Chinese Fishermen Kidnapped for Ransom by North Koreans - Polidicks

[quote] [img]http://img.chinasmack.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/one-of-the-chinese-fishing-boats-seized-by-north-koreans.jpg[/img] Media claims unknown North Korean men have sized Chinese sailors Media has reported that three Chinese fishing boats were seized while catching fish in Chinese territorial waters, with a total of 29 Chinese sailors being kidnapped. The other party demanded the Chinese boat owner to transfer a total of 1.2 million yuan RMB before they would release the boats. May 16th, a Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson said the Chinese government has already noted the relevant reports and the Chinese government is currently verifying the situation as well as maintaining close communications with the North Korean government.[/quote] [quote]May 8th, while fishing in Chinese territorial waters, three Chinese fishing boats were seized by unknown North Korean men, with a total of 29 Chinese sailors being detained. On the 15th, the owner of the boats said the other party is demanding a 900,000 yuan RMB ransom to release the boats. On the 16th, the boats’ owner, a Mr. Zhang, indicated that the kidnapper told him through the telephone, “If the ransom is not received by the 17th, the hostages will be killed.”[/quote] [url]http://www.chinasmack.com/2012/stories/chinese-fishermen-kidnapped-for-ransom-by-north-koreans.html[/url]

Doesn't China normally support North Korea?

I wonder what the grorious reader thinks about this.

Is this mainland Chinese or Taiwanese?

North Korea can't get money normally so now they're going to become pirates.

I can't see the picture. But either way, I hope the fishermen are released safely, and if it turns out this has any relation to the North Korean government... Well lets hope the water doesn't boil over.

I wonder if it's a good idea to mess around with china.

[QUOTE=Sir_takeslot;35989627]Doesn't China normally support North Korea?[/QUOTE] They did but that was back in the 50's when they were under Mao, the recent government has never really supported them.

[quote]Unidentified North Koreans have detained 29 Chinese fishermen from three boats and are demanding payment for their release, Chinese media says. They were seized on 8 May in the Yellow Sea between China and North Korea by a gunboat, said the Beijing News. The captors have asked for payment by Thursday for the release of the men and boats, the newspaper reported. China's foreign ministry said it was in touch with North Korean authorities and hoped to resolve the situation soon. "We urged the North Korean side to guarantee the legal rights of the Chinese fishermen," the ministry's spokesman Hong Lei said. He refused to confirm if the payment being demanded was a ransom, said an Associated Press report. It is not clear if the boats were seized by North Korean authorities or kidnappers as some reports have suggested. Pyongyang has not commented on the incident. The owners of the boats have been reported as saying that the men were fishing in Chinese waters when the incident took place. One of the owners, Zhang Dechang, told the Beijing News that the captors initially demanded payment of 1.2 million yuan (£119,300, $189,800) for the return of the men and boats, now reportedly in North Korea. The captors then reportedly reduced their demand to 900,000 yuan. Mr Zhang said that the captors included both North Koreans and Chinese, according to a Global Times report. ''They had guns; no one resisted. The captured fishermen have been locked in a small house, with no food to eat,'' he was quoted as saying in the report. China is North Korea's closest ally. But the waters of the Yellow Sea, home to rich marine life, have seen clashes in the past between vessels from China and the two Koreas. [/quote] Update from [url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-18099658]BBC[/url]

I wonder if they thought they were South Koreans at first.

China invades North Korea?

here we go.

[QUOTE=Dysgalt;35991882]China invades North Korea?[/QUOTE] If the prisoners are executed, and it turns out the hostage takers were North Korean authorities... Lets be short, and simple, and say that China isn't going to be very happy. Not to mention China is already in a mess with Vietnam and the Philippines. Also I would like to add: What I find interesting is that the hostage takers were armed. Granted I could imagine some lucrative blackmarket shit in North Korea, but the fact they have guns is a testament this may actually be NK Authorities.

[QUOTE=JoeSkylynx;35991930]If the prisoners are executed, and it turns out the hostage takers were North Korean authorities... Lets be short, and simple, and say that China isn't going to be very happy. Not to mention China is already in a mess with Vietnam and the Philippines. Also I would like to add: What I find interesting is that the hostage takers were armed. Granted I could imagine some lucrative blackmarket shit in North Korea, but the fact they have guns is a testament this may actually be NK Authorities.[/QUOTE] I wouldn't call the thing with the Philippines a "mess". More like a petty argument. But, I can see China in the long term forgiving NK for anything that happens for to its citizens for the sake of unity between the two. Being an ally to someone means you have to deal with their dumb shit half the time, even if it's with you.