By Alishba I. Kassim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

JAKARTA, Indonesia – A mine collapsed on Tuesday, triggered by a methane explosion, killed at least 28 people and injured several others on the island of Sumatra. However, the numbers continue to rise, and it is believed that 14 people are still trapped.

Seventeen others sustained serious burns in the explosion, and many of them are hospitalized. Rescuers from nearby cities of Sawahlunto and Solok have been dispatched and are trying to rescue those trapped.

A member of the Padang search and rescue team said, “We received reports of the collapsed mine around midday Tuesday. Thirty people are feared still in the mine when it collapsed, while the other nine have been pulled out.”

The current mine collapse is reminiscent of numerous others in Asia in the recent past. Several Asian countries continue to conduct dangerous mining with limited regard to safety. Last year China lost over 77 people in at least three mining accidents that occurred in July and September respectively. In a separate mine blast in 2007 China saw a death toll as high as 105 according to Chinese news sources.

Developing countries with extensive mining operations remain at a risk for fatal accidents. Perhaps the international community should strive for more stringent safety and precautionary requirements in order to curb the danger miners face when conducting such operations.

For more information, please see:

CNN – Indonesian Mine Explosion – June 16, 2009

United Press International – Indonesian Mine Tragedy – June 17, 2009

CNN – Mine Collapse in China – July 6, 2008

CNN – Deaths Rise in Indonesian Mine Collapse – July 17, 2009

By Alishba I. Kassim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

NORTH KOREA – North Korea’s highest court recently sentenced two journalists to 12 years of hard labor for reporting on the plight of North Korean refugees in China.

The current North Korean regime has allowed more than one million people to die of starvation and has killed almost 400,000 people in its prison camps. The ones that escape live uncertain lives in China, under the threat of forced repatriation. Bang Mi Sun, a North Korean refugee, recently said. “Women are being sold like livestock in China and… North Korean labor camps are hell on earth.”

China is the most significant asylum country for North Korean refugees. Although a small number of refugees do escape to other countries, most escape to China but the leading country for resettlement remains South Korea. The international community has been slow to take on an active role in the resettlement of North Korean refugees, and have not been providing adequate effort to address this humanitarian need. The governments of China and South Korea have been reluctant to rescue North Korean refugees. So far, the U.S. has not adequately addressed the status of the refugees either.

Today U.S. President Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak intend to meet to discuss a host of security and economic issues, including North Korea’s recent nuclear weapon test. Let’s hope they also find the time to address the plight of the North Korean refugees.

They should not be forced to choose between starvation or slavery.

For more information, please see:

The Wall Street Journal – How to Help North Korea’s Refugees – June 15, 2009

The Wall Street Journal – Inside North Korea’s Gulag – June 15, 2009

Radio Australia – China Ambiguous on North Korea – June 15, 2009