Ryan Smith Blog No.13 - Ethnic Hatred Tears Apart a Region of Myanmar

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/30/world/asia/muslims-face-expulsion-from-western-myanmar.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&ref=world

Sectarian violence has erupted yet again in recent weeks between Muslims and Buddhists in the seaside town of Sittwe, Myanmar.  Lying on the West coast, the Rakhine state is home to a large population of Muslims that the Buddhist majority in Burma believe to be violent and illegal immigrants.  Over 167 are dead and 100,000 left homeless in what many are calling an ethnic cleansing of the region.  Organizations like the UN and Human Rights Watch call the Rohingya, a subgroup of native Muslims, the most discriminated and denigrated group in the world.  They were blamed for the rape and murder of a Buddhist woman in October and have undergone a mass exodus from the region ever since.  Many are forced to flee to neighboring Bangladesh where they experience similar persecution.

Even Shwe Maung, a Muslim member of Parliament, is forced to travel in a convoy of armed vehicles for his protection from the violent hatred aimed at any and all Muslims in the region.  Myanmar officials have tried to implement a "three generations" rule that allows for the uninterrupted stay of Muslims who have a three generations old history of residency in the region, but ethnic hatred of Muslims is so strong and pervasive that it doesn't stop the violence and discrimination from other Burmese.  Even Buddhist monks, traditionally pacifistic, are weighing in on the conflict calling the minority Muslims a "threat to the nation" and affirming "the hatred we have for each other is growing every day."

The 30+ year junta's militant rule is crumbling in Myanmar and you're seeing long-held  and suppressed tensions between the two groups starting to surface.  As I mentioned in an earlier blog on the rape and murder that initially set off the violent outbreak, Myanmar is attempting to portray themselves as a nation in political transition, but as recent events have shown internal unrest need to be quelled before that can effectively continue.  Barack Obama became the first US President to ever visit the region this past week and spoke at universities in the area to emphasize the necessity of diversity and empathy in all societies.  Effective diplomacy looks bleak if even the monks are encouraging attacks and hatred towards the Rohingya and other Muslim groups.  The necessity for intervention may be drawing near for human rights  organizations and Islamic advocacy groups.

Ryan Smith Blog No.12 - Tibetan Woman, the Latest to Self-Immolate, Dies

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/tibetan-women-latest-immolate-dies-17750406#.UKksx4XDzOc

A Tibetan woman set herself on fire in protest of the long standing Chinese occupation of Tibet this past week.  She is roughly the 75th person to self-immolate since February 2009 and marks a recent spike in public demonstrations while China has been undergoing their once-a-decade obligation of handing power down to the new cast of Standing Committee heirs and a new Communist Leader, Xi Jinping.  Chinese Foreign Minister and other officials have stated that the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, is responsible for inciting the wave of self-immolations, however he's been a consistent advocate for non-violence and denies all accusations.

The majority of suicidal protests have been occurring near Tibetan monasteries and in Chinese provinces with large populations of Tibetan nationals. Tibetans doing so are protesting the illegal Chinese occupation and oppressive control of their home country since 1949, and are advocating their returned independence and autonomy.  As of now, Tibet is legally independent but operating under strict Chinese control.  It is still a sovereign state but in title only as their is overwhelming evidence of severe human rights abuses.  The list of grievances include the prohibited exercising of their rights to assembly, free speech, self-determination, and religious and cultural expression.  Tibetan prisoners endure harsh conditions, torture, food and sleep deprivation, as well as unreasonable imprisonment for peaceful dissension.  Since almost all of the newly "elected" members of the PRC's Standing Committee are descendants of old members and other Communist Party elites, the chances for progressivism and open-mindedness any time soon looks bleak.

The Chinese claim that the two nations were united under Mongolian rule centuries ago, and that there's a certain commonality in culture and ethnicity.  However the relations between Genghis Khan's Mongols and Tibet were peaceful, and the two nations mutually considered each other equals.  The PRC marched into Tibet in 1949 and imposed their 17-Point Agreement for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet.  This agreement effectively made Tibet a Chinese province with almost no chance at self-governance, but because the document was signed under duress it is rendered illegitimate and illegal by international standards.

