Three N Koreans leave, fate of other ‘refugees’ still uncertain

‘‘We requested the apology and humanitarian treatment and the assurance of a non-recurrence but the Chinese side said they had no reason to apologise. And they rejected all the requests especially in the case of the hand over,’’ a senior Japanese diplomat said.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry official said on Tuesday the case of two N. Koreans who entered the Canadian embassy on Saturday had been resolved. A Canadian spokesperson could not confirm the breakthrough.

The asylum bids have created a diplomatic dilemma for China, forcing it to balance an obligation to poverty-stricken communist ally North Korea to send escapees back with pressure from elsewhere in the world to respect human rights.

China does not consider the asylum seekers to be refugees and refuses them to fly directly to Seoul.

Japan says Chinese guards at its consulate violated conventions by seizing the five after they had crossed the threshold.