MINUTES OF THE MEETING,
PART III (incomplete)
United Nations, Press Release, 21 July 1979
Meeting on Refugees and Displaced Persons in South-East Asia Hears Fifteen Statements at Saturday Morning Session
Fifteen more speakers were heard as the Meeting on Refugees and Displaced Persons in South-East Asia continued in Geneva this morning. The Meeting, convened by Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim to consider concrete ways and means of alleviating the plight of thousands of refugees and displaced persons in South-East Asia, began yesterday (Friday, 20 July).
The following delegations took the floor this morning: Australia, United States, New Zealand, Finland, Soviet Union, Luxembourg, Holy See, Argentina, Republic of Korea, Pakistan, Greece, Tunisia, Yugoslavia, Chile and Mexico.
The Meeting, which is being attended by 68 States, is not expected to adopt any resolution. The Secretary-General, who is Chairman of the Meeting, will sum up the results in a statement which will reflect the main elements of the discussions and decisions.
The Meeting will resume at 3 p.m. today, with the following delegations scheduled to speak: Iceland, United Republic of Tanzania, Portugal, Libya, Papua New Guinea, India, Iran, Turkey, Algeria, Oman, Hong Kong, European Economic Communities.
Statements by Delegations
MICHAEL MACKELLAR, Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs of Australia: “A change in the policies provoking the present crisis” is called for. But for the moment Australia will increase its intake of Indochinese refugees to 14,000 for this year, thus reaching a total of 37,000 by June 1980.
Australia endorses the French proposal that refugees be settled in a proportion of at least one for every 1,000 population.
“To establish more processing centres is to recognize the failure of the world response and the inability or reluctance of Vietnam to control a situation it has created.”
His country cannot take refugees in such numbers “as will destroy our very capacity to settle them effectively”. Those countries which face limits on the numbers they can accept could contribute to the financing. Therefore, Australia supports an international fund for resettlement.
“We believe there is a compelling need for a concerted programme of political action against the inhuman policies causing the outflow of hundreds of thousands of people from the countries of Indochina.”
He regrets that the statement by Vietnam contains “no promises of changed behaviour, no retreat from a position that all the problems are caused by external forces”.
The continuing conferences on this subject “are going close to accepting in fact, if not formally, the proposition that a country might with impunity expel its ethnic minorities”.
He asked: “How much longer will it be before Vietnam recognizes the dreadful wound that it is still inflicting on its own standing in the community of nations?”
WALTER MONDALE, Vice-President of the United States: Once again the countries turn to the United Nations. When problems touch the whole human community, no other forum provides a more encompassing vision. Some tragedies defy the imagination. Today, the world confronts such a tragedy.
Forty-one years ago this very week, 32 nations of asylum convened at Evian to save the doomed Jews of Nazi Germany. They began with high hopes, but they failed the test of civilization. The civilized world hid in the cloak of legalism. Let us not re-enact their error. To alleviate the tragedy of South-East Asia, we all have a part to play. The United States, the “mother of exiles”, is committed to doing its share, just as it has done for generations. The American people have welcomed over 200,000 Indo-Chinese, and are preparing to welcome another 168,000 more in the coming year. Many nations represented here also have accepted substantial numbers of refugees. But the growing exodus still outstrips international efforts. The world community must work together, or the suffering will mount. Unless the conference gives birth to new commitments, and not simply new metaphors, it will inherit the scorn of Evian.
Action is needed in seven areas. First, the fundamental responsibility must rest with the authorities of Indo-China. Further expulsion of people from Viet Nam and the drownings must stop. A humane emigration programme must be established. The nations of the world must promote a political settlement in Kampuchea. Second, the countries of first asylum must continue to provide temporary safe haven to all refugees. But these nations cannot bear this responsibility alone. Our common effort must proceed. Third, the rest of us must provide assurances that refugees will find new homes within a reasonable period of time. Fourth, each of us must make a greater contribution to the relief efforts of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which may require an estimated $400 trillion for its Indo-China programme in 1980.
Fifth, it is essential to create a network of new transit centres in order to relieve pressure on existing camps. Sixth, we must extend refugee resettlement to nations willing to receive them. Seventh, we must act to protect the lives of those who seek safety. History will not forgive us if we fail. History will not forget us if we succeed.
A. MALCOM, Under-Secretary to the Minister of Labour and Immigration, New Zealand: New Zealand has 3 million people but it has been among the first five countries in refugees settled per head of population. Up until the beginning of this year, New Zealand had settled 535 IndoChinese refugees. For the 1979 calendar year, New Zealand committed itself to settle a further 900. New Zealand has now decided to make a further commitment to accept an additional 1,800 by June 1981. By then, one in every thousand New Zealanders will be an Indochinese refugee.
