Japan bars N. Korean ship from leaving
( 2003-08-26 10:50) (Agencies)
A North Korean ferry was stuck in a Japanese port Tuesday after it failed safety inspections imposed as part of a global crackdown on alleged smuggling of drugs and weapons by North Korea.
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| North Korean ferry Mangyongbong-92 arrives in Niigata port in Niigata, northern Japan, Monday morning, Aug 25, 2003 as reporters and cameramen cover its arrival. Flanked by Japanese coast guard cutters the North Korean ferry suspected of smuggling weapons parts and illicit funds for Pyongyang glided into the port Monday after a seven-month hiatus and was met by hundreds of police and angry protesters swarming the waterfront area. [AP] |
Japanese officials gathered more than 100 inspectors from three different ministries to comb the passenger ferry bow to stern.
The Mangyongbong-92 was cited for five violations. Authorities said the ship, scheduled to return to North Korea from this northern Japanese port on Tuesday morning, could not sail until the problems are fixed.
"I can't say for sure, but I think it is probably going to be late," the regional transportation authority chief, Ryoichi Sonoda, told reporters while outlining the violations.
The inspectors found the ship was missing several safety features: a fire damper in a kitchen exhaust duct; emergency exits signs meeting height and lighting specifics; a wireless phone for communicating with airplanes in emergencies; and a fire extinguisher that uses sea water. A divider for oil and bilge water was also deemed faulty.
The tough inspections tested relations between the two nations as they prepare for multilateral talks this week in Beijing on North Korea's alleged effort to develop nuclear weapons. The United States, Russia, South Korea and China will also participate in the summit.
The inspections also come as Japan, Australia and other nations accuse North Korean ships of smuggling weapons and drugs to support its feeble economy and raise cash for its weapons programs.
"It sends a message to North Korea and the world that Japan sees North Korea as a security threat and a country that needs to be dealt with through special measures," said Brad Glosserman, director of the Pacific Forum in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Another message is expected next month, when Japan, the United States and Australia practice maritime interdictions in joint exercises.
A spokesman for the General Association for Korean Residents in Japan, a pro-Pyongyang group, said ferry operators would try to fix the problems and depart as scheduled.
"Japanese authorities appear intent on suspending the ship's scheduled departure in one way or another," the spokesman said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "This is nothing but harassment."
About 1,500 police, some brandishing riot shields, helmets and batons, awaited the ship when it pulled into harbor earlier in the day.
They stood guard as right-wing extremists and other protesters blasted the incoming ship with chants of "Go Home!" as pro-Pyongyang Japanese residents waved North Korean flags.
Earlier this year, two alleged North Korean defectors testified to the U.S. Congress that the ferry carried up to 80 percent of the parts used in Pyongyang's missile program.
North Korea denies the allegations and calls the ship a lifeline of humanitarian contact between North Koreans living in Japan and relatives back home. About 200 people, mostly elderly people or students, had planned to board early Tuesday.
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