The Bush administration facilitated a hopeful reemergence of talks between Chinese leaders and the Dalai Lama after a ten year political stalemate, but tensions between the US and China over their own respective elections have brought another period of inactivity between the three nations.  The US has supported the sovereign wishes of the exiled Tibetan government, but the nature of their support has been ambiguous and flimsy at times.  The US maintains their "one-China policy" which is at odds with Hong Kong's off-shore administrative role in the "two-China" identity the PRC upholds, but so far this has yet to amount to anything other than a declaration of foreign policy.  US humanitarian aid has been provided for Tibetans, and the US State Department has created an office solely dedicated to the Tibet issue, but so far no stern sanctions have been issued towards China through the US or any other international force.  The US needs to maintain their strict stance and support of Tibet, but actively engage more of the international community in the conflict.  This would be a further reversal of the US' reputation as a lone and indignant actor in the global arena, while also garnishing the support Tibet needs to oppose the over-protective decisions of a powerful regime like China.


Additional sources:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/tibet/9168885/Dalai-Lama-behind-Tibet-protest-self-immolation-says-China.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/18/teenage-tibetan-monk-dies-china?intcmp=239
http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/25/tibets-horrifying-persistent-fire/
http://www.savetibet.org/resource-center/all-about-tibet/history-tibet-before-chinese-invasion-1949
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/27/tibet-self-immolation-china

Ryan Smith Blog No.11 - Uruguay: New Abortion Law Breaks Ground for Women's Rights

http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/10/26/uruguay-new-abortion-law-breaks-ground-women-s-rights

Last month Uruguay passed a landmark bill that waived criminal punishment for first trimester abortions.  The new law entails certain procedural requirements for abortions done within this time frame but also allows for abortions to be performed into the fourteenth week of gestation in cases of rape.  In a region that has widespread archaic laws against abortions and overall women's health, this will undoubtedly lead to decreased clandestine abortions that result in over 13% of all maternal deaths in Uruguay, according to a World Health Organization report. Latin America has several countries that have absolute bans on abortions even in cases of rape, incest, and pregnancy complications which can threaten the mother's life.  Uruguay's passing of the law may be the first in a long line of reform initiatives that occur in the region.

When Uruguay Presiden Jose Mujica was inaugurated in 2010, he promised to pass the bill which would waive criminally punitive measures for abortions by December 2011, but after a long year of legislative wrangling over procedural requirements, the bill did not pass until this past September.  The Senate finally ratified the bill and was signed into law by Mujica in October.  The law requires extensive consultations with physicians including an initial explanation of conditions that prevent the mother from carrying on the pregnancy, a three day convening of an interdisciplinary team consisting of the physician, a social worker, and medical and mental health professionals with the mother, and a mandatory five-day reflection period before the final consent can be given.  In cases of rape, only a criminal report is required to conduct the abortion.

Officials argue that there is still an opportunity and possible likelihood for these provisions to end up being overly restrictive and create a barrier for many women to get the care they need.  This does not negate the monumental achievement this is to women and society-at-large in Uruguay and possibly the region in years to come, it just means Uruguay's Ministry of Public Health, charged with the task of further developing regulations to the newly implemented law, will be carefully monitored.  Regardless of your own position on abortions, just the fact that this incredibly private and dangerous procedure will no longer be left in the furtive hands of illicit black market "doctors" is a victory for the public health and women of Uruguay.

Ryan Smith Blog No. 10 - In Crackdown, Bahrain Revokes Citizenship of 31 Men

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/08/world/middleeast/bahrain-revokes-citizenship-of-31-men-in-bid-to-quell-dissidents.html?ref=world

The Bahraini government systematically revoked the citizenship of 31 men on Wednesday, leaving many citizens at home and abroad wondering how much further this crackdown on government dissidence will go.  The decision was made following Monday's bombings of the capital city of Manama and the ensuing deaths of two foreigners.  Hezbollah, the Lebanese-based militant Shiite extremist group, is suspected of involvement in the attacks, and if proved true would be a significant setback for peaceful relations between the monarchy and its outspoken Shiite activists. Since opposition has escalated recently the government has banned all demonstrations and been conducting large-scale arrests of political activists.  Wednesday's denationalization list was comprised of men ranging from those with no prior criminal record or political involvement like one university professor to members of Bahrain's largest opposition group, Wefaq.  Amnesty International has called the decision an "arbitrary deprivation of nationality" and many are calling for appeals of all 31 of the newly stateless men.

