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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| ChiCom trains carrying aid to Norks have a history of not returning |
| 2007-10-26 |
| Sources in the Sino-NK border city of Dandong in China said that food aid destined for North Korea from the World Food Program (WFP) had failed to clear customs. Customs sources said that not enough trains were available to carry the food to its Stalinist neighbor as trains that had previously crossed the bridge into North Korea had failed to return. According to Korean-Chinese business people in the city, about 50 Chinese trains were allocated to exclusively transport cargo to and from North Korea. They are all numbered and usually leave fully loaded and come back mostly empty. In the past, China would sometimes hold off on sending more trains when earlier ones were late in coming back. But operations usually resumed after a few days. This time, they said, it has been more than a few days. Trains that were late in returning in the past often came back with parts and equipment missing. On other occasions, old and deteriorated trains returned instead of newer ones. Ye Olde Switcheroo. According to the customs officials in Dandong, more than 1,800 trains failed to return during the past decade and the number of missing trains is sharply increasing these days. That be a lot of trains! Do they mean cars? WFP is reportedly planning to dispatch about 8,000 tons of wheat, corn and rice from Dandong. Since the Chinese trains can carry only 58 tons, about 140 trains would be needed. Typical US trains maybe 100 cars, 6000 tons (US short tons). Nork trains must be "O" gauge or so, heh. China is waiting for the trains to return from North Korea, but by delaying additional allocations, Beijing is also sending a message to Pyongyang that it will not tolerate any more disappearances. No trains back to us, no grain for yuu! During the past several years, impoverished North Koreans have stolen virtually anything they could lay their hands on, especially food and steel. North Korea has also begun collecting steel scrap across the country in recent years. Scrap trains. State media in Pyongyang have been reporting irregularities in the scrap collection campaign, such as people stealing power transmission cables. At least one team of thieves was executed publicly this year for having stolen power cables, according to a publication by Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU) in Seoul. |
| Posted by:Alaska Paul |
| #5 KRIS KRINGLE's former nemesis THE WINTER WARLOCK loved choo-choos as a child??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2007-10-26 19:52 |
| #4 Do the crews get invited to |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2007-10-26 19:35 |
| #3 "State media in Pyongyang have been reporting irregularities in the scrap collection campaign, such as people stealing power transmission cables." Who needs power cables when there's no power? Actually, I'm amazed that the state media would report such a thing in the workers' paradise. |
| Posted by: Darrell 2007-10-26 19:24 |
| #2 "well, once they hit a major intersection, they could turn left or right, and...we lost em, chief" |
| Posted by: Frank G 2007-10-26 18:57 |
| #1 Kim's Used Train Sales! We Choo Choo Choose to Sell for Less! |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2007-10-26 18:17 |