Two American journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, were arrested by North Koreans apparently having crossed over from China without permit and have been sentenced to 12 years labour. To get so far inside China they must have received permission from the Chinese government and must have been accompanied by Chinese minders or, at least, interpreters. How could they cross the border to the North Korean side without any warning from the Chinese? A lot of people smuggling occurs along this border as North Koreans try to escape hunger and poverty and hence the Chinese are sure to have numerous guards all along the entire border. How were the ladies allowed to just cross over without going through customs and immigration check points? One theory is that North Korean soldiers kidnapped the two from the Chinese side of the border. Again it is hard to imagine the Chinese allowing such violation of their territory and sovereignty. Now that the ladies have been sentenced surely the Chinese can easily secure their release by leaning on the North Korean government which cannot survive even one day without Chinese support. The more I think about it the more it stinks of Chinese dirty tricks. This is a country that is quietly extending its influence across the world and dreams of total domination. Perhaps they are gauging the toughness and determination of the Obama administration. Let us hope Obama does not fail this test.