The Sunni monarchy has received a lot of protest and calls for reform or dismantlement from the Shiite majority population, especially following last year's Arab springs.  I mentioned in my previous blog entry the significance of Bahrain as one of the few remaining Islamic nations with a Shiite majority.  It is a crucial ally for the US in the region as its geographic proximity to Iran provide a much needed buffer and launching pad for US forces.  Hesitancy from the US State Department to condemn the lawless actions of the Bahraini government or call upon the international community for punitive measures reveal just how valuable an ally it is to the US.  This sort of tentative handling of popular unrest by the US is indicative of a larger policy of non-involvement in the region, but when it comes to cases of unlawful discrimination and human rights violations the US and its allies should realize their inaction is only emboldening the oppressive leadership in nation's like Bahrain.

Ryan Smith Blog No. 9 - Bahrain Bans All Protests in New Crackdown

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/31/world/middleeast/bahrain-bans-all-protests-in-new-crackdown.html?hp&_r=0

Bahrain's Interior Minister announced on Monday that oppositional activists have abused the government's "tolerance for freedom of expression" and all rallies and protests will thereby be banned indefinitely.  Legal actions will be taken towards any dissenters calling for action or gathering, said Bahrain's official news agency.  Violent outbursts have occurred sporadically since tensions brought on by last year's Arab Spring have empowered the country's Shiite majority to seek more government representation in the Sunni monarchy.  50 people have died thus far over 21 months of protests which have intensified as of late following police presence at a funeral of a killed activist and the prosecution of medical workers aiding wounded activists.  Bahraini authorities have been subject to international scrutiny over their use of tear gas and birdshot to silence protests. 

Bahrain is one of the four remaining Islamic nations of the world with a Shiite population majority.  Although the small Persian Gulf island is a Sunni monarchy, its population consists of 65% Shiite Muslims. Because of its geographic proximity to Iran (home to the world's largest Shiite population) the US is in an awkward position of supporting this oppressive regime.  The US is no stranger to friendly relations with oppressive regimes, but the State Department should take note of the long term impact these popular uprisings are having on the region and realize that non-intervention may be a better ally to the Middle Eastern sphere of influence than a Bahrain ally with a short shelf life will be against an Iranian foe.

Ryan Smith Blog No. 8 - Myanmar Violence Displacing thousands

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2012/10/201210276502242958.html

An estimated 22,587 people have been displaced in recent months from the Western border camps of Myanmar due to long existing tensions between Rohingya Muslims and native Burmese Buddhists.  Making up the vast majority (21,000) of refugees are the Rohingya people, a Muslim group considered by the UN to be one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.  The Rohingya are considered a homeless group who have suffered severe human rights violations since the inception of the Burmese junta in 1978.  Since then nearly one million have fled to neighboring Bangladesh where they still face outright violence, forced labour, and summary executions.

Fighting began between the two groups in June this year after the stateless Muslims were blamed for the rape and murder of a Buddhist woman.  Since then violence has spread among the region, destroying over 5,000 homes, killing hundreds, and laying waste to several communities.  From Sunday to Thursday alone over 2,000 homes were burned to the ground.   One freelance journalist told Al-Jazeera that much of the violence has bled into regions affecting Burmese Muslims not even associated with the Rohingya people, but may instead resemble them in skin tone and languages spoken.

Amidst all of the discrimination and violence, organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch are taking note of the Burmese government's response and handling of the matter.  In a country experiencing a slow and arduous transition to democracy, this kind of publicity will have a severe impact on Burma's national image.  Tarnished already by the junta's years of martial law and oppression, Burma is trying to project the resemblance of a transformational state, but in order to do so they have to posit themselves as a legitimate protecter of human rights, even in the case of their displaced ethnic minorities.  An estimated 800,000 Rohingya people live within Burma and yet they are not recognized as one of the countries 135 ethnic groups. They are therefore denied citizenship despite their long standing history as residents.  The Rohingya people will forever live in a no-man's land of alienation and discrimination unless the Buddhist-majority of Burma can accept them into their society.  If not, aggressive sanctions by international organizations that have historically shown to be feeble and insufficient will need to be set to prevent further violence and displacement.

