greed that has the chance of pushing your country into environmental disaster, while you try to take democracy to other countries, despite the fact that you took democracy away from them, I have no sympathy.

Yes, NK is outside the law, but so are the U.S.A.

Originally posted by aorAki
While 'you guys' are in the Middle East stirring up a hornet's nest, while you stick your beaks into everyone else's business, while you retain the death penalty, then I have no sympathy.
While you train your young people to be state-sanctioned murderers, while you lie to and deceive other nations, while you continue with the absolute greed that has the chance of pushing your country into environmental disaster, while you try to take democracy to other countries, despite the fact that you took democracy away from them, I have no sympathy.

Yes, NK is outside the law, but so are the U.S.A.

Im sorry, Im an australian, but thats besides the point.
Are you saying its OK for NK to arrest and jail two women trying to report truth, just because Americans are naughty also?
How odd.



[edit on 8-6-2009 by zazzafrazz]

reply to post by zazzafrazz


What is truth and what is propaganda?

Every country has differences in their laws. These women knew that they were breaking the law.
Whether I think it is right or wrong is beside the point.

Originally posted by zazzafrazz
Im sorry, Im an australian,

lol, I'm sorry you're an Australian too. Bad luck in the 20/20

[edit on 8-6-2009 by aorAki]

[edit on 8-6-2009 by aorAki]

reply to post by aorAki


Your bringing cricket into the post? another odd reaction.

Perhaps if you have an injustice done to you one day, we'll all make sure to not send anyone to try and expose it?
How does that sound, let you rot away somewhere just becasue they all know that 'crossing over' to help you may get them in trouble.

Noted. Thx.

Originally posted by zazzafrazz
reply to post by aorAki

 

Your bringing cricket into the post? another odd reaction.

Obviously an attempt at humour. I'm not sure if you are really an Australian now, because you didn't get that.

Crikey, all I was saying is that they knowingly broke the laws of one of the most oppressive regimes and now have to pay for that. I'm sure they didn't go in with their eyes closed and realised that this was one of the possible outcomes.

Whether I think it is right or wrong is beside the point, the point being they broke the laws of a sovereign nation.

Fair suck of the sav, Kevin.

[edit on 8-6-2009 by aorAki]

Originally posted by aorAki
While 'you guys' are in the Middle East stirring up a hornet's nest, while you stick your beaks into everyone else's business, while you retain the death penalty, then I have no sympathy.
While you train your young people to be state-sanctioned murderers, while you lie to and deceive other nations, while you continue with the absolute greed that has the chance of pushing your country into environmental disaster, while you try to take democracy to other countries, despite the fact that you took democracy away from them, I have no sympathy.

Yes, NK is outside the law, but so are the U.S.A.

Hahaha, please. We here in the USA have a way of getting rid of the trash, it's called the death penalty, and anyone against it is a child molestor, rapist and murderer sympathizer for all I care you can be tied in the chair(Or well, injected :lol with them.

reply to post by aorAki


Yeh i did get it, but sadly for you, i didnt make laugh. Theres BTS for that.

As I said, if you think that risking self to report truth and injustice deserves punishment like that, we will remember to not come to your aid if ever needed.

Its like saying that a journo on the ground in Afghanistan or Iraq or Dafur deserves to die by being hit by mortar fire because they knew the risk of being there to report.

Read my friends book.
Our Woman In Kabul by Iris Makler. One of the 1st journos on the ground in Kabul when war first erupted against the Taliban. The risks jornos take is amazing, especially the women. The foreign correspndents still write the story, its hows its edited or shown on TV that can change. Most of these guys are truly amazing and fearless and deserve our respect as they try to deny ignorance.

www.alwaysonsale.com.au...

reply to post by zazzafrazz


You might actually like to read what I wrote rather than make things up. Whether I think it is right or wrong is beside the point. Whether or not I think people should put their lives on the line while trying to obtain 'truth' or to expose is beside the point.

The point is that NK were justified in their response.

WHETHER OR NOT I AGREE WITH IT IS BESIDE THE POINT.

@Deus: What a lovely, black and white world you live in.
Glad it's your world not mine

[edit on 8-6-2009 by aorAki]

[edit on 8-6-2009 by aorAki]

reply to post by aorAki


Im making nothing up, i am responding directly to:
NK are justified in their reposnce.

And I am saying they are not.
I am disagreeing with you.
I am clearly outlining what 'risk taking' by journolists can result in and the result of death and or imprisonment is not justified in my opinion.

Their risks are needed to keep silly poeple like us sitting comfortably in our homes infomed on what goes on in the scary world we can pretend to try and ignore.

Not black and white, they are painting us a very colourful picture on how it really is. By denying them the right to this and by you saying the NK's of the world are justified in their responce, means you wish to remain in a black and white world.

reply to post by zazzafrazz


As a sovereign nation, NK is justified in their response. That doesn't mean we have to like it, or even accept it.

reply to post by aorAki


So a soverign nation like Afghanistan with the Taliban were justified in their support of terorism and unprecedented abuse of women?

Give me a break, Soveriegn Nation. Pfft

As NKs a soverign nation they are also justoified in explodding atomic bombs?

The Khmer rouge in Cambidia were justified in their genocide of over 2 million people as they were a soveriegn nation.

I'm bored with this now.

reply to post by zazzafrazz


Just because we don't like the rules that others choose to play by doesn't make them any less real.

Aorki, take it easy. It seems you have an agenda of your own........

I could care less whether you want to bash the US or not, but this thread is about 2 women, journalists, who are facing 12 years in a prison camp. Period.
Why all the jazz.?
Can you not respond to this thread with some ethics, and perhaps related thought?
Did some American sh*t in your sandwich today, btw?
C'mon....
Try to stay on topic.
And whatever's on your mind, has nothing to do with this story, and quite frankly you're being a lil' disrespectful to the OP>

*let's all do a shot*

Let's atleast show some respect for these two women, because INFACT they did risk their lives to get their story. I admire their courage actually, and find alot of honor in that alone.
If we didn't have journalists such as Laura Ling and Euna Lee, the world would be even more black and white aorKi....
And certainly less to debate here on ATS.


They have my support.