Mongolia provides humanitarian aid to N. Korean refugees: lawmaker

SEOUL, Oct. 25 (Yonhap) -- Mongolia is providing humanitarian assistance to North
Korean refugees that cross into its borders, a lawmaker from the Asian country
said Saturday.
Former health minister and parliamentarian Lamjav Gundalai told a news outlet in
Seoul that on average, 700 North Koreans who have fled the communist country
arrive in Mongolia every year.
Without offering specific details, he said that these people are allowed by
authorities to leave for a third country upon arriving in Mongolia.
Most North Korean refugees escape their isolated homeland by entering illegally
into China, a crime punishable by imprisonment should they be repatriated. Others
find their way to Mongolia, while the majority arrive in South Korea via
Southeast Asian countries.
The lawmaker, who is in the South Korean capital to take part in the
International Parliamentarians' Coalition for North Korean Refugees and Human
Rights (IPCNKR), also said that at present the number of refugees is not large so
there is no need to establish a separate holding and processing facility, as
suggested by South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.
Gundalai did say, however, that if the number of refugees increases, there may be
a need to establish a permanent refugee camp.