New Zealand follows a settlement procedure which involves arranging jobs and homes, and encourages the absorption of refugees into the community with a minimum of social disruption. For the programme to be successful, and it is successful, it requires broad support from the public at large.
Huge numbers of refugees have left Viet Nam already. The evidence suggests that many more are under pressure to leave. There are gloomy forecasts that up to a million more could come. This situation is creating unique and severe strains for neighbouring countries and in particular the member countries of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Hong Kong. It is Viet Nam which must bear the responsibility. It must grasp from this meeting, if it has not already done so, that its present policies are not acceptable. It is up to Viet Nam to remove the pressures which have turned the flow of refugees into a flood.
We also have to look beyond Viet Nam. Any realistic political settlement will require compromises which must also be acceptable to the great Powers. The New Zealand Government looks to the great Powers to take the lead. We may be faced with not the threat but the fact of starvation in Kampuchea. We must think about what kind of international effort is required to get food to those who need it.
PAAVO VAYRYNEN, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland: The existence of as many as 10 million refugees is “a regrettable indication” of how far the world community is from its ideals. The problem requires concerted action. No single country, or group of countries, should bear the burden alone.
Finland has carefully studied the High Commissioner’s proposed plan of action, which is very useful and deserves wide support. In the spring of this year, Finland made an extra contribution to the High Commissioner’s programme, and has decided to follow this up with another contribution of about $1 million to meet the growing need for additional funds.
As regards resettlement of the Vietnamese refugees in Finland, climatic and other conditions of the Finnish environment constituted a problem. However, in view of the continuing aggravation of the situation, Finland has decided to receive a number, which is, of necessity, modest because of the special environmental difficulties. Finland would move with speed to implement its offer of resettlement, and hope to receive the group within two weeks. Finland shares the view that the situation calls for a durable solution and for concerted action by the worId community to bring relief to the sufferings of the refugees.
N.P. FIRIOBINE, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Head of Department of Asian Affairs of the Soviet Union: The Soviet Union is in favour of the agreement between the Government of Viet Nam and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, aimed at the creation of favourable conditions for an orderly and safe departure of the interested persons from Viet Nam. The full implementation of this agreement would be the best way of eliminating specific difficulties faced by Viet Nam and some other countries of South-East Asia, and also would be in the interest of the refugees themselves. The proposals put forward at this forum which could complement and develop the above-mentioned agreement appear to deserve our consideration.
The Soviet Union is fully aware of the heavy heritage of the Vietnamese people after many years of wars which that country had been compelled to fight in its struggle for reunification and the safeguarding of political independence. During years of mutual co-operation the Soviet Union has helped Viet Nam build and reconstruct 285 projects, 187 of which were put into operation. Nearly half a million people work in the factories, State farms and other projects which were built with the help of the Soviet Union. Similar assistance was extended to other countries in Indo-China, namely to Laos and Kampuchea. Substantive humanitarian assistance to the countries of Indo-China is rendered also by Bulgaria, Hungary, the German Democratic Republic, Cuba, Mongolia, Poland and Czechoslovakia. The Soviet Union has been surprised that this group of countries — Members of the United Nations— were denied participation in the present meeting. The Soviet Union, together with other socialist States, will continue to provide aid to the countries of Indo-China to heal the wounds of war, to rebuild from ashes their national economies.
Provocations from the worId against Viet Nam and other countries of Indo-China do not cease. This cannot help but inflame emotions around the question of the departure of ethnic Chinese. Furthermore, it is known that refugees from China have recently begun to be abandoned in the territorial waters of Viet Nam. Then they are produced as Vietnamese refugees and are directed to the shores of South-East Asian States.
A number of countries announced recently the termination or reduction of their economic aid to Viet Nam and the reallocation of respective funds to aid refugees. Similarly, Viet Nam’s neighbour in the north aggravated the problem of refugees from Viet Nam and subsequently announced the freezing of all economic projects under the pretext of providing aid to individuals who entered that country from Vietnam. Such actions not only aggravate the problem of refugees and impede the healing of Viet Nam’s wounds of war, but they are also intolerable as a matter of principle as they constitute the use of economic levers to exert political pressure on Viet Nam.
The problems of refugees from Laos and Kampuchea cannot be discussed here in the absence of representatives of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and of the People’s Republic of Kampuchea.
The Soviet Union is ready to discuss at this meeting any constructive suggestions and proposals aimed at a truly just and humanitarian settlement of the problem of refugees in the region of South-East Asia.