Blog No. 7 (Ryan Smith) - Another Critic is Silenced in Cambodia

Last Monday Cambodian radio journalist Mam Sonando was arrested and sentenced to 20 years in prison for his alleged involvement in an east village's secessionist plot. Sonando was the 71-year-old senior voice and founder of one of Cambodia's few remaining independent media outlets, Beehive Radio, and was outspoken about the activities of logging companies' continuous illegal evictions and land grabbing in the Kratie eastern province. Foreign diplomats, independent groups, and human rights organizations are unanimously declaring the supposed secessionist plot a scapegoat for quieting dissent in the region. Shortly before Sonando's arrest, Cambodian premier unjustly linked the journalists criticisms over logging with an uprising in the Kratie province that had yet to occur. Those in attendance during trial and sentencing claim that no evidence was presented to suggest an insurrection, but that didn't stop the government from calling in hundreds of police officers to the nearby village of Broma, killing a 14-year-old girl during the raid.

The Cambodian government has publicly stated its intent to uphold more transparency and weed out corruption, but the recent arrests and harsh sentencing of land activists and human rights organizers have raised a lot of eyebrows. These logging companies are given unfair legal authority over the villagers who have a long ancestral history of residence in the area.  The government approved 37,000 acres of forest land to be cleared for logging companies use, and have bulldozed over all opposition thus far using any means necessary. Last month, environmental journalist Serei Oudom was found murdered in his own car after receiving numerous threats by government officials. Oudom had also been working to expose the illegal logging activity by the agricultural company Casotim. In another incident, reporter Chut Wutty was also confronted by numerous soldiers and security officials while taking pictures and conducting interviews in a nearby village. He was verbally badgered and prohibited from getting in his car until he was then shot and left for dead. You can read the entire witness transcription here. http://kimedia.wordpress.com/2012/04/28/ki-media2-ki-media-just-kill-them-both-eyewitness-account-of-the-murder-of-chut-wutty/

Key human rights officials like the Director-General of UNESCO have publicly condemned the killing of Oudom and others, but responsibility is ultimately left in the hands of Cambodian authorities to bring about justice. Sonando's arrest and grossly unjust sentencing have garnished a lot of international attention, and the fabricated narrative of the Broma secession plot is looking less and less viable as a coverup. Up until recent years these sorts of arrests and killings of dissenters in Southeast Asia would have gone largely unnoticed, but thanks to the work of international organizations like Amnesty International, the access to advancements in social networking, and the increased transparency in the area there is an outcry by the international community. The US State Department issued their public condemnation via twitter, and the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO) has called for a serious investigation into matters during their press release. This is a very serious issue, as the freedom to voice opposition is the cornerstone to any free press in a society. Hopefully the journalists detained will be released and organizations both within and out of Cambodia will clamp down on the investigation and demand justice and reform before another Sonando is wrongfully arrested or killed.

http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/02/another-critic-is-silenced-in-cambodia/

Blog No.6 (Ryan Smith) - In New Era, Egyptian Police Mimic the Old, Critics Say

They say old habits die hard, and when it comes to Egypt's history of police brutality, this admittedly cliche aphorism is used for a reason.  Merely two years after revolution poster boy Khaled Said was brutally and publicly beaten to death by Egyptian security forces outside an Alexandria internet cafe, two more were killed in a police raid of another cafe this past month.  The cafe owner was severely beaten for unknown reasons, and when witness and local resident Atef al-Mansi when to the nearby police station to complain he too was detained and beaten, only to die from resulting injuries shortly thereafter. As news spread of the raid and ensuing beatings, many townspeople took to the streets to protest, only to have security forces fire upon the crowd, killing one more.  It should also be said that Khaled Said was killed two years ago for allegedly uncovering and possessing evidence of police corruption.

