| Submit your comments on this article | |
| China-Japan-Koreas | |
| N. Korean people ordered to donate food to military | |
| 2011-01-22 | |
It is the third time in history that the regime in Pyongyang is known to have requisitioned foodstuffs from the people to feed its military, the broadcaster said, noting the previous two occurred in the mid-to-late 1990s, when millions starved to death, and in July 2002, when an emergency economic management measure was enforced. "On Jan. 10, the Workers' Party has sent out a written order to plants, companies and labor groups, urging them to donate foodstuffs to the military from Jan. 12," the RFA said, citing the sources. "In the order, the party stressed that soldiers standing guard over the border are surviving on canned cornmeal porridge and threatened to assess the amount of donations by individual entity," the RFA said, adding the North failed to attain its goal of securing 1.6 million tons in provisions for the military last year. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #18 The same thing happens with Chinese "investment" in Venezuela. They buy the rights to the _oilfield_ they're drilling, they bring in their equipment and personnel in from China, and they don't spend much money on the local economy. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2011-01-22 20:48 |
| #17 "Several" as in 30 or 40, plus a hydroelectric plant and irrigation systems in some stage of construction. He says China is buying up Africa like mad, then brings in Chinese workers for the labor. It doesn't help anyone who lives there - and isn't meant to. Likewise China's policy regarding Korea. |
| Posted by: RandomJD 2011-01-22 20:26 |
| #16 E.g.: an Ethiopian friend of mine runs an agricultural development project which owns several thousand acres of land in Africa. Chinese offered $100 million cash for it. They said no, because the locals would not benefit. $20K an acre? Stateside, farmland is less than $10K an acre. Here are some Iowa numbers. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2011-01-22 20:11 |
| #15 Good point, Pappy - but you don't starve the pit bull until it's so weak it can barely fight. China is on a spending spree, quietly buying up all the allies, resources, and influence it can find. E.g.: an Ethiopian friend of mine runs an agricultural development project which owns several thousand acres of land in Africa. Chinese offered $100 million cash for it. They said no, because the locals would not benefit. But how many people would be principled enough to turn down an offer like that? Point is, China is finding that, in a cash-poor world, they can buy damn near anything they want. Including, I suspect, the outcome in Korea. |
| Posted by: RandomJD 2011-01-22 19:15 |
| #14 Almost like they want this charade to end. Maybe they're saving aid for reunification, to pull (bribe) a united Korea out of the US sphere of influence and into theirs? More likely it's a Chinese version of "pit bull training". |
| Posted by: Pappy 2011-01-22 17:45 |
| #13 Interesting that the PRC is not a supplier. Indeed. Almost like they want this charade to end. Maybe they're saving aid for reunification, to pull (bribe) a united Korea out of the US sphere of influence and into theirs? Sure would be a shame if the US then defaulted. |
| Posted by: RandomJD 2011-01-22 15:31 |
| #12 Anonymoose, That's already happened during the 90's. Not so much based on gender as newborns of both sexes. Life in NK is so close to the edge that both starvation and cannibalism is never very far away. |
| Posted by: Frozen Al 2011-01-22 15:21 |
| #11 Sheesh, now they have to share their twigs and bark. |
| Posted by: CincinnatusChili 2011-01-22 14:26 |
| #10 Airdrop coupons. Free SuperSize if you bring your weapon. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2011-01-22 14:17 |
| #9 Sent up MacDonalds about a half mile apart along the length of the DMZ. Make sure the Fryolaters have big ass exhaust fans on them. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2011-01-22 12:56 |
| #8 ROK has also cut pretty much all ties and aid. Interesting that the PRC is not a supplier. |
| Posted by: Halliburton - Mysterious Conspiracy Division 2011-01-22 12:51 |
| #7 I didn't realize you were that old Gorb. Maybe I should rewrite that so I'm not so old. :-) |
| Posted by: gorb 2011-01-22 12:05 |
| #6 In situations of such extreme depravity, I wouldn't imagine that the notion of "long pig" is out of the question. It being Asia, a girl child could provide enough sustenance for an entire family to make it through the winter. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2011-01-22 09:25 |
| #5 IIRC Washington issued the order because the farmers were not short on supply but rather selling to the highest bidder who happened to be financed out of London. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2011-01-22 07:58 |
| #4 I didn't realize you were that old Gorb. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2011-01-22 03:14 |
| #3 I also remember that folks did not like it when Redcoats took over their houses for their own use. I don't remember if they were forced out completely or not. I'm sure they took over the nicer houses whenever they could and tromped mud all over everything before leaving. And it wasn't so easy to call in a maid service and Stanley Steemer to clean the place up. |
| Posted by: gorb 2011-01-22 03:01 |
| #2 It's called requisitioning, and part of the reason the US Constitution has a 3rd Amendment. |
| Posted by: badanov 2011-01-22 02:24 |
| #1 I believe during the winter at Valley Forge that Washington ordered his troops to go out and elicit donations from the citizens in the area, and to force them to "donate" if necessary. Of course, Washington's soldiers were only a few thousand I believe. |
| Posted by: gorb 2011-01-22 02:15 |