Witnesses said twelve North Korean refugees made an unsuccessful attempt to enter the Ecuadorean Embassy in Beijing around 3 p.m. Monday. At least eight of the asylum-seekers were apprehended by Chinese police on the spot, while the others managed to run off. Most of them were bleeding from injuries they suffered at the hands of Chinese guards who beat them with clubs and fists while chasing them, eyewitnesses said. Witnesses said the refugees tried to use a ladder to scale the fences and barricades surrounding the building. According to Norbert Vollertsen, a German doctor famous for his activities publicizing the issue of North Korean defectors the group was planning to travel to Beijing and submit written requests to have the Chinese authorities recognize the five men, five women and a 15-year-old boy from North Korea as legally protected refugees.