Human rights organizations like Amnesty International have been keeping a watchful eye on the changes taking place within Egypt during this tumultuous transition after the toppling of the former President and late Hosni Mubarak's oppressive regime.  They have noted minimal changes taking place within the country's security structure, one of the chief complaints of Egyptian protesters for years.  One of the newly elected President Mohammed Morsi's first order of business was to appoint a career police officer as the head of the Interior, a department in charge of investigating corruption and reports of abuse within the government.  Security clean ups were expected to be at the top of the reform priority list, but little has been done thus far, leading many to believe that the handling of internal security reforms were rushed to quell any further rebellion. Human rights violations have continued since the Muslim Brotherhood took power, but the deeply intrenched habits of oppression and abuse may take longer to weed out than Egyptians are prepared to have to bear.  No one expected a quick and easy transfer to democracy, but Morsi's questionable lack of resolve so far may indicate that the fighting is not yet over for the Egyptian people.


http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/03/world/middleeast/in-new-era-egyptian-police-mimic-the-old-critics-say.html

Blog No.4 (Ryan Smith) - Welcome to Free Syria: Meeting the Rebel Government of an Embattled Country

I'd rather begin with an analysis of this article than merely summarize it, because of how well this journalist tackles the daunting task of condensing the complexities and numerous players in the Syrian civil war into a single feature length article. As fighting grows more intense, neither Bashar's brazened army nor the revolutionists seem to be budging anytime soon, making this one of the bloodiest stalemates in modern history.  As outsiders looking in, Americans are inundated with daily TV news updates on casualty counts and the escalating sophistication of weaponry used, making an article published over a month ago seem obsolete and irrelevant. But rarely does a news source provide such a deep understanding of the ontological story of what each side is fighting for, their strategies to achieving it, and the things that are being seen and felt by all involved.  The story focuses on Taftanaz, a small northwestern town about 80 miles inland from the Mediterranean, which saw an especially brutal attack by Assad's regime in April this year. Harper's Magazine contributor Anand Gopal goes to great lengths to get the personal perspectives of rebels, community organizers, military deserters, and citizen bystanders, and to give their voices a humanness that reaches beyond merely their roles in the conflict. Its easy to capture the urgency and direness of day to day fighting against such a formidable army, but equal in scope is the urgency to formulate ideas for current and future governance.  As one rebel commander, known to hand out French Revolution literature to his fellow freedom fighters put it, "this is not an intellectual's revolution..this is a popular revolution. We need to give people ideas, theory." Adding to local frustrations are the regular housekeeping tasks that are having to be done, from garbage removal to message couriering as government infrastructure and mobile phone services have been shut down indefinitely.  These are the kinds of frustrations that go unseen to those uninvolved.  Everybody watching the news sees the guy planting IED's in the road to blow up encroaching tanks.  What you don't get to see are town councils meeting as mini-parliaments (or tansiqiyyat as rebels call them) to delegate responsibilities and discuss strategy, or military defectors in Turkey trying to raise funds and ammunition for the rebels back at home.  These are people finally given the opportunity to govern themselves, and they are doing it miraculously well considering the odds they are facing.  Bashar's regime is ruthless and dead set on maintaining control at all costs.  After citizens were indiscriminately rounded up and executed in Taftanaz, homes were set ablaze and silver graffiti reading "NOBODY CONTROLS SYRIA EXCEPT BASHAR" and "ASSAD OR THE COUNTRY BURNS" was painted onto the few buildings left standing.  Yet the revolutionists continue, armed with the ferocity that can only come from the brink of desperation.

Woven into the ongoing narrative of the Battle of Taftanaz is a brief history of the regime's rise to power, from Hafez al-Assad's consolidation of power in 1970 to his death and replacement by Bashar, his son, in 2000.  The economic sanctions placed on their citizens and the absolute fealty they aggressively enforced do a great deal to explain how frustrations could have escalated to such a calamity that a couple cans of spray paint could spark a civil war.  Inspired by the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, two young Syrian teens were arrested in March of 2011 for painting antigovernment graffiti in Daraa.  That night, hundreds of protesters showed up in the streets, and demonstrations from that moment forward started popping up all over the country. Fighting began after Assad deployed his army to quell the uprising and ordered them to open fire on civilians.  Mughabarat and shabeck (secret police and mercenaries, respectively) were also sent to disrupt protests from within.  Since then, many soldiers in the Syrian Army, incapable of firing upon innocent civilians, have deserted and found solace in hiding or by joining the rebel effort.  These military defectors have formed the Free Syrian Army, and many operate outside of the Syrian border.  They coordinate with the Syrian National Council based in Turkey, which communicates through foreign press to negotiate aid for rebels within Syria.  Many civilians on the ground accuse the FSA of cowardice and feel the situation inside is being misrepresented to outsiders by these ex-soldiers no longer even connected to the rebellion.  Foreign nations like the US prefer dealing with known institutions outside of the country rather than the grassroots forces within who rely on their anonymity for survival.

