[USFK Forums] Kin of Japanese kidnaped by N. Korea hold rally~~[CNA]

[C. Y. Lee]

Uploaded by C. Y. Lee on Saturday, December 24, 2005

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[PHOTO] Sakie Yokota, mother of Megumi Yokota, who was abducted to North Korean in 1977, holds a picture of her daughter

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 23 December 2005 2341 hrs

Kin of Japanese kidnapped by North Korea hold rally to demand return of abductees

By Michiyo Ishida, Channel NewsAsia's Japan bureau chief

Japan and North Korea are expected to resume official talks in the Chinese capital Beijing on Saturday.

For Tokyo, the return of Japanese kidnapped by North Korean agents to train spies tops the agenda.

Abductees' families held a large rally ahead of the talks.

The families want the Tokyo government to impose economic sanctions on Pyongyang if no progress is made in bilateral talks.

Among those at the public rally was former abductee, Hitomi Soga.

She was sent home to Japan after North Korea's leader Kim Jong Il admitted to the kidnappings during a historic meeting with Japanese Premier Junichiro Koizumi.
But she says her mother, who was captured along with her in 1978, is still missing.

Hitomi Soga said: "When I hear the word "mother" or "mum" on television, I am overwhelmed by sadness."

While five Japanese abductees have returned home, many more are believed to be still in North Korea.

Pyongyang claims one of them, Ms Megumi Yokota - who disappeared in 1977 - has since committed suicide.

But her mother disputes this.

She recently sent a message to her daughter via a new shortwave radio programme that can be heard in North Korea.

"Little Megumi Yokota, I stated clearly. This is your mother! How are you? I will definitely rescue you," said the message by Sakie Yokota, mother of abductee Megumi Yokota.

Politicians were also present at Friday's rally, among them the Farm Minister Shoichi Nakagawa who threatened to block food aid to North Korea.

Shoichi Nakagawa said: "If the abduction issue isn't resolved, I will not send even a grain of rice to North Korea, if such a measure can be effective in prompting action."

The rally also saw participants of other nationalities.

One Lebanese woman said her daughter took up an offer to work in Japan in 1978 but was taken to North Korea instead.

One man from Thailand said he went to Tokyo because he believes his missing sister Anocha was kidnapped in Macau by North Korean agents.

He spotted her photograph in a book by US army deserter Charles Jenkins who lived in North Korea for four decades.

It's believed there are more who have been kidnapped from other parts of the world, including Romania, Italy and Singapore.

The families of Japanese abductees hope to join forces with a number of countries to effectively pressure North Korea to return their beloved. - CNA/ir