BEIJING (CP) - Forty-four men, women and children using ladders clambered over a spiked fence around the Canadian Embassy on Wednesday in what appeared to be the biggest recent bid for asylum by North Koreans. One other man was stopped by police. The group, which reportedly included two former political prisoners, was an embarrassing reminder of the dismal conditions in North Korea, officially China's ally. There was no immediate indication whether the incident might hinder Chinese diplomatic efforts to persuade North Korea to attend a new round of six-country talks on Washington's demand that the North up its nuclear weapons program. China is obligated by treaty to send home fleeing North Koreans, but hasn't done so in cases that become public. Tens of thousands of North Koreans fleeing famine and repression at home live in hiding in China's northeast. Hundreds have been allowed to leave for South Korea over the past three years after gaining refuge by dashing into embassies and other foreign offices in China. Kimberly Phillips, a Foreign Affairs Department spokeswoman in Ottawa, told the Canadian Press that the group who entered the compound Wednesday included six children. "The group scaled the outside walls of the embassy compound using homemade ladders," she told The Canadian Press. "Embassy officials are currently speaking with individuals in the group to confirm their identify and their objectives. We believe the majority are North Koreans." Phillips said China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had been notified of the situation. There have not been any requests for refugee status in Canada, she added. Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew, who was asked about the situation during a telephone news conference from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, said his department was "monitoring the situation very closely." "We are looking after the people who got into the Canadian embassy," he added. Reporters on the scene in Beijing said a truck carrying about a dozen mattresses drove into the compound Wednesday, calling it a sign that Canadian officials might be preparing for a long stay by the group. "The embassy is making arrangements for the group to be accommodated on the compound," said Phillips in Ottawa. "We don't know how long the individuals will remain on the compound. We are currently discussing with the group where they want to go." "We are providing them with food and water and mattresses and we are working with relevant authorities in China to ensure the health and safety of those currently at the embassy." The group was made up of five families and included an escapee from a North Korean prison and a woman who had been a political prisoner, the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported on its website. It said a 66-year-old woman in the group had escaped once before from the North in 1997 but was caught and sent home. I think it's great that North Koreans are finally trying to rid themselves of the harsh North Korean culture. Speculation through experts say some of the people may be relocated to South Korea by our embassy for a fresh start in life.