It was his last day in freedom. It was ferociously cold this Morning in Dandong, Smog hung over the city, and gave her something almost Mystical. It was the wrong day.
Since a couple of months Michael Spavor lived in one of the new buildings directly on the river, the Yalu river that separates North Korea and China. From his Apartment he could see far to the North of Korea. Almost every day he looked with the telescope over, he saw the wooden barracks on the other side and of course the friendship bridge. 940 meters long, which takes you across to North Korea. It is the only rail connection between the two States.
The bridge has made Dandong a smuggler’s nest: Chinese Gangs dealing in amphetamines from North Korea’s laboratories, management of Pyongyang, a cover in the electronics markets of the city. The latest iPads and iPhones to take you across the border. Michael Spavor, who lived to organize trips for tourists to North Korea, Dandong, however, is the right place. Four Times a week passenger train K27 departs from here to Pyongyang.
The wrong place in the wrong day of the airport of Dalian was 2 hours and 17 minutes on the fast train from Dandong needs. Spavor wanted that 10. December fly for a couple of days after Seoul. In the South Korean capital, he has lived for many years. On Facebook, he had announced his visit. More than 50 people, he had marked that he wanted you all to meet, he wrote.
From the railway station in Dalian, he had to drive to the airport of the city. Spavor had the wrong passport, the canadian. He was surrounded and led away. Since then, he’s sitting in a cell somewhere in North-East China.
is The largest conflict of our days
Michael Spavor has become a human pawn in the biggest conflict these days. On the one hand, the United States, on the other, China. It is a new arms race, one in which it is not about tanks and missiles, but of Bits and Bytes, to 5G, the new mobile radio standard. Who’s in control of 5G, so it is explained to US-emissaries of its European allies, will have decades of economic and military advantage.
The Problem of the Americans: is Technically, of all things, a Chinese company in the front – Huawei. In the US, Huawei is proscribed since 2012, at that time, the Congress warned of the cooperation, since not explain was how closely the companies with the Chinese state, and humor. In Europe, however, has established Huawei in the past few years. In Washington, you want to change the now. At the last second, China should be the market leader detained.
The triggered the controversy around Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou was taken at the beginning of December in Vancouver, two weeks later, she was released on bail. Video: Reuters
As was discussed last July in a secluded resort in Nova Scotia on the canadian East coast. The secret service heads of the most powerful eavesdropping Alliance in the world, the so-called Five Eyes were retreated. At dinner they came to the actual topic: China, Huawei and 5G.
Since this Meeting not only American diplomats in the European capitals have become representations, but also the intelligence services of the Canadians, Australians, new Zealanders and British to warn of the consequences: What would be, to interfere, if Beijing in the event of a crisis, arranging parts of the network, such as in the case of a dispute over Taiwan? Not an Autonomous car that would drive, even normal cars are limited, because large parts of the on-Board electronics are to be stored in the Cloud, crippled hospitals, production plants, are at a standstill.
Clueless to do in the crosshairs
Michael Spavor, with all of nothing, except that he is canadian. In his home country was on 1. December, ten days before his arrest in Vancouver, the Chinese citizen, Meng Wanzhou, arrested – as he was at the airport. Meng, the chief financial officer of Huawei. A Federal court in New York accuses her to have the break American of the Iran sanctions a cover-up. It is delivered in the United States, she faces a prison sentence of up to 30 years. Eleven days sass Meng in a women’s prison. Since then, she is free, she is wearing an electronic ankle cuff. The equivalent of 10 million canadian dollars, she had to put as a Deposit, the equivalent of 7.6 million Swiss francs. The Chinese new year, they celebrated in the circle of your friends, in your Villa in Vancouver. And Michael Spavor remains in custody.
Michael Spavor offered to travel from China to North Korea: Since the 10. December, he sits in custody. Photo: Keystone
“Such measures are an expression of a new hardness, such as Beijing tries its international interests,” says Mikko Huotari, Deputy Director of the Mercator Institute for China Studies in Berlin. Since the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the relations between Ottawa and Beijing are on the ground. “What I know is that President Xi Jinping was very angry,” said John McCallum, who was until a few days ago, the canadian Ambassador in Beijing. In the meantime, Canada has issued a travel warning for its citizens. Spontaneous arrests are not ruled out.
Jon Dunbar has decided not to fly to China. He is canadian and one of Michael Spavors friends in Seoul. Since many years he works for the English-language Korea Times. “Michael and I wanted to us on Tuesday, so the 11. December, at a meeting of the Royal Asiatic Society,” says Dunbar. A grumpy British lawyer, who had lived many years in Pyongyang, should give a lecture. Jon Dunbar was there, also many other friends. “Only Michael was missing. Because we were suspicious,” says Dunbar.
the night before Spavor had an appointment burst. Actually, he wanted to stop for a bite immediately after landing, the craft works, a pub with attached brewery. The operator is Leo Jehn, who is the oldest friend of Spavor. They are both from Calgary. In 1996 they moved to Seoul. Jehn was 22, Spavor 21 years old. Once to Asia for a crazy year, that’s the Plan, they stayed.
in 2005, got Spavor the offer to move to Pyongyang. He lived in the diplomatic district and taught English, paid for by a Catholic charitable organization in Canada. “Those were his happiest in months,” says Jon Dunbar. “There, he had the feeling that bring people together to help them.” After half a year of closing. The Regime in Pyongyang had almost all of the auxiliary organizations.
drink Cocktails with Kim Jong-un
Michael Spavor made himself independent, and organized trips to North Korea, four to five Trips per year. For this he moved to China, because only from there you can travel to North Korea. Two Times accompanied Spavor, a former professional basketball player Dennis Rodman to Pyongyang. As Rodman North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met, translated Spavor, three full days. Photos show him in Kim’s yacht, drinking Cocktails, the dictator smokes.
The Chinese authorities accuse them of activities, the “national security” threaten, what exactly you mean by that, is unclear.
In Seoul, made the friends in December very large. For days there was no news of Michael Spavor. In the case of making a Call on his Chinese mobile phone not rang, he took off but SMS remained unanswered. “The fact that it’s poking, it was not clear to us, only what we knew,” says Dunbar. They inquired with the airline, at the canadian Embassy, when South Korean border guards. In Seoul, where he was not. But where could he be? It was the North Koreans? He had a fight with smugglers in Dandong? On Wednesday evening, the 12th. December, reported the first news agencies that two Canadians had been detained in China. Revenge for Meng Wanzhou. “Because I knew you Michael,” says Dunbar. The day after the names were announced: Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.
The Chinese authorities accuse them of activities, the “national security” threaten, what exactly do you mean by that remains unclear. Only so much: “There is no doubt that these two canadian citizens have been violated in China, the laws and regulations of our country,” says the Chinese state attorney General. His sword, the new security law, which entered into force in 2015. Like so many of the regulations that have been adopted in recent years in China, the law is very vague and far-reaching formulates.
The authorities are able to national security order checks to the political, military, economic, financial, cultural, technological, nuclear, ecological, and religious themes. The scope is similarly broad, both in Cyberspace as well as in the world of space, the Depths of the ocean and the polar regions are part of the national security sphere in China. The laws can always be against any related. Against the Chinese anyway, and as you can see, even against foreigners.
“After a few days, we have received the first sign of life from Michael,” recalls Jon Dunbar. “Although he was in detention sass, someone in his Facebook to create Account. You could see that Michael was online. Only he wasn’t there.” The Security Of The State? “We expect, unfortunately,” says Dunbar. The big conflict in the Small.
(editing Tamedia)
Created: 12.02.2019, 20:55 PM