GASTON THORN, Foreign Minister of Luxembourg: In response to the existing situation in South-East Asia and the appeal which the High Commissioner for Refugees made to the international community, the Government of Luxembourg decided yesterday morning to double the number of Indo Chinese refugees who will be admitted to Luxembourg and also to double its financial efforts aimed at the integration of those refugees. This means that the total of Indochinese refugees to be admitted to Luxembourg will increase to approximately 100 people or one refugee per every 3,000 people in Luxembourg. The Government is also willing to increase by 60 per cent its contributions to the programme of the High Commissioner.
Since the beginning of this year Luxembourg has admitted 55 refugees. The Government of Luxembourg has provided the necessary funds for its national Red Cross to cover the transport costs and other expenses required for the resettlement of the refugees. The solution of the problem of Indc Chinese refugees is urgent and requires co-ordinated action.
Luxembourg endorses the statement made by the Foreign Minister of France that Viet Nam should reconsider its policy and implement a moratorium for approximately six months, during which an orderly departure of refugees could be organized.
Monseigneur AUDRYS J. BACKIS, Under-Secretary of State for Public Affairs of the Holy See: He shares the view of the High Commissioner that the South-East Asian refugee problem calls for a comprehensive solution. It can no longer be denied that the situation poses a humanitarian problem of an unprecedented nature. It is for this reason that the Catholic Church is involved, and has been devoting to this problem special attention and effort for some years. Recently, a meeting of Bishops was held in Bangkok to consider the measures Catholic charitable organizations in Asia can take. As many Governments can testify, considerable efforts in manpower and financial support have been made by many Catholic organizations in co-operation with Governments receiving and resettling refugees. Catholics are examining how they can assist States in opening their frontiers still wider to refugees.
For the Holy See, it is clear that any solution, to be effective and lasting, must start with man and his dignity. Every refugee has the right to live and to survive. The Holy See wishes to appeal to all the nations not to let any more refugees die by shipwreck. Means must be found to rescue them on the high seas without distinction between “refugees” and “migrants”.
Permanent settlements must be secured for all refugees, without discrimination on the basis of age, and other forms of handicap. Transit centres must be established. For its part, the Holy See is resolved to pursue all efforts that are within its possibilities.
CARLOS W. PASTOR, Foreign Minister of Argentina: The events of Indo-China have deep roots. However, the conference will not analyse the underlying causes because it has been agreed, for practical reasons, that the main objective of the conference should be humanitarian. This in no way implies that the conference is indifferent to the responsibility of those who, directly or indirectly, are responsible for those events.
International efforts will come to nought if expulsions and the flow of the refugees are not brought to a halt. People wishing to leave their countries of origin should do so in an orderly manner. Latin American countries have sought permanent homes for the displaced persons of the region within the region and its sub-regions. In the case of South-East Asia, this experience probably has no value. However, the principle of regional solidarity among nations belonging to the same region should not be overlooked.
Argentina, in response to the High Commissioner’s appeal, will receive 1.000 refugee families from Indo-China, or about 5,000 persons. His government is engaged in urgent preparations to receive and resettle these refugees. In addition, Argentina is ready to send medical doctors to assist with health and sanitary care of refugees living in transit centres. Argentina supports the proposal for establishing an international fund for the resettlement of refugees.
SHINYONG LHO, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea in Geneva: His Government has decided to increase its contribution to $5 million, to help expedite the programme of the ASEAN countries for the relief and resettlement of Indo Chinese refugees. The amount of $200,000, which was promised last May, will be disbursed immediately. The Republic of Korea is prepared to hold consultations with the High Commissioner for Refugees and, if necessary, with the Governments directly concerned on the details of its contributions amounting to $4.8 million.
In May, the Republic of Korea pledged to make a donation of $200,000 to the project of the Refugee Processing Centre in Galang, Indonesia, in response to the international call for financial contributions.
Since 1975, the Republic of Korea has received nearly 1,800 Vietnamese refugees. To provide them with all possible assistance, the Republic of Korea established and has been operating a special refugee centre. Most of the Vietnamese refugees have chosen third countries for their resettlement and have left Korea. This decision was taken mainly because of the language barrier and the scarcity of job opportunities in one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Dozens of Vietnamese are still staying at the special refugee centre waiting for final resettlement in third countries.
JAMSHEED K.A. MARKER, Permanent Representative of Pakistan in Geneva: He hopes the Conference will further reinforce the ability of the United Nations system to deal with the problem of refugees from Indo-China. He also hopes it would create conditions for a durable solution to their plight.
Pakistan wishes to contribute towards a solution of the problem. However, as is well known, it has received over 130,000 refugees from [incomplete]
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UN/Kurt Waldheim Files/ S-0901/0007/02. United Nations Press Release Meeting on Refugees and Displaced Persons in Southeast Asia Hears 15 Statements at Saturday Morning Session, 21 July 1979.