US reporter jailed in NKorea calls sister

WASHINGTON (AFP) – One of the two US reporters jailed in North Korea made a telephone call to her US-based sister, Lisa Ling said in an interview broadcast on Thursday.

"It was a tremendous relief to hear Laura's voice last night," Lisa Ling told CNN affiliate KOVR in California.

"It was only the first time I have heard her voice in weeks," she said, adding the call was made late Tuesday.

Border guards detained American TV reporters Laura Ling and Euna Lee on March 17 along the frontier with China while they were researching a story about refugees fleeing North Korea.

A court on June 8 sentenced Ling, 32, and Lee, 36, to 12 years of "reform through labor" for an illegal border crossing and an unspecified "grave crime."

Sorry, I can’t fault the North Koreans here.

It was an illegal entry into their country. They have the right to defend their borders (even if they are nuts).

In case anyone has forgotten the US has that right too. However we have chosen not to keep our boders secure.

These two were working for Al Gore ( Current TV) when they were caught tress passing in North Korea. If Gore is such a friend of the working man, it would only be right if he were to take their place. Lock him up for twelve or thirteen years at hard labor. That way he can research the effect of Global Warming in the winter months in North Korea firsthand. Better bring a jacket Al!

This definitely means that they have not gone through with standard DPRK rule of law (??) which mandates that 10 days after final sentence is passed, the prisoner is to be mandated to the place of sentence, in her case, a work prison camp.

What this means is they continue to use her as a pawn and are no doubt double dealing behind the scenes with State Department (probably Al Gores office on the side, dont count out the Carters, the Richardsons, the Jesse Jacksons of the world), and the DPRK UN mission in New York City and/or through China or maybe Sweden or Switzerland. Maybe there will be a DPRK $$$$$ payoff, who knows.

If she and the other girl had been sent to Yodok Camp or elsewhere like that last week:

a) they would not be making international calls

b) they would not even be alive, I would imagine they would commit suicide; or even if allowed a call out, they would be incoherent from shock of what they are seeing in the North Korean camps.

Our only conclusion is that they are more or less safe and well fed in a Guest House or a Foreigner's Hotel in Pyongyang under 24/7 watch, while the terms are being negotiation (cash amounts, etc.).

Good for the girls and their sister back in the states, but their misbehavior on the Chinese border is an IMMENSE transgression against American foreign policy and our program of trying to reign in North Korea and give them no sticks or chips at the card table. These two San Francisco libs represent very potent poker chips.

This could be the most potent, funny yet serious, tongue in cheek campaign as to have a letter writing campaign to insist Al Gore be a real man and humanitarian, and offer to exchange himself in North Korea for those two female employees of his.Get the girls' families to get in on it (they will want their daughters and wives back more than they care about what would happen to Fat Al up in a labor camp)....

I would love to get such a statement into the NY Times or Wash Post or LA Times......

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