The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolution of 15 June 2006,

– having regard to 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol

–  having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas thousands of North Koreans have left their homeland abroad in recent years for political and economic reasons, seeking asylum in Vietnam, Cambodia and other Southeast Asian countries,

B.  having regard to the latest case of the 175 North Korean refugees (128 women, 37 men and 10 children) who entered Thailand in separate groups through the Northern province of Chiang Rai, being detained at the immigration office in Bangkok on 22 August 2006, whereas 136 of them were sentenced to 30 days in jail because for illegal entry into the country and whereas 16 of them already had documentation from the UNHCR allowing them to be transferred to a third country soon,

C.  whereas governments are bound by their obligations as parties to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol granting the UNHCR access to North Koreans or other nationals seeking asylum in another country,

D.  whereas North Korean refugees have been granted a special status by the UNHCR, which exempts them from being deported back to North Korea and makes them eligible to seek asylum, due to the exceptional conditions in North Korea,

E.  whereas according to the criminal code of North Korea refugees repatriated to North Korea and their relatives face persecution and harsh punishment,

1.  Calls on the authorities of Thailand to help protect refugees and to respect the most basic principle of refugee protection, that of 'non-refoulement', which is binding on all States as a matter of customary international law and prohibits the forcible return of any person to a country or territory where s/he would be at risk of serious human rights violations;

2.  Calls on the Thai government and the UNHCR to find a humane solution for all 175 refugees and help them to resettle in a third country;

3.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the UNHCR, the governments of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Thailand.