Page 6 - aruba-today-20221116

A6 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 16 november 2022
South Koreans abroad want probe into their past adoptions

By HYUNG-JIN KIM children from unwed moth-
Associated Press ers.” He also blamed Holt
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — for participating in “ethnic
A group of South Korean cleansing” to deport mixed
adoptees in Europe rallied children and of being re-
in Seoul with their local sup- sponsible for alleged sexual
porters on Tuesday, urging abuse of South Korean chil-
South Korean authorities to dren in its facilities.
investigate their adoptions Holt Children’s Services in
decades ago that they Seoul didn’t immediately
say were based on falsified respond to a request for
documents and involved comments on Møller’s ac-
rights abuses. cusations.
About 200,000 South Kore- Tuesday’s rally was peace-
ans were adopted over- ful and drew about 10 peo-
seas in the past decades, ple including those adopt-
mostly in the 1970-80s and ed abroad or domestically
mainly to white parents in and activists. They held a
the United States and Eu- large placard, chanted
rope. Critics say past au- slogans calling for gov-
thoritarian leaders in South ernment investigations of
Korea saw adoptions as a Peter Møller, fourth from left, attorney and co-founder of the Danish Korean Rights Group, attends adoptions and took turns to
way to reduce the number a press conference with a group of South Korean adoptees in front of the Truth and Reconciliation speak in front of the com-
of mouths to feed, solve Commission in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022. mission building.
the “problem” of unwed Associated Press “The reason why we want
mothers and deepen ties applications by South Kore- the government should biological origins, such as to find the truth of past in-
with the democratic West. an adoptees abroad call- also be held accountable wrong birth names, dates or cidents isn’t meant to pun-
“Our main goal is that all ing for investigations of their for failing to monitor agen- locations, or details about ish someone but is meant
adoptees should have ac- adoptions to South Korea’s cies and confirm whether birth parents. Møller said his to resolve the resentment
cess to their own true infor- Truth and Reconciliation the uptick in adoptions group also submitted to the (of adoptees) and prevent
mation background infor- Commission. His colleagues was fueled by increas- commission new evidence the recurrence of similar in-
mation,” said Peter Møller, said that 24 of the appli- ingly larger payments and showing the successive cidents,” activist Min Young
attorney and co-head of cations were filed Tuesday donations from adoptive South Korean governments Chang read from a joint
the Danish Korean Rights and came from Denmark, parents, which apparently played a role in adoptions statement by South Korean
Group who was adopted Norway, the Netherlands, motivated agencies to cre- and “atrocities” committed civic groups. “When we
to Denmark in 1974. “We the United States and other ate their own supply. The by the then main adoption resolve their resentment,
are now fighting for the countries. complaints by adoptees agency, Holt. He accused adoptees in foreign coun-
rights to know our own true Some adoptees and their who filed the application previous governments of tries can recover their iden-
story.” supporters demand the include inaccurate or falsi- initiating adoptions to “de- tities and reconcile with
Møller said his group has so Truth and Reconciliation fied information in adop- port mixed children, handi- adoption agencies and
far relayed more than 300 Commission establish that tion papers that distort their capped (children) and the Republic of Korea.” q

Albania: Wrong for Britain to blame

Tirana on migrants

By LLAZAR SEMINI an agreement Monday on small boats,” he said.
Associated Press that will see more police U.K. interior minister Suella
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Al- patrol beaches in northern Braverman has described
bania’s prime minister said France in an attempt to the cross arrivals as an “in-
Tuesday that Britain is car- stop migrants from trying to vasion on our southern
rying out a “calculated cross in small boats. coast” words that drew
attack” on his country by British authorites accuse Al- criticism at home and
blaming it for the increased banian criminal gangs of abroad. Rama blasted her
number of migrants cross- “abusing” Britain’s asylum words as a “crazy narra-
ing the English Channel. system and modern slavery tive” and attempt to cover This photo provided by Albanian Prime Minister’s Office
Edi Rama said that the new laws. up for the U.K.’s failed bor- shows Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama speaking at a news
U.K. Cabinet was scape- Ged McCann, intelligence ders policies. conference denouncing Britain’s “calculated attack” on his
goating Albanians be- manager at the National “The fact there came no country referring to the increased number of Albanian migrants
cause it “has gone down Crime Agency, said orga- apology shows it was a cal- entering the island, in Tirana, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022.
a blind alley with its new nized crime groups from culated attack,” he added Associated Press
policy resulting from Brexit.” Albania were “effectively Tuesday. with its new policy that has migrant crisis as a “seri-
Britain has seen more than bringing in the labor force” Rama said that visa liber- resulted from Brexit,” he ous and escalating prob-
40,000 migrants crossing for illegal marijuana-grow- alization would help lower said at a news conference. lem.” He acknowledged
the Channel in small boats ing operations in boats the number of people ar- Last week, U.K. Prime Minis- that “not enough” asy-
this year, a record high. Al- across the English Channel. riving illegally, but the U.K. ter Rishi Sunak’s office said lum claims are being pro-
most a third are Albanians, “Many individuals that government’s policy is it was “extremely grateful” cessed, but maintained his
according to the U.K. gov- are arrested in cannabis “completely the reverse.” for Albania’s cooperation Conservative government
ernment. (farms) arrived in the coun- “The British government has on managing migration. was getting a grip on the
The U.K. and France signed try a matter of days before launched a blind alley road Sunak has described the situation.q