Ethnic oppositions are always an underlying factor in Middle East relations.  As oppressive regime after the next toppled like falling dominoes this past spring, the impression was given that these were two-dimensional popular uprisings- people versus the state, military regimes versus rebels.  However the situation is always more complex than what is represented in the media (out of either sheer ignorance or journalistic laziness).  Conflict exists even within the Syrian revolutionary community.  Tensions between two major branches of Islam, Sunni and Shi'a, are pervasive across the Middle East and anywhere Muslims flourish, and Syria is no exception.  Many Syrian Sunni's view Shia and the Alawi (a mystical religious group in Syria who follow the Twelver school of Shia Islam) as inextricable, and therefore some Sunni towns in Syria have escaped the onslaught of Bashar's Army by threatening the slaughter of nearby Shia towns, regardless of their involvement in the overall conflict.  Although this has been an effective ploy that has certainly avoided further casualties, it does a lot to further complicate the revolution and any hopes of future unification.


http://www.harpers.org/archive/2012/08/0084010

Blog No.5 (Ryan Smith)- North Korea Rejects Humanitarian Aid from Seoul

After another failed attempt by Seoul officials to ease tensions between the two formerly unified Koreas, humanitarian aid to starving North Koreans was once again rejected this past month.  The offer was made by South Korea on Sept. 3 in hopes of sparking a healthy discourse between the two countries, but was declined on the basis of insufficient and "deeply insulting" quantities.   Regular aid to the North was suspended last year until Supreme Leader Kim Jung Un agreed to dismantle his nation's nuclear weapons program.  After suffering heavy losses in farmland after floods in an already defunct agricultural country, The North has repeatedly requested hundreds of thousands of tons in construction equipment rather than food aid for their people.  The South has denied these requests in fear that such materials will be used to bolster military projects.

In a report issued by NGO Human Rights Watch this past June, forced underpaid or unpaid labor and insufficient food rations were described in rampant detail from some of the few successful defectors the country has seen lately.  The punishment for defection ranges from beatings, extensive stints in harsh labor camps, and even execution.  The countries constitution contains articles protecting its citizens from child labor and other forms of exploitation, but the current regime has long ignored these laws in place. Defectors interviewed share common stories of beatings for missed work, even in the case of illness or severe malnutrition, forced work camps after immediately completing school, and even current students as young as 11 being forced to perform intense tasks like road building and tree clearing during normal school hours.  The compensation for these tasks are typically meager and inconsistent wages, food rations, or nothing at all.  Seeing as many North Koreans rely on government issued food rations that are regularly in short supply, the recent denial of South Korean aid is an especially hard, yet very familiar hit to their well-being.

It is becoming increasingly apparent that no internal force will effectively dismantle the current regime.  The controlling grip on the media inside North Korea makes it difficult for any rebellion to mirror the Arab spring narrative, and it will have to be a corroborated effort between North Korean citizens and South Korea to overthrow the existing regime.  North Koreans lack the resources and health to do it themselves, and any US involvement would further necessitate Chinese intervention at the behest of North Korea.  Any external intervention on behalf of North Koreans would push the 38th parallel even closer to the brink of all-out war, but after 6 months in office, Kim Jung-Un has proved his Swiss-education has done nothing to distinguish himself from his predecessors, and the perpetual human rights violations will continue unless something is done beyond the border.

http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/25/women-facing-harsh-new-pressures-in-north-korea/
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/13/world/asia/north-korea-rejects-offer-of-aid-from-south-korea.html
https://www.hrw.org/news/2012/06/13/north-korea-economic-system-built-forced-labor