Norks using Russian sniper rifle to kill fleeing refugees

Sunday Times:

North Korean guards, newly armed with Russian Dragunov sniper rifles, have shot dead refugees attempting to ford the river that divides their hungry homeland from China, according to human rights campaigners.

On the Chinese shore alone, two bodies, marked by several bullet holes, were found by a local activist, said Tim Peters, an American pastor who runs a Christian group supporting the fugitives.

The shootings indicate a coordinated change in tactics by North Korea and China to deter refugees from crossing. They want to stamp out bribery among border guards who let the refugees go and to catch those who make it to safety.

The two countries, nominally socialist allies, have agreed to tighten security measures to ensure “stability” in the run-up to the Olympic Games and to stop any embarrassing demonstrations by the refugees.

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You can read more on the Russian Dragunov sniper rifles here and here. It is describes as "... designed with the intention of increasing the effective combat range of a Soviet platoon rather than as a true sniper rifle." Apparently if is good enough to shoot unarmed refugees in the back. There is nothing like commie solidarity when it comes to this sort of thing.

BTW, the rifle is not as scary looking as some others on the market.