Jenkins to travel to Japan on Sunday: Govt source
Jenkins to travel to Japan on Sunday: Govt source
Agencies, Tokyo/Jakarta
A former U.S. soldier accused of deserting to North Korea is to travel to Japan on Sunday for medical care, a Japanese government source said, after signs Washington would not seek custody while he was in hospital.
U.S. Ambassador Howard Baker said on Thursday that Washington was sympathetic to the health problems of ex-U.S. army sergeant Charles Robert Jenkins, and left open the possibility it might not seek immediate custody if he went to Japan for medical care.
Jenkins, who the United States says deserted in 1965 and later joined the North's propaganda machine, was reunited in Jakarta last week with his Japanese wife Hitomi Soga, whom he met in North Korea after Pyongyang agents kidnapped her in 1978.
Soga came back to Japan with four other abductees in 2002, but had to leave behind Jenkins and their two North Korean-born daughters. Soga's plight has won much public sympathy in Japan. Soga expressed anxiety about Jenkins's health.
Soga said in a written statement issued on Thursday in Jakarta that she and her daughters were "very much worried" about Jenkins' health following medical tests there.
"I wish for him to have treatment in hospital in Japan," she said.
Japan's national broadcaster NHK reported on Thursday that Jenkins suffers from peritonitis, an inflammation of the walls of the abdomen that can become serious if not properly treated.
North Korean officials on Thursday apparently were trying to block Jenkins from leaving Jakarta, saying they wouldn't allow him to go to Japan unless they can meet with him, according to Kyodo News agency, which quoted an unidentified Japanese official.
While commenting on the news about the departure plan of the Jenkins family, Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Marty A. Natalegawa said Japan, Indonesia and North Korea should jointly discuss the matter before the family's departure to Tokyo.
"The arrival of Jenkins and his family in Jakarta for the reunion with Madame Soga was made possible only with the agreement or understanding of the relevant parties, in particular, the agreement of the Indonesian government, which facilitated the reunion. Thus, his departure from Jakarta should be conducted in the same manner," Marty told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
The couple and their daughters have been staying at a luxury Jakarta hotel since they were reunited last week. They played cards and a musical game but Jenkins was too ill to join in, Soga said.
Jenkins has expressed concern he would be handed over to U.S. authorities for court martial if he went to Japan.
A stalemate over his future could irritate U.S-Japan ties. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Tokyo was working to enable Jenkins to receive treatment in Japan soon but the timing had not been decided.
"It is said to be better if he receives treatment as soon as possible and we are coordinating in that direction but the date has not been decided," Koizumi